Are You Building A Mailing List Or A Spam List?

So here is a question that I many times get asked by a new online marketer who is concerned about building a mailing list for their business.  I have heard it a thousand times before, so I am sure that the same question may be on the minds of some of the readers of the Professional Online Marketing blog as well.  The question usually comes out like this, “I don’t know if I can build a list, I don’t want to spam people for money” or maybe like this, “Who will sign up for a spam email list, I hate those things”.

This may sound familiar or maybe it does not.  I can tell you that I never sent out a single piece of spam email in my life and I have many mailing lists with thousands of subscribers.  My readers are happy to receive my messages, they are responsive to my products and have never once accused me of spamming them.

So What Is It That I Am Doing That These Other Guys Are Not?

Maybe absolutely nothing, but if you want to learn what it takes to build a email list that gets results and not a huge list that gets put into your readers spam folder, keep reading. There are a few things that come into play, so I apologize upfront for the lengthy post here, but it had to be said to make sure that everybody understands how to make a killing with their own email list and not fall into the “internet marketing spam” categorizeation.

What Makes People Excited To Open Email Sales Letters?

So lets get down to brass tacks here folks, you may have heard some super duper guru tell you that that the Money Is In The List and you know what there could not be a more true statement.  The problem is that many people though time have either registered for email before the ICANN Spam Act was in place or they have simply registered for a mailing list that did not have anything to do with what they really are interested in.  If you have joined, oh I don’t know, lets say a daily deals mailing list.  I bet you are pumped every morning to see what the deal of the day is from that mailing list provider.  Now, this is only a great example because in all actuality these people are shoving products down your throat, but at the same time you are Excited To See what they have for you.

So do you consider this spam?

Of course you don’t think that this is spam, but by most peoples definition of spam mail, that is exactly what it is!

So Here Is The Secret

The big secret or epiphany if you will, is very simple. The only difference in between a spammy crappy mailing list and powerful money building list that folks are dueling at the mouth to read, is their expectations and what you deliver.  If you have a mailing list that guarantees to deliver some amazing golf tips, you had better darn well deliver on your promise! This is what those “in the industry” call adding value and if you are not doing this, then most likely people think you are spamming them too. Now, if you want to put in some special promotions in your list, go for it.  As long as you continue to deliver on your promise, add value and build a relationship with your readers, they will not only be open to your product and service suggestions but may even be glad to buy from you simply because you have already helped them so much.

How Do I Profit From A Solid Mailing List

If you really want to make money from your mailing list, the first thing you can do is forget about the money.  Ask yourself what you would want to find in your inbox if you have signed up for the same list. Then either write the content for your auto-responder or if you can’t, simply outsource it. If you need help creating content, contact me and I would be glad to share my sources with you.  The second thing you should focus on is building a relationship, are you talking to your readers in first person? Are you telling them what you have learned and how hard it was to get to where you are?  Are you using seasonal references?  These are all things you can do to make your list more personal-able and this does count!

Now that your mailing list has some True Value added to it go back and look at the different sequences in your mailing list.  Think about what product may tie into each message.  You can add the products at the bottom of each message or my personal favorite, just sprinkle your adverts in between the “meat” of you mailing list and let the subscribers know that you have found something special that they may also enjoy.  If you want to build a powerful mailing list, signup for about 10 mailing lists on the same topic that you are working on, read every message and learn what they do.  Once you have studied a few successful mailing lists you will be a master and ready to start blowing up your own list in no time at all.

To Success,

Nick Simpson

Building Your Online Business With Integrity

Many people start off an online business with every intention of being a very trustworthy marketer that has much integrity.  However, many people get pulled down the dark alley known as the easy way.  You know the guys who have this problem, they are the ones who copy your websites, steal your ideas and stamp their name on them and even may go as far to start smear campaigns to attempt to hurt their competition.  This along with many other blackhat methods of internet marketing may show a quick dollar in return, but inevitably end up in self destruction.

It seems that the easy way is not always so easy down the road.  This is why anybody who plans on making a lifetime business out of what ever industry they choose to get involved with online, have to understand that the internet is not going anywhere and neither are the footprints of all the “shady” things that you may try to build your business along the way.  The only way to build a constantly growing and long lasting income on the internet is through hard work, continued learning and always holding true to the highest standards and business ethics.

For some that read this, these words will be forgotten before they leave the page, for those who want to grow a huge stream of online income, they will remember where they read this and take heed before trying something that is less than savory. The point here is this, you must understand that every time you write something online, everytime you send out an email to your list (goldmine) or even when you comment on other people blogs or social profiles, you are making an impression. This impression is just part of what people will eventually come to know as you and your business.  This means that when you run into a hot head, let them be just that, when you see something that makes you angry, talk to somebody who can help, when you find an easy way to drop thousands of links, think about what google will think of this technique.

One thing that has helped many marketers online, is learning to become pro-active.  The problem with simply “reacting” to a problem or situation, is that in most cases you act out of your emotional state, even when ill placed.  If you want to be known as a professional online marketer, you must act like one at all times.  This is of course easier said that done and many marketers on the internet who could have been great, will find their failings soon after an emotional outburst online.  This is a problem that you can correct before you fall into this very common pitfall for new internet marketers.

So keep your head up and keep moving forward.  The only people who loose in the online marketing business are those who quit or those who stop bettering themselves.  If you can keep these simple rules in mind you are well on your way to success and are hopefully beginning to build a strong online presence for yourself and your company.

To Success,

Nick Simpson