General
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List Building

Lesson 1

List building is considered one of the most lucrative methods for marketing on the internet. It involves constructing a list of subscribers to a website, which the operator can then use to market products. The list is useful for retaining customers and building a strong following. Although list building requires a substantial amount of research and strong organizational skills, it is the most comprehensive method for ensuring that people are aware of a product. In many ways, list building is analogous to propaganda or advertisements in traditional postal mail. In many cases, a website requires multiple people conducting the list building operation; list building is a massive procedure that requires constant monitoring. Unlike many online sales methods, list building actively recruits the customer, under the assumption that reaching as many people as possible will result in a sizeable proportion of visitors succumbing to the advertisement and purchasing the product.

There are a number of productive components involved in successful list building. First, every visitor to a website should be tracked, and there must be a “squeeze page,” or a page that requires all site visitors to provide their name and email address. While there is always the possibility that people will provide fabricated identification, acquiring the contact information for people is crucial for establishing loyal customers. People are always reticent to provide anything resembling personal information; even the United States Census—which is conducted every 10 years—draws hostility from the public. Therefore, the rhetoric used for the text on the squeeze page is of crucial importance. It is imperative that a personal touch be incorporated, which makes people more likely to provide their contact information. In addition, the squeeze name page should not be transparent in its motive (to acquire people’s contact information) and must take care to advertise a product or initiative. Squeeze pages are also more successful when they offer some free promotion.

After receiving people’s contact information, the next step to successful list building is sending follow-up emails to the person. Emails should be programmed to be sent to subscribers on a regular basis—many successful list building sites send emails every day. This is crucial because the repeated exposure to the company ensures that the customer becomes aware of it and over time, is more likely to become a customer.

Emails are necessary for connecting with established contacts, but it is also necessary to recruit new potential subscribers and customer. To this end, list building always involves advertising one’s list through writing articles, contributing to internet forums, engaging in social media (commenting on people’s blogs is particularly useful in this regard), and paying for advertisements. Swapping advertisements with other websites is another great way to increase exposure.

The product should also be advertised through ebooks, blogs (especially useful since they require very little money), and other online outlets in order to increase exposure. There are many benefits to list building online, and it is one of the easiest ways to make money online. It is inexpensive and efficient and quickly attracts vast amounts of subscribers. The main obstacle to successful list building is truly the actual list owner; succeeding requires outstanding organization skills as it can be difficult to track and monitor subscribers and make sure that they are receiving all of the emails and advertisements. The owner also needs to be mindful of the visual appearance of their site; it should be aesthetically pleasing, catching the eye and convincing people to familiarize themselves with the products that are offered. Owning a successful business relies on reaching a broad client base, and this is most easily achievable through list building.

Pen