Here are some hot list-building tips for you to grow your list and your business.
1. Offer an outstanding gift or bonus for subscriptions. Not too long ago, any kind of a free gift or bonus was more than enough to get subscribers. In fact, in many cases, no bribe was needed at all! But, as more and more marketers began to send emails and ezines, and as spam increased, prospects began to be more discerning about whom they gave their email address to.
To really be successful in your list-building efforts, you must offer an unresistable deal for subscribers. Sometimes, if people are interested enough in your topic, they will sign up for your ezine or course. But most of the time you must prove to subscribers that you are serious about creating a relationship with them. This means you must provide them with solid content at the beginning, not advertisements. In some cases, this may mean you must offer a free course AND a free report (or some other combination). But do whatever it takes to get that subscriber on your list.
2. Add more opt-in boxes in your sales letter or home page. The best case scenario would be to have your home page be dedicated to your opt-in list as a lead-capture page. But if you wont, or cant, do that, put your opt-in subscription box on your page as many times as you can. Ideally, you want it at the top, in the middle, and at the bottom. As your prospect reads your sales page, he or she may become more interested in your topic. Thus, the more times he or she sees your opt-in box, the greater the chance they will leave their email for you to communicate with them.
3. Build your list virally. Write a free report on a useful topic (making sure to put your website in the report), visit the forums, and offer to give your report to anyone who wants it. Marketers will take you up on your offer because good marketers are always looking for good content to share with their lists; they dont usually care where it comes from. When a marketer gives your report to their list, your website link will be viewed by many who read the report, and visited by many.
If you follow these tips, your list will grow and will become like gold for you.
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I have always been an avid reader of Stephen Kings writings overthe years, hes one of the few authors that I can safely say I have read everything he has written. Granted, I am a coupleof years behind, but I do manage to catch up as I getthe time and opportunity to read him.
Most of his work is pure fluff or entertainment but some ofhis writings (Different Seasons comes quickly to mind) is someof the Best Writing America has produced in the last 50 yearsor so. In the same light, (in my humble opinion) Stephen King is one of the best writers America has produced in the last 50 years.
Totally underrated mainly because of the genre of hiswriting -- hes the perfect example of a stereotyped writeroutperforming many of the stereotypes most critics find thatbrings down his writing. Once you have been typecasted, itsextremely difficult to break out of the mold that many people, rightly or wrongly, have pigeon holed you into.
Regardless, whether youre on the + or - side of StephenKing... I am firmly in the + column... you should look athim for his list building techniques!
What
Stephen King and List Building Whats up with that
List building is all about building a direct personal relationship with your contacts, prospects, or subscribers.Readers must feel a direct connection with you; someonethey can trust and relate to in an one-on-one situation.
Your communications should have this friendly, causal feel as if youre talking to a close confident or pal. It must touch your reader on a purely personal level or you will not succeed in building a good relationship.
Stephen King, in many of his books Post Scripts or Authors Forwards,speaks directly to his readers. These communications are friendly, chatty,and intimate -- like direct conversations with a close contact over a cup of hot coffee on a Misty Maine Morning. Constant Reader please listenup, I have something to tell ya!
Over the years, no doubt, these Direct Letters to his Constant Readers have built up a fierce loyal readership that probably has more of a direct correlation to his sales than many people would admit or could imagine.
His list must be in the tens of millions, readers who are eagerly awaiting the next installment of this correspondence. King, whether he realizes it or not (no doubt he does), has built up a large contact list of eager readers who not only look forward to gettingtheir next King Fix but also looking forward to the next Authors Note that touches briefly on the events in his own life.
This is a great way of connecting with his readers and one does get the feeling that King genuinely does care about his readers. Its something thats read between the lines and cant be faked!
It also has a way of fleshing out his writing; offering a personal view or comments on his take of things. It is also a perfect way of building a more personal relationship with his readers. Probably the only down side for King is the few fanatics that may take this relationship to an extreme level. An unfortunate fact of living in the modern world.
In spite of this, building a large contact list has many more benefits and as we see by the Kings example, it can take many forms. For anyone in the marketing field, a close study of Kings list should be noted forhow it builds (over time) a deep loyal following thats ready and eager to shell out for Kings latest offering, time and time again.
Anyone building a large list should keep many of these points in mind -- making a direct personal appeal/contact and forming a relationship with your readers or subscribers may take years but a loyal readership will pay dividends for years to come. Rewards that can not only result in financial gains, but rewards of a more personal nature which comes from knowing you have helped someone by brightening up their day or putting a smile on their faces -- just with the power of your writing.
Powerful stuff indeed and worth a Kings Ramson!
Copyright 2005 Titus Hoskins of . This authors articles have appeared on such sites as Thetechzone.com, Promotionworld.com, and Addme.com. Click to Get a Free Opt In List Building Toolkit and learn more about List Building.
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