Are You Building A List For Your Business? Why You Should Be.
Is building a list really all that important?
But this is actually a great question. And many newcomers are probably asking themselves the same thing. When we first start out, we aren't really thinking in terms of long-term profit and we don't really have the statistics ingrained in our brains. We're just trying to figure out how to make money .. .so the list-building concept may not be all that intuitive.
This article is the first in a series of list building tips. Here I'm going to focus on why everyone (yes, everyone) in business benefits from growing a list.
But first, what is a list anyway? It's basically just a series of people who have (hopefully) given you their contact information. These contacts are considered leads and the quality of these leads can vary greatly. A group of people who have purposefully asked you to sent them details or information about a product or service that you offer is considered very high quality. If you have a list of contacts who are interested in your industry in general but haven't shown any interest in your particular product or business, that too is a fairly targeted list.
Buying leads is another (not recommended by me) way to build a list. That would be considered pretty low on the list quality totem pole.
Keep in mind that you will most likely have many lists, each representing a different characteristic. It's important to market to each list appropriately and this will be discussed in a later article.
So, on to the real list building tips article number 1: five reasons you want to start building your list now if you haven't done so already.
1. Increase your earnings, even from the people who don't buy your product. Anyone who has already learned the lesson will gladly tell you. . .if you don't have a list, you are losing income. Look at it this way. You spend a month advertising something and you end up with a certain amount of sales. You won't be able to continue selling to a buyer unless you have their contact details. If you do have the contact details, you can offer these people more similar products, or upgraded products of the ones they have purchased.
Or. . .look at it this way. An individual shows interest in what you have to offer but they don't buy it immediately. If you can get them on your list, you can send them reminders about this product or others they may be interested. If not. . .oh well, off they go to your competitors.
Those who buy are the most likely to buy again. If you've sold a product to someone, you can be assured that this person is much more likely to buy that same product again or the next product you offer than someone who hasn't bought from you. That's another reason for building your list.
2. You don't need your own product or business yet. . .and you can make money while building. Many people get started with marketing online and they don't really have a clear idea about what they want to do. Or maybe they are trying lots of different things. As far as list-building goes, that's perfectly fine! You can start out promoting someone else's product as an affiliate and build your list that way. As you start to learn more about online marketing and get a clearer picture of where you want to go, you are actually building up one of your biggest assets that will serve you in the future.
3. You can do market research for free. Building a list means having access to feedback and ideas. This goes hand in hand with number 2. Once you can maintain contact with people, you're able to ask them what they are looking for and in turn, you can develop your marketing strategies accordingly.
4. Building your own list means building your brand/image. The Internet is an amazing power. But you can get lost in a sea of cold websites and hypey sales pages. Building a list puts you on a more personal level with your customer and allows you to establish a rapport. In your opinion, who will customers be more willing to buy from. . .the guy they don't know from Adam or the gal that sends them timely and useful information on a regular basis. . .?
5. Your own lists represent multiple sources of income. The ideas you get from your list and from what actually compelled them to join your list allows you to create your own products/services or seek out others that you can offer them.
List building can be creative - the more you put yourself and your personality into the mix, the more successful you'll be with it.
Keep in mind that your goal is not just to obtain a bunch of email addresses or phone numbers. The real point of list building is to provide value and to maintain relationships with the people who land on your list.
If you're wondering how it is that you actually get people on your list(s), stay tuned for the next article.
by: Laura A Shapiro Increase Free Publicity Through Article Submission Get Listings, Sales And Traffic Through Article Submission Advantages Of Article Submission Building Relationships Online Is A Good Way To Make Money Seo And Content: Your Guide To Attract Customers Increase One-way Links Through Article Marketing Importance Of Article Resource Box Increase Backlinks Through Article Marketing Wholesale Mp3 Players - Mp3 Sunglasses - Cheap Mp3 - Latest Mp3 Player - Digital Mp3 Players What Are The Best Ways To Make Money Now And Get Paid Too? Are You Wasting Your Time With Article Marketing? Are You Getting Results? Easy Affiliate Marketing - 5 Simple Steps ! The Complete Guide To Download Free E-books Online