Effective list building:  I Have A List Now Exactly What?

Do you have one of those friends who you were really close to and then they seemed to disappear off the face of the earth, only to come back into town years later and want to catch up over coffee? You might question why he is getting in touch with you after so long or if he wants something from you.

The same is true of your email lists. Yes, you can cross off develop client list from your to-do list, and you can faithfully enter those email addresses from the business cards you’ve collected. But what will your readers think if they don’t hear from you for 6-8 months? Just like in the above example, they will be skeptical about your motives and do one of three things: delete your email; unsubscribe from your list; or report you as a spammer.

Developing a Relationship when list building 

I say this a lot, I know, but it’s vitally important to understand and actually follow through with your part of the relationship.

First, write a welcome email as part of your autoresponder series. This is the very first message they receive from you once they confirm their email subscription. It doesn’t have to be really long but tell your readers a bit about yourself. Why are you in business? What do you love most about your business? You don’t have to give your whole life story but let them know you’re a real person. If you have an About page on your website, include a link to that page.

Next, find out what your readers are looking for from you. Do they have a problem you can solve? Do you have a product that can make their life easier? Ask them point blank how you can be of service to them. Use a survey, such as Survey Monkey, or simply encourage them to reply back to your email.

Another way to build a relationship is to send topical articles or news clippings they might find helpful. If you’re a landscaper and you found a YouTube video about planting shrubs, send the link to your email readers. Even better yet, embed the video on your own site and direct your readers to YOUR site. People like being helped but sometimes won’t ask for it so be proactive; become the go-to guy in your niche.

When you are list building, When Do You Sell?

There isn’t any hard and fast rule about how long you should email before asking for a sale. The general rule of thumb is people won’t buy until they’ve seen your message or name at least 7 times, so don’t waste your time crafting a perfect sales email 2 days after they join your list. Chances are you’ll get some spam complaints if your list only sees constant sales requests.

How would it come across if you went on a date and all she talked about was her latest product or business opportunity?

At some point, you’d question if she was really interested in you or just wanted to sell to you.

The same is true with your email list. No one likes to be bombarded with a hard sales pitch. It’s true that you should have a strong call to action at the end of every email but make sure you have an introductory period first.