What is List Building?

Let me explain it this way “the list” is the process used to craft an inventory of people who fit the niche market you are promoting. You are basically gathering, names and e-mail addresses of target potential customers. This method might be more work initially but it is way more effective then aiming for everybody with the hope that some might be interested in your product.

Instead, start with your business market and go smaller. Quality followers versus mass!

Because the reality is this, we buy from people we “know and trust” this might be a slow process but promoting to an existing list with future products and or services is a much easier sale…so it is all worth it!

Why do we Build a List?

To build relationship Because one-time sales are not the stuff of solid business foundations, building relationships with people is the key to a sound future for your business.

If you know anything about buying psychology (not that I am expert at it) but I do know that on average we need to see something approximately 10 times before we buy it. So if your “potential customer” does not leave you his info the odds of them coming back to your site are probably slim…not impossible but waiting around might not be a very profitable method.

So this is really about THAT, building relationships which means getting our subscribers to get to know us and trust us.

And for repeat buyers if you gather their contact info, you can start to share some things with them, tips, tricks, some personal stories and “special discount” (exp. if they buy now, let’s say), this process would be called a “e-mail marketing campaign” it has been know to be very effective. But the beauty of this is that in addition to providing some useful information for your customer you can promote subsequent offerings, you can go straight to the most interested parties and make your pitch.

And why would you want to build relationships and create repeat buyers…other then the obvious. Well most business owners would agree that you need a plan, and this list is a means to create that. Operating without a plan is like firing a shot in the dark hoping to hit a target…trust me I know I have been their!

List building is a must to finding your targeted customers and creating long lasting relationships.

Let re-cap why would you build a list?

Other then the obvious this is a crucial tool in sales prediction and this will definitely be a big part of growing your business from month to month, even year to year…think of the power of this “list” in regards to your business.

One school of thought says that if you have a big enough campaign people will come. That may be true, but they will only come once. Even making a million dollars on one promotion won’t sustain your business forever if none of those customers ever comes back again…something to think about if you have any doubts about this not working.

List building takes the guess work out of marketing. The money you spend is more effective if you know where to focus your efforts. Once you build a sizeable list, it can seem like you make the sale every time. Sales will increase, but not because you are lucky - it’s because you were smart.

Where do you Build this List from?

There is more than one way to grow a list for your business. Here are just a few of the more popular (and successful might I add) ways.

• Opt-ins
• Free Giveaways
• Contests
• Article Marketing
• Blogging

Launch a promotion, your traffic will increase quickly. People will sniff you out and see what you offer. Now you can use one, two or all of the above bulleted methods to begin building your list. Visitors will lend you their personal information (name and email) if they like what they see. From that point, it is up to you to keep them interested enough to become a loyal customer.

Whatever methods you use, it is important to plan for what you might want to “complement” your products or services, this will help with your choice of strategy.

Another way is viral marketing is one of your best assets when it comes to getting noticed and building your list. Ask friends, family members, school chums, business owners, and others to help you out. If they have websites, blogs or are a part of forums, let them pass the word around about you and what you do.

On your end, visit websites and blogs associated with the product or service that you sell. Get involved, ask questions, and show your face. These are the people you will ask to endorse you to lend credibility to your products.

When do you need to Build your List?

NOW of course for each “potential customer” that comes to your site and leaves…we you know the rest!

So now you will want others to follow you so they need to know who you are and what you stand for. You need to start spreading your “thing”, you will want to network with others. One important aspect to remember, make sure you “brand” yourself well before you spend some time and effort on list building.

Getting yourself known is all part of building the relationship, because let me ask you this do you routinely buy from someone you’ve just heard of? Not normally right?

Neither does anyone else. That is expected in business. Trust is earned over time and you must begin with curiosity in order to build up to trust.

What a List Can Do for You & Your Business

Let’s create a scenario to help you better understand say that you want to sell a product door-to-door. The first time through the neighborhood, you visit every house on the block because you don’t know who might be interested in what you are selling. After chatting a few moments, you quickly learn which people are interested in your product enough to buy. From those customers, you ask for further contact information.

A month from then, you decide to offer a new product. Instead of canvassing the entire neighborhood again, you visit the people who purchased the first time. In addition to information about the new product, you also bring a flyer offering them a free gift if they can recommend two friends who would be interested in the product. Now, instead of twenty names, you have forty more to add to the list in your hand.

This is roughly how list building works online. Your first efforts will cast a net over a larger group of people. The catch will consist of people interested in your market, but not necessarily the product you want to provide. Through marketing efforts on your website and through other sites, you will weed out those who are really outside of your market. Leaving you with a group of people who ARE interested in what you have to offer.

Manon Leroux
Founder of The Passive Income Queen Blog
visit http://www.ThePassiveIncomeQueen.com