Article Surfing Archive

How many dozens of times have you heard various marketers say the words, 'the money is in the list.' I believe the reason they keep saying it over and over is because it is THAT important. Yet many people still seem to under estimate the power of a list.

What is a list? What is it used for? The list is basically the people who have chosen to give you their name and email address in exchange for a product or service, paid or free.

Let's break that down a little. This is how it works. The marketer has a product. The consumer decides he wants my product. Now I could simply sell my product to them or give it away, they could then take the product and that would be the end of that.

Instead I realize that there is a way for me to make even more money. So, I tell them that in order for them to get access to my product they must first submit their name and email address. I do this because if I simply let them take my product without asking for their contact details they will be lost to me forever. I will then have to go out and find someone else to sell to. But if I have a way of contacting them I can keep offering them my other products as well.

When you take the time to build a list, you will always have access to a group of people who have already bought products from you, so they are much more likely to buy from you than someone who has no connection to you.

To get people to give you their contact details does require some skill. Many marketers say the best thing to do is offer them a freebie i.e. an eBook. Unfortunately many people are used to this marketing ploy and will register for the eBook, collect it and simply unsubscribe the next day.

A higher retention rate can be obtained by offering a free course or newsletter. This is because when you offer just an eBook their attention is lost as soon as they have the book in their possession, but with a course or newsletter you keep their attention longer. They know they have signed up for a newsletter so they expecting to hearing from you for a longer period. This gives you more time to offer them your products.

Of course the newsletter must have good quality content or they will unsubscribe in a flash. So be sure to offer useful information in a clear and understandable fashion.

One thing you must not do though is abuse your list. Respect your list and it will respect you. Just because you have subscribers, that does not mean you should bombard them with different products every day. They will simply see you as a money junkie and unsubscribe.

Make your marketing subtle; do not plug a product every time you mail your list. Give your subscribers content as well. Offer your help, give them your email address, give them information, give them freebies, and ask for feedback. What">All these things will help to keep your list happy and if your list is happy when you are ready to throw in a sales pitch they will be much more responsive.

Building a list of subscribers is the foundation on which a successful Internet marketing business is built. Do not make the mistake of underestimating its value. The equation is very simple 'information x subscriber x products = SALES'.