Tag Archives: List Building

List Building In The Age Of Twitter



BWMagic’s Internet Marketing News


List Building In The Age Of Twitter

If you have a web site or you’re into online marketing – you will
probably already know how important list building is to your success.
You simply must have some way of building your list in place.

Years ago, when I first started with this online stuff, one of the first things
I learned was how to build lists in order to increase my site’s traffic
and sales. At first, I was mainly concerned with using my lists to bring repeat
visitors to my site and to build up some kind of relationship.

I soon discovered one of the most effective ways of doing this was simply
offering quality information in the form of a free ebook, video or newsletter
in return for the contact email.

Your site’s visitors would opt-in to your email list in order to get quality
information from you, which gave you the chance of offering follow-up information
in order to fully engage your subscribers with your site.

This doesn’t have to be complicated or a lot of work.

I believe one of my most effective list building systems is where visitors can
opt-in to get discount coupons on high-end products. When merchants give discounts,
special sales… I simply send out an email to these subscribers with the offers.

Ridiculously simple but it works.

Another version of this list building system is where I give 6 or 7 follow-up
information emails on a product or service. Within those emails are links
to a discount page where I place all my discounts and sales for that particular
product or service.

Again simple yet very effective.

But things have changed in the field of list building. I am still doing those
techniques above and will continue to use them because they work.

But…

There are now new programs on the web which make it much easier to build
your list of contacts.

When I think of all the time it took me to just get 10,000 subscribers, I am kinda
freaked out that some kid can put a few music videos on YouTube and in less than
a month has over 160,000 subscribers.

The same thing with Twitter, where building a list of 100,000 followers is fairly
common. The potential for building a large quality list is at anyone’s fingertips.
And all these programs can be used in addition to your onsite autoresponder which
you’re using to build your contact list.

Anyway, below is a recent article on building your list with Twitter and the
whole key is to integrate all your social networks programs into your web site.
Make it extremely easy for anyone to sign-up to your Twitter, YouTube, MySpace…
accounts from your site. Connect everything together and promote your
social contact sites just like you would your own site.

In this article I also give you some tips on how to increase your Twitter
followers – you can find it here:

http://www.sitepronews.com/2010/05/31/list-building-in-the-age-of-twitter



…


Top 10 Linkedin Strategies To Increase Your Contacts/Income


Another online resource which is extremely helpful but you don’t hear too much
about it is Linkedin, which you can also use to build your list of contacts.

I am not an expert on Linkedin, so of course, I do the next best thing – seek
out someone who is!

One of the best experts on how to use Linkedin is Lewis Howes.

He has become somewhat of a LinkedIn “guru”, someone who has developed
and used strategies to make this program work for him and for you, if you
follow his advice.

I personally find Linkedin has the most professional or highly connected contacts
on it, more so than on YouTube or even Twitter – high-level experts and business
people who can really help your business grow.

To get a free video of the Top 10 Linkedin Tips you can use to fully take advantage
of this networking site. He also has an ebook entitled “Linkedin Master Strategies”
at a reasonable price, you can consider but make sure you view the free video.

You will have to give an email address because of course Lewis is also building
his list. (Tip: I often use a secondary email address when signing up to things
like this – if the follow-up information is extremely good and the person is
some one of high quality. I will then often re-subscribe to them using my primary
email address!)

To discover these common sense tips on how to use Linkedin to your advantage
click here:


Linkedin Master Strategies




Helping You Succeed Online Since 2002!

Kind Regards,
Titus

List Building

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List Building – Is It Still Relevant On Today’s Web?

BWMagic’s Internet Marketing News

List Building – Is It Still Relevant On Today’s Web?

Years ago, when I first started in online marketing, all the rage was
something called “list building”. I immediately jumped on this subject
and started gathering every list building technique one could possibly
imagine. It very quickly became one of my most favorite areas of Internet
marketing to explore; so much so, that when I reached my first goal of
getting 1000 subscribers, I was so pleased with myself, I even wrote an
ebook on list building.

But that was then, this is now.

Since that time, online marketing and even the web itself, has changed
tremendously. And we are not talking about small changes or minor
adjustments here – the web has fundamentally changed from the core up.
People simply use the web in a different way than they used it 10 years ago.
It has become so much more of a user-friendly place, so much so, that
marketing on this friendlier web has become a whole new ballgame.

The question remains: is list building still relevant on today’s web?

The answer is still a solid “YES”, but the “WAY” lists are built have
almost changed completely. Not too long ago, traditional list building
meant you slapped some sign-ups forms (provided by your webhost or an
autoresponder service) onto your web pages and you were in business.
Subscribers who signed up to your list or newsletter, would receive
follow-up emails from you or your site.

Anyone could do it since it was so straightforward and so simple,
almost to the point of being idiot-proof. However, the underlying
key to building a successful list was gaining loyalty and forming a
lasting relationship with your subscriber. Successful online marketers
and list builders will tell you, this was really the hardest part.
Communicating effectively with your subscribers over a long period of
time is extremely difficult to do and does require gaining some skills,
especially in the copy writing area.

So what has changed the list building process?

In a couple of words, three to be precise: social networking sites.
These social networking programs and sites have completely changed how
lists are built on the web. Actually, these social network sites such
as FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube… have made list building as
easy as taking your next breath. List building is integrated into these
programs so seamlessly, many users are unaware they are actually building
a list.

Simply by using these social networking sites any webmaster or marketer
can build a list of contacts or subscribers. Call them friends, fans or
followers – they are your subscribers and you can easily reach them with
your next posting, tweet or video. There are countless teenagers on many
of these social networks who have subscribers that number in the 100’s of
thousands, even in the millions. And the rate at which they build their
list of subscribers would put many a seasoned marketer to shame.

There are several reasons why this new way of list building is much more
effective than traditional list building methods. First, building your
list of contacts is fully integrated into these network programs, often
it is the main goal or purpose of the program. Seeing how many followers
you can get on Twitter has become a world-wide sport – just go ask Ashton Kutcher!

However, from a marketing perspective, using these programs eliminates
one of the major drawbacks of marketing on the web – spam. Actually,
contacting your list by email is becoming troublesome, even with double
opt-in, many of your emails never get through to your legit subscribers
because they are blocked by spam-filters and Internet service providers.
Using these social programs is a way of contacting your subscribers without
the whole issue of spam being considered at all.

Perhaps, an even more important reason to use these social media sites to
build your list has to do with the tricky problem of establishing relationships
with your subscribers. These sites make it much easier to build that
long-lasting relationship with your contacts. In the case of YouTube, it can
simply mean making a video and talking directly to your subscribers.
Communication is direct and immediate. In most cases, there’s no need to
acquire additional skills or techniques. Besides, in most of these social
network sites, communication is often more effective because it’s just
not one-way, your subscribers can easily communicate back with you.

The same goes for Twitter, which has become the list building tool of choice
for many webmasters and online marketers. Twitter is an excellent medium
for building your list. It can be used effectively to get your message out
to thousands of like-minded followers and have that message spread rapidly
around the web. Marketers are now taking advantage of such a system to market
online, but be aware abusing this program will get you banned especially if
you just use it to send spam. Like any type of marketing on the web, you
shouldn’t have any problems if you keep all your communications/interactions
real and human.

Another element of these programs which can’t be denied, they are all free.
Anyone can use these social network sites to quickly build their list or lists
without having to worry about paying for it. Actually, in the case of YouTube,
you can become a partner and earn revenue from Google Adsense while building
your list.

There’s also no denying these social network sites have changed not only list
building, but how we use the web. These programs have a “pooling” effect on
all web activity, gathering like-minded individuals into or around certain
“pools” on the Internet. These concentrated pools of people can be formed
around a certain topic or even around a certain person. These are excellent
areas in which to carry out your list-building activities and your online
marketing efforts since they provide very targeted prospects. Ones you can
easily contact and communicate with by using these social networking sites.

While the old traditional email list should not be forgotten, list building,
as we know it, has been changed forever by the introduction of these social
networking programs. And as these network sites become more and more popular,
they will play an even greater role in all your list building efforts. A role
that can’t be ignored or dismissed, especially if you want your list building
to be truly effective.

….

Here are four essential social networking programs you should be using to help
build your list:

FaceBook

Facebook


Twitter

Twitter Bizwaremagic


YouTube

YouTube LaptopGuide


Google Buzz

Google Buzz

If you need more help with building your list – try this link:

List Building


Helping You Succeed Online Since 2002!

Kind Regards,
Titus

http://www.bizwaremagic.com

List Building – Is It Really That Important?

BWMagic’s Internet Marketing News!

…….
Contents:

o List Building – Is It Really That Important?

…….

Except for the whole concept of Internet Marketing, no issue
has taken up more of my time and interest than list building.
Since the very beginning, list building has been one of those
subjects that I am constantly coming back to and redefining.

So much so, that it seems to have taken on a life of its own.

At first, I didn’t really understand list building and why it
was so important. So you put out a newsletter and you built up
a list of contacts or subscribers that give you permission to
email them – big deal!

People can actually make money doing this?

That was my main question at the time, I just didn’t understand
how someone could actually make money from sending emails to a list
of contacts? And at first, I didn’t make any sales from my list,
no matter how attractive the products I was pitching.

In the beginning, I made a crucial mistake, one that many
beginning list builders often make, I didn’t realize it is
not getting subscribers which is important, but rather it’s
the whole process of building meaningful relationships with
those contacts that’s the crucial factor.

It’s a lesson I am still learning.

You have to build a connection with your subscribers, you
have to build some kind of meaningful relationship with
someone who is basically a total stranger. You have to first
convince them you’re someone worth listening to so you have
to try and build/have credibility in the eyes of your reader.

Traditionally credibility has two key components: trustworthiness
and expertise. You must use these two things to build a relationship
with your subscribers. Show your readers tangible examples or
successes from your online marketing or sites… if you have
achieved top 10 rankings in Google – show them. Showing
recommendations and testimonials from ordinary people who
have used your site or products is very effective. Video
testimonials are even more effective.

Only when you build that relationship and credibility will you
truly see why list building is so important. Unfortunately,
building that relationship is often the most difficult part
of list building.

To tell you the truth, I didn’t get anywhere with building my list
of contacts until my main site started ranking high in Google and
the other search engines. Which is only logical, someone searching
for information in Google and your site pops up, it is a simple way
of building instant credibility in the eyes of the surfer. Well, up
to a point, your content has to be of high quality and further capture
your potential subscriber’s attention.

Then you must follow-up with informative emails or information which
that subscriber is truly searching for.

Always remember…

Your subscribers are looking for information – first and foremost.
They are not looking for a sales pitch and if you keep trying to
constantly sell to your subscribers – they won’t be on your list
for long.

Put the emphasis on giving helpful quality information first and do
any selling as an afterthought.

Let’s take one of my actual examples of how this list building technique
works so effectively for me. One section of my site deals with laptops
and computers. Visitors can sign-up to my laptop guide to find out more
about business laptops, student laptops… and so on. Just informative
information on laptop computers… included in those mailings I give links
to some pages containing online laptop deals, coupons and offers from
major computer makers such as HP, Dell, Sony, Toshiba, Lenovo… where
consumers can get $100 – $300 or more off their laptop purchases if they
use these online links or coupons.

Those are my most lucrative lists that I have and they have really
shown me why building lists are so important. They can be a simple way
of gathering prospective customers for your own products or for the
affiliate products you’re promoting.

List building is a very effective way of increasing your sales numbers.

Moreover, since I mainly do affiliate marketing, I have surprisingly
learned another somewhat hidden aspect of list building that I knew
nothing about when I first started marketing online.

It has everything to do with the simple “cookie!”

With most affiliate programs when you send a customer to them, these
customers are “cookied” with your affiliate IDs. If that customer makes
a sale in the following days, you get credit and a commission. Now these
cookies can have different lengths – anywhere from a few days up to a
lifetime – however, most are around 30 to 90 days.

Basically, what this means is that you’re building a whole list of
customers cookied with your affiliate IDs. I realize the power of this
a few years back when my main site went down for over a week – but I
was still making daily sales, I couldn’t figure out where these sales
were coming from until I checked and found it had to do with these
cookied customers who had clicked on my affiliate links weeks, even
months before.

This has proven to be such an effective selling technique, I do
certain things to take full advantage of cookies. First, I usually only
join affiliate programs that have 90 day cookies or more, some even
have lifetime cookies. Second, I make sure I cookie my list by sending
them to my affiliate links… this can be done with free videos, ebooks,
informative articles that the affiliate programs supply to you for your
marketing. In the case of my laptop newsletter a direct link to special
online coupons and discounts will cookie these potential customers with
my affiliate IDs.

In the Internet Marketing field, a common marketing tactic is to
produce a valuable report or video which affiliates can use to “cookie”
their customers. That’s why you will often be bombarded with these
offers if an important marketer is launching a major product – everyone
is trying to cookie any potential customers out there. That’s one of
the reasons, Internet Marketing has a handful of heavy hitters who
usually make all the sales… they reach those customers first because
they have enormous lists in the millions. The larger the list numbers,
the larger the number of cookied customers, the more sales they make.
Simple arithmetic.

And it is also another reason why list building is very important,
sometimes it is just a matter of working the numbers. If you have
lists with hundreds of thousands of subscribers… there will always
be a certain percentage who will buy ANY product.

But don’t get fooled by the numbers… you can have very small
numbers and still make plenty of sales. If you have a list of
proven buyers who always buy from you then a small list can be
just as important. If you have built up a solid relationship with
these buyers and they totally trust you, then you can sell to them
time and time again, because they know your recommended products are
worth buying. Moreover, they will recommend their friends and your
list building can take on a life of its own.

These are just a few examples of list building and there thousands
of ways to use lists in your marketing. I just hope the information
covered here has convinced you the importance of building your own lists.
How effective they can be in promoting and selling your site or product
to your potential customers. Most of all, I hope you never ever
underestimate how powerful list building can be to your online marketing.
The money is certainly in your lists.

For more information on building your own lists try here:
List Building

Kind Regards,
Titus

http://www.bizwaremagic.com