How to Build a List Basics: List Building Week
Free...you still have to work for it!
At the core of it, building a list is simple.
You give something of value in return for an email address.
But that’s only scratching the surface really.
The trick is figuring out what your readers value, delivering that, and then keeping them coming back time and again, and ultimately purchasing your products and services, or those you recommend.
If you want to know how to not only build a list, but keep your subscribers there, this post is for you.
But first,
Make Sure Your Basics Are Covered
Before we get into the ninja how to build a list tactics, let’s quickly review the basics just to be sure you’ve got them down.
- Use an email marketing service like AWeber for this, not your own. This can help increase the chances of your email actually getting delivered. And don’t use Feedburner. I know it’s free, but don’t use it.
- Give to get. In order for someone to give you their email address, you have to give them something in return. That something can take just about any form - an ebook, video course, e-course, etc. Another term for this is lead magnet.
- Always use a double opt-in. AWeber pretty much forces you to do this, but if you don’t want to be marked as spam, ensure that everyone that signs up verifies that they want what you’ve got.
- Create a custom “please check your email page.” This is another valuable touch point for your customer, and gives you another chance for them to get to know you and vice versa.
- Create a custom final confirmation page. This is where your new email subscriber will go once they are fully signed up for your list. Create a custom page for this. As with #4, it’s yet another chance for branding and messaging.
- Hit em from all sides. Use a plugin like the MaxBlogPress Subscriber Magnet for a multi-point strategy. Ana uses it, I use it; it works. I’ve found that this works even better than pop-ups in many niches.
So with that said, let’s get to the goodies!
Multi-Multi-Point Strategy
Why only have a single site promoting your lead magnet when you can use many?
In addition to putting your email opt-in on your main site, create a squeeze page on another domain (perhaps one named the same as your lead magnet) and drive traffic there.
You can point to this site on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or any other social media profiles you have set up.
If you’re into niche marketing, you could also link to this landing page as part of your author signature when doing article marketing.
Most sites allow two links in the author block, so make one of those the landing page. That way you can get SEO link building juice to two sites and not just one.
What’s Your Email Address Worth?
Knowing what will really convert is part art but mostly science.
Don’t just create a single ebook, create several. Then, using the web form feature of your email marketing program, create several opt-in forms and see which one gets the most conversions.
How to deliver two different products to one list? Why not just give people both. With some wordsmithing I’m sure you can pull it off.
Or you can get even more scientific with it.
Create a short survey on your site and find out what people are really looking for. There is no better way to find out what people want than to just ask. Once you know that, deliver it.
Never, Ever, Leave Them Hanging
Once some one is on your email list, don’t leave them hanging. There are many ways to structure an auto-responder sequence, but what I’ve found the most success with, across niches, is:
- 7 days of emails, back to back
- 30 days of emails, spaced 3 days apart
The longest sequence I have set up for one of my niche sites has a 7-day follow-up based on the ebook I provide, and then 3 months of emails spaced 3 days apart.
I’ve had some people unsubscribe and tell me they’ve gotten too many emails from me.
I’ve emailed people once a week and gotten the same reaction.
But one person out of hundreds does not a trend make, so take the unsubscribe feedback in context.
Regardless of how many emails you’re going to send, let your subscribers know in the very first email they get what they can expect. If they know what’s coming, they’re more likely to stay with you.
And Don’t Sell In Your Emails
The adage, “people like buying, but they hate being sold to” is psychology 101.
We want to feel in control of our actions, especially when it comes to laying out our hard earned cash.
So don’t sell in your emails.
Instead, provide valuable content, and have a few links in there to your sales page. The point of the email isn’t to sell, it’s to get that next action - a click of a link that takes them to your sales page.
Headline Crafting - Not Just For Blog Posts
Getting people to open your emails might be even slightly easier than getting people to click on your blog post links, but to give the email a fighting chance, write a compelling subject line.
No need to speak further on that.
James wrote a great guest post titled, “How To Write Titles With Teeth.” Start there and apply the lessons to your email subject lines.
Always Remember Who You’re Talking With
Don’t worry about getting huge numbers of people on your email list.
Numbers are meaningless if no one takes action when you ask.
Instead, focus on providing an overwhelming amount of value to your email subscribers.
When in doubt, give them first dibs.
I make certain offers on my website, and will many times tell my email subscribers about it first, giving them a head start. Doing things like that let’s them know they are special to me. And they are! I thank everyone for coming to my site, reading the posts, and leaving comments.
But if you are one of my subscribers, that means that you care about me too, which in turn increases my care for you.
No I didn’t just turn into a hippie - I really mean that.
Never forget that you are talking with people.
Real people with real problems looking for real help and solutions.
Yes “the money is in the list,” but don’t view your email list as money. The better you can connect and help them, the more likely they will be to take action when you ask, and become life-long customers.
What Do You Think?
What do you think of these tips and tactics? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
I’ll see you there.
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Richard Parker
Robert.
Having just started on my list building task (and this being my first blog post) I signed up to several well known providers. I agree the 7 mails in 7 days is a good start as it shows great content (exactly what traffic geyser do). After this I guess it depends on the subject. But 3 months of mails - wow. That sounds like a lot of effort….better get writing.
Amanda
Thanks for this article Robert, as a newbie in the online marketing world this was very insightful for me. I don’t really have a list as I’m literally starting out and wondering if you have any tips on how I can get started?
Hi Amanda,
There are two ways to go depending on how complicated you want things to be. But the easiest is to sign up with an email marketing company like AWeber, write an ebook that solves a problem for your ideal customers (target market) and then offer that for them to get on your list. Then be sure to send a broadcast message once a week. Anything past that and you’ll start losing people.
Hi Robert,
Awesome post. I agree that we shouldn’t get so hung up on building a huge following with our email list (Ana-I agree that twitter’s a different animal!) that building relationships with the people on our list is 100 times more important. My list is growing steadily, but it’s not huge and I love how many replies I get when I send out an email, from people who appreciated what I shared.
I think it’s okay to occasionally sell in your emails though, depending on how you do it. If your readers know that you only recommend things that you really feel will make a difference for them in their businesses, and you’ve already got the relationship with them, they will not mind.
We are in business to earn an income, and my readers know, because I remind them frequently, that it’s my goal to help them earn one too! Part of that comes with developing the confidence in yourself and what you’re recommending.
If I know of something that can really help people, it’s my self appointed responsibility to let them know about it. 🙂
What do you think?
Heather
Hi Heather - to your point if you are suggesting products and services that can help your subscribers that’s one thing (and I think totally cool). Many times I get emails from people that is nothing but sales pitch after sales pitch, with perhaps a paragraph or two (spaced for text too - fail) that’s nothing but filler for the pitch.
Sounds like you’re on the right track, and if it’s working keep it going!
Thanks for the great point and the question.
Hey Robert,
You made some excellent points in this post.
I really hate when you subscribe to someones list and all you get is a catchy headline and then just a bunch of links inside. With no good content, just sales pages.
People, if you want to keep your subscribers, don’t just send them links. Get personal, tell a story, your story, or someone else’s. It doesn’t matter, just make sure you are being honest. What does matter is your subscribers will feel a personal connection with you. If you don’t create a little trust, how can you ever expect someone to shell out their hard earned cash for your products.
Anyway that is my 2 cents, Great post Robert and as always, more great content provided on TGC.
Ian
Yay Ian totally agree. That is the surest way to get people to hate you. There’s a reason why the big gurus play the big numbers game when it comes to email - they need to due to the tactics they employ. Great points. Thanks!
This is so handy for me. I just started my email list and needed more info on how and why and what.
What really rang true is your quote, “The point of the email isn’t to sell, it’s to get that next action.” That is what needs to be remembered. For one, don’t just sell your your list. That is boring and people will see through your efforts. Two, these are the people that want to hear more from you, they are one of the best places to ask for favors or have them help you take action. If you give them great advice, they will take action for themselves and will remember who gave them the advice if it helped them.
It’s all about the relationship Allie to be sure. And if you do nothing but send sales messages at someone, you’re telling them something. There is no need in my opinion to force a sale. Provide value and send them to a sales page for something that can help them additionally.
Hey Robert,
Wow, a very good article. You have covered great email marketing tips here.
The key is to create your own follow up messages to brand yourself and make communicating with your list very personal.
Your goal should be to educate, empower, enlighten, entertain and inspire your list instead of boring people with the information about your company, products and comp plan all the time.
I have been on several webinars/training where they don’t recommend the double opt-in option although Aweber recommends it. I don’t use it and many people I know of don’t as well. What’s your observation?
Thanks for sharing your insights, Robert.
All the best,
Mavis
Hi Mavis - I’ve been added to email lists by other people and have had to unsubscribe from their list. That should be unnecessary. I believe in double opt-in because if you have too many complaints the email list service will kick you off their service as you could impact their entire operation. So using a double opt-in helps prevent spam at multiple levels.
I have the exact opposite experience you do - just about everyone I know uses a double opt-in. It’s one more check on the CYA side of things, especially if you’re making money by driving traffic to affiliate offers via email.
Great point, Robert. Thanks for that.
Have a great week!
Mavis
I very much agree with your point on not to sell in emails. The emails should provide only value and increase your authority, expertise and accessiblity to people.
Emails should also be more friendly. Instead of just talking about the subject a couple of sentences on the top with some personal tint works great for me. Such emails convert more clicks and actions.
Thanks Robert for the great piece.
PS: Ana, what are you using to make the tweeting so easy at the bottom of the post? I love that!
Jane.
Hi Jane that’s a really great point. Being friendly in your emails can go a very long way. Definitely make them personable, and add personalization as much as you can as well. Thanks for adding that!
Hi Eric - a lot of people teach that method so I’m not surprised. Reverse course on that and let your sales pages do the selling. Let us know how it works out for you. Thanks!
Robert,
Very nice! Very comprehensive look at creating an email list.
I am a big fan of Subscribers Magnet too. My list has really grown since I started using it. I like the auto fill feature, it rocks.
I agree with do not sell in your emails. You can educate, then send them to the sales page. (Learned this one the hard way.)
As an easy way to build my auto-responder, I use many of my broadcast emails and add them to the series.
Hi Sheila that’s a great idea on taking broadcasts and making them part of the auto-responder - thanks for that one. I’ve had much more success with Subscribers Magnet than pop-up domination. As with anything I think it depends on the niche, so you gotta try it and see.
Hi Ana and Robert,
When people sign up by giving you an email address. They are raising their hand letting you know they are interested what you have to offer. (Free lead) I don’t know why people pay for leads when they can use this model you describe.
The key ingredient once someone joins your list is to build trust by providing value, let them get to know who you are first. Once that is established people on your list will listen to what you have to say and recommend from time to time.
I believe the frequency of your emails all depends on what your goals for your list are. As a whole I wouldn’t email every day.
Always providing value is key.
Terry Conti
Hi Terri you hit the nail on the head - it’s all about building trust over time. If you’re hammering away with sales messages you’re telling the person that all they are is a number and potential revenue source, not a person. Value, as you say, is the key.
This is a much needed post for me Robert because I just got started with building my list and I need all the tips I can get. I see your point on “Never, Ever, Leave Them Hanging. It’s definitely important to take the unsubscribe feedback in context. I will start letting my subscribers know in the first email what they can expect. Thanks a lot for the tips, because I really do need them.
Fantastic John good luck with your list building. Definitely set the expectation and then follow through with it. Glad this post can help you out.
Robert,
An important article. I believe the old saying, “the money is in the list” is spot on. I make my living pretty much off of my email list. Your points are all good. Particularly not overselling.
It is my opinion that to keep people on your list you want to offer one hell of a lot more free information than you do any sort of sales pitch.
I do slightly disagree with back-to-back daily emails. Maybe every other day if you have a tight series, but I think it is important to give people some breathing room.
Remembering who you are talking to is a real “varsity” move. Never waste your lists on things that do not fit them. Even better if you have a product or offer that would address a specific portion of list only you can do some further list segmentation based on free offers.
For instance: if your list is generic “blogging” and you offer a new . free report to your list on “SEO” you can create a new list that is better targeted.
I also like your idea of giving lists “heads up” on things before your blog. It does generte a feeling of closeness and that is really the key. Of course in the long term your goal is to make money off your list. Bot for short term that should be forgotten and you should try to give a lot of unique content.
The more you defy the conventions of a “hard sell” email marketer I think the more you can stand out.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the additional insights and experience - greatly appreciated. With the back-to-back emails that is only for the first 7 days. Typically that is because I am offering a free e-course, and people hate waiting weeks to get those types of things. Heck, I hate waiting days to get the entire thing. But I’m not “usual” in that sense. Point taken though and it’s another great thing to test in your niches.
Email marketing no doubt helps you to generate unlimited amount of money but it only works on if you have huge traffic and as mentioned by you never try to sell anything from it.
Hi Vivek I must disagree that you need huge traffic to make email marketing work. The main tenant of my marketing efforts is to focus on attracting the right people. The “right people” for me are not the masses, rather it’s a very specific group. So in this case I don’t need huge traffic to have very good results, at least not with my methods.