List building is an important part of any Internet Marketing career. One question often asked by new Internet Marketers is ‘why do I need a list?’ That seems like a really basic question for any seasoned Marketers because you know that an opt-in list is necessary if you want to be successful online. There are always stories from big-time marketers telling us all they do is send out an email to their list and each email makes them a large sum of money. So that is the first answer that comes to mind, but it isn’t the only reason. Here are 5 more reasons why you should build your list:
- People on your list are your fan base who will comment on your blog, thus giving you credibility and helping new visitors to trust you.
- They’ll talk about you on forums – they know what products you offer, will trust you, and won’t hesitate to tell others in need.
- They know who you are at Internet Marketing conferences, seminars and meet-ups, which means they’re happy to talk to you because you are not a stranger. Some great joint ventures have come out of these conferences.
- Subscribers to your list will ask you questions and seek your help with problems. Not only do these problems allow you to help people and feel good about it, they give you something to blog about and often suggest excellent ideas for products to create. Their wants equal desired products, which in turn equals happy customers with loyalty, resulting in more products and more income earned.
- Many of your subscribers will become friends if you work to establish a relationship with them. They build you up when you’re going through a rough patch and chastise you if you’re heading off in the wrong direction! You only need to read the comments section on this blog to verify that – Dawn Kay is a great one for keeping me on track and motivated! There are many benefits to having a list community.
Having a list that people will stay on for longer periods of time is not always easy. You have got to earn your subscribers’ trust. They may not automatically like you from the outset. What makes you different from the other gazillion marketers? What can you do for them? These are questions you’ll need to work out.
First and foremost, you can’t abuse them by bombarding them constantly with promotions. When you do that what you are saying is that you care more about your wallet than you do about them.
Secondly, help them, give them information that is valuable to them, and offer more freebies than just the initial one that got them on your list to begin with. Build their trust by keeping your quality constantly high, and always fulfil your promises.
Your subscribers should be the most important thing to you as they will also form an integral part of your customer base, so be sure to treat them properly and you will find that you are part of a supportive community that can help you to get ideas for products, provide you with amazing joint venture opportunities, and help you to feel good about the fact that you can help others.
You need to start building your list at the first available opportunity. Always have an opt in box on your blog, and work towards increasing your list size consistently. Giveaways are an important tool for list building. Check out Keith Purkiss’ Push Button Giveaways 2.0 for a quick and easy way to enter lots of giveaways simultaneously. And if you want to see a blogging community in action go over to Sally Neill’s blog and read all about her ‘cool crowd’!

















