There are some common errors that people who are new to list building tend to make. Correcting these mistakes can mean the difference between having a solid, unbreakable relationship with your list and having a list full of people who simply delete your e-mails and unsubscribe. Pay close attention to these do’s and don’ts to ensure your list is a success.
Don’t Buy Leads
If you’re just getting started online, buying leads can be very tempting. Don’t get lured into the seemingly easy strategy of buying leads. It is not going to give you the responsive list that you want.
When you buy leads, the people who you get on your list have likely never heard of you and most of them probably don’t want to hear from you. They are likely to report your email as spam.
On the other hand, when you build your own list from scratch, you’re talking to people who are warmed up to you already and who are a lot more likely to buy.
Buying leads, for the most part, is a waste of money.
Don’t Spam People!
It can seem awfully enticing that all you need to do to make money is send an e-mail. This leads certain people to the dark side. Of course I’m talking about spamming. Even if their intentions started off good, spamming is highly tempting, and the laws can be confusing.
Spam is when you send unsolicited e-mails to people, and is actually against the law to do. The spam law states that you must make sure that you make it easy for people to unsubscribe from your list (a link at the bottom of the message is best) and that they have subscribed in the first place. You are also required by law to include your postal address with all messages that you send.
You can read the law here: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/spam/business.htm
Building a relationship may take longer than spamming, but the profits will be far greater in the long run.
Build a Relationship First, Think Of Money Later
You need to focus on the relationship building part of your list first, and think about the monetary aspect later.
Sure, you want to make money, but if all you do is hit up your list for money, you’re going to get a lot of unsubscribes and make some people angry. The chances are good that they signed up for your list in order to get something out of it. Whether it was an e-course, a free e-book, information, coupons, notices, an audio, or something else, they expect to receive a lot of value for being a part of your e-mail list.
If you provide this relationship first, the money will come.
Be Consistent
There are many business owners who build a list and then don’t do anything with it. They allow their leads to get neglected. All this does is cause your list members to forget they havejoined your list in the first place and cause you to lose potential income.
When you do decide to send a mailing to your neglected lists, a much higher number of people will choose not to open your e-mails, mark your emails as spam, and unsubscribe. You don’t need to e-mail them every day (that’s actually a bad idea) but consistent effort is what will build the results you’re looking for.
Remember these list building basics and you will be on your way to a responsive, revenue producing list.
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