10 DAYS OF LIST BUILDING MADNESS

10 Days of List Building Madness Facilitator Note: Welcome participants to the course, introduce yourself, discuss any “housekeeping” details (like timing and breaks), and explain that you’re going to be covering a LOT of material during this course. Starting with the Reasons You Need an Email List. 10 Days of List Building Madness

10 Reasons You Need an Email List An email list is a list of subscribers who have ‘opted-in’ to receive emails from you. They've signed up because they're interested in the content and offers you can give them. This is a great way for marketers and businesses to reach their audience. Every kind of business can benefit from keeping a list, and here are ten reasons you need to start one right away.

INTRODUCTION Every business needs an email list for interacting with customers and making special offers. How are you keeping in touch with your customers? What if you could connect with them whenever you wanted, at the click of a mouse? And what if you could do it even when you’re sleeping? That’s what having an email list is all about, and that’s what we’re going to be talking about in this report.

10 REASONS YOU NEED AN EMAIL LIST You can make money directly by selling products to your email list. The old cliché “The money is in the list” is actually quite true. Your list is a captive audience that has actively chosen to receive your offers. This is why lists are so profitable for marketers.

10 REASONS YOU NEED AN EMAIL LIST Your email list brings new prospects into your sales funnel. When a person subscribes to your list, they're starting a relationship with your company. This is a good way to draw prospects into your sales funnel. From here, you can engage your subscribers with valuable information and offers.

10 REASONS YOU NEED AN EMAIL LIST You have direct communication with your target market. Email is the most direct way to reach your customers because your messages are delivered straight to their email inboxes.

10 Reasons You Need an Email List Your subscribers get to see your business's personal side. When someone opts in to your list, they're making a mental commitment. It's not the same as casually dropping in on your blog or website. A list creates a personal connection between your company and your customers.

10 REASONS YOU NEED AN EMAIL LIST Your subscribers gain access to content and offers that are only available to your list. The offers you make through your email list are valuable to your subscribers partly because they're exclusive. That is, you can only get them by joining the list. This creates a special “club” for your customers, a kind of loyalty program.

10 REASONS YOU NEED AN EMAIL LIST You can use your email list to build a stronger relationship with your market. Because email marketing is a more direct and personal approach, it's a great way to build a relationship between you and your customers, which is what all businesses need and want.

10 REASONS YOU NEED AN EMAIL LIST A large and responsive email list is an asset for your business. A list of subscribers adds value to your company. Y our email list can be calculated as an asset belonging to your business. If you have a large and responsive list, this can help you attract investors or sell your company.

10 REASONS YOU NEED AN EMAIL LIST You can get direct feedback from your customers. Email marketing isn't just a one-way interaction. You also get feedback from your subscribers on how you're doing. This feedback comes from your email marketing analytics and also directly when subscribers send you messages or when you ask them questions.

10 REASONS YOU NEED AN EMAIL LIST You can get to know your customers better. Interacting with your audience through email and making various offers to them helps you get to know your customers better. When you know your target audience well, you can make better offers to them that increase your profits while meeting their needs more effectively.

10 REASONS YOU NEED AN EMAIL LIST Your competition is probably doing email marketing and they may not be doing it well. Everybody is marketing through email, and this most likely includes your competition. This means you need to be doing it also. There's a good chance your competitors aren’t doing it as well as they could, so this gives you an opportunity to get an edge on them.

ASSIGNMENT DEFINE YOUR PURPOSE Write one sentence defining the purpose of your list. Put this on your Email Content Plan worksheet. Before starting your list, decide exactly what you'd like to do with it. Is it going to be an entrance into your sales funnel, a vehicle to build your brand's reputation, or a means of profiting directly? If you define your purpose well, you'll better understand what you need to do in order to profit from your list.

10 Steps to Setting up Your List

There are just ten simple steps to starting an email list. INTRODUCTION There are just ten simple steps to starting an email list. Starting an email list isn't as difficult as you think. It's just a matter of following these ten simple steps.

10 STEPS TO SETTING UP YOUR LIST Define your purpose and long- term strategy. Define your purpose and long-term strategy. Once you have a list of subscribers, what will you do with it?

10 STEPS TO SETTING UP YOUR LIST Define your target market. Define your target market. Who can use what you're offering? Who would be helped by your products or services? This will determine how you drive traffic to your list and how you market to your subscribers.

10 STEPS TO SETTING UP YOUR LIST Create or purchase rights for the freebie you’ll use to get people to sign up. Create or purchase rights for the free gift that's going to entice people to join your list. Typically, marketers give away a free gift for signing up for their list. Most people are wary of giving out their name and email address, so a free gift sweetens the deal. It's most common to use a free report or other informational product, but you can set yourself apart by offering something different.

10 STEPS TO SETTING UP YOUR LIST Create a squeeze page for your opt-in form. Create a dedicated page for your opt-in form. You will also want to place your opt-in form on your website, blog, Facebook page, and other strategic locations where people will see it. Once you’ve generated your opt-in code from your autoresponder, you’ll be able to fill it in where required.

10 STEPS TO SETTING UP YOUR LIST Create a 'thank you' page that thanks the subscriber and asks them to check for the confirmation email. Create a 'thank you' page. Once a person enters their name and email, they're redirected to this page that tells them to check their email and confirm their subscription. Default 'thank you' pages are available, but it's much better to create your own so it will be more personal.

10 STEPS TO SETTING UP YOUR LIST Create a confirmation page where the subscriber can download their free gift. Create a confirmation page. Once new subscribers click the confirmation link in their email, they're redirected to this page where they can download their free gift and view any other special offers you want to present.

10 STEPS TO SETTING UP YOUR LIST Sign up for an autoresponder software program to manage your list and send messages. Sign up for an autoresponder program and make your first payment. An autoresponder is a software program that allows you to manage your list and send out broadcast messages. A few of the most popular are GetResponse, AWeber, and MailChimp. If you're planning to import emails that you've already gathered, keep this in mind when choosing a program, because some make it easier than others.

10 STEPS TO SETTING UP YOUR LIST Follow the autoresponder's set-up instructions and fill in necessary information. Follow the autoresponder program's steps to set up your initial list. You'll be asked to enter information such as names, your signature, social media links, an initial web form that you can change later, and URLs for 'thank you' pages and confirmation pages (which you should have created already). Grab the opt-in code the program generates and put it wherever you want your sign-up form to appear (i.e., squeeze page, blog, etc.)

10 STEPS TO SETTING UP YOUR LIST Write a welcome email with a link to the download page. Write a welcome email with a link to the download page that has the free gift people were promised. Write a message that's conversational, friendly, and shows your personality a bit. People like to know that there's a real person behind the email messages.

10 STEPS TO SETTING UP YOUR LIST Test everything to make sure it works the way you expect it to. Test everything. Sign up for your list and make sure the process works smoothly. Send a test message to yourself. Make any necessary changes if anything is not working correctly.

ASSIGNMENT Start Your Email Content Plan Brainstorm a list of topics for the emails you'll send to your list. Focus on informational emails that help your subscribers with problems, questions, and issues they have. Record these ideas on your Email Content Plan worksheet Put topics into a logical order and write at least the first 3. Make an Email Content Plan Brainstorm a list of topics for the emails you'll send to your list. Focus on informational emails that help your subscribers with problems, questions, and issues they have. Record these on your Email Content Plan worksheet. Put topics into a logical order and write at least the first 3 emails.

10 Ways to Identify Your Audience

INTRODUCTION You need to clearly identify your audience so that you'll know what content to send them and what offers to make. Before you start gathering names and emails for your list, you need to identify your target market. Only by describing your target market in detail can you give them the useful content and recommend offers they need. You should create a target market profile that fits your list perfectly.

10 WAYS TO IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE Basic Demographic Information. Gather basic demographic information such as age, gender, location, income level, and education level.

10 WAYS TO IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE Interests and Hobbies. What they do in their free time. Identify how the people in your target market spend their free time. What do they get excited about and what do they like to do?

10 WAYS TO IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE Perceptions and Opinions. How they see themselves and their world. How your customers see themselves and the world around them is an important thing for you to know. Identify the types of things they think are interesting, amusing, annoying, frustrating, etc.

10 WAYS TO IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE Values. What they value most in life. Along with what they like and don't like, identify what is important to your audience. Things they value might include family, hard work, saving money, safety and security, individual expression, standing out from the herd, etc.

10 WAYS TO IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE Shopping Behavior. What they buy, how often, and how much they spend. What do your customers buy and how much money do they spend on it? This is an important thing to identify because it helps you understand what products to offer, how often, and at what prices.

10 WAYS TO IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE Groups and Associations. What groups they belong to. What groups, organizations, and associations does your list belong to? This ties in to how they see themselves and their interests and hobbies.

10 WAYS TO IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE Other Lists They Subscribe to. Other lists they're also subscribed to and marketers they follow. Identify what other lists your subscribers have joined. It's also good to know what other companies they buy from. Where do they go when they need information on a particular topic?

10 WAYS TO IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE Language Considerations. What tone of language they prefer. Identify the tone of your audience's language. Do they use slang or idiomatic speech patterns, or are they more professional and formal in their language use? Do they stick to just the facts, or are they like to hear your personal stories?

10 WAYS TO IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE Problems, Pains, and Fears. Problems that you can help them solve. This is probably the single most important bit of information you need to know about your target market. Identify areas where they have problems, pain, fear, worries, or questions. What are they missing but badly needing? Your aim will be to offer products and services that address these deficits.

10 WAYS TO IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE Where They Spend Time. Websites, forums and social media sites where your target market spends time. Where does your target market hang out both online and off? This is important to know because that’s where you’ll go to find and connect with them.

CONCLUSION You can discover this information by doing research or simply by asking your audience. There are a number of ways to locate all this information. You can use social media, online forums, and other sources to listen in on your potential list’s conversations, or you can come right out and ask them. Research your competition and other companies in your niche. Look at key influencers in your niche and look at their followers.

ASSIGNMENT Target Market Profile Research your target market and fill out all of the above information. Identify at least 2 different segments of your market and create a profile of an individual in each segment that's a perfect fit for your email list. Record everything on your Target Market Profile worksheet. Target Market Profile Research your target market and fill out all of the above information on your Target Market Profile Worksheet. Identify at least 2 different segments of your market and create a profile of an individual in each segment that's a perfect fit for your email list.

10 Ideas for Free Gifts for Your List List

INTRODUCTION The best practice in email marketing is to offer a free gift as an enticement to join your list. Most people won't hand out their name and email address without some enticement, even if they're interested in your list. You have to “bribe” them by giving them a freebie to spice up the deal. This provides an incentive, but also starts building your relationship with the subscriber on a positive note.

10 IDEAS FOR FREE GIFTS FOR YOUR LIST Free Reports. Short, instructional PDF files. The standard in internet marketing is to offer a free report, which is a short ebook that covers one specific, common problem or topic in your niche. Although this works quite well, the value of the free report has declined somewhat because everyone uses them.

10 IDEAS FOR FREE GIFTS FOR YOUR LIST Free ECourse. A course in installments that teaches people how to do something. A more valuable offer is to give your subscribers a free eCourse. Rather than one product they download at once, they get installments over a period of time. You can do this through the list itself or elsewhere online. Ecourses are great for relationship building because they give you more touch points with your subscribers.

10 IDEAS FOR FREE GIFTS FOR YOUR LIST Free Membership. Free access to a paid membership site. You can give your subscribers free membership to a site or service that usually costs money to join. If it's difficult to give them a lifetime subscription, give them a free trial.

10 IDEAS FOR FREE GIFTS FOR YOUR LIST Free Software. A free software program or app that your subscribers can use. Give your subscribers a free software program or app that they can download when they sign up for your list. Like a membership offer, you can offer a free trial for this as well.

10 IDEAS FOR FREE GIFTS FOR YOUR LIST Access to a Webinar. Access to a paid or exclusive webinar. Give your subscribers free admission to your webinar. This is valuable and also great for building a relationship with them.

10 IDEAS FOR FREE GIFTS FOR YOUR LIST Coupons or Discount Codes. Coupons or discounts for your goods or the goods of others. Rather than a freebie, give your sign-ups a coupon or discount code. People see coupons as the equivalent of cash, so this is a high value offer. Many marketers also offer coupons for the products or services of JV partners.

10 IDEAS FOR FREE GIFTS FOR YOUR LIST Video Download. A video of an interview with an industry expert or big name. After a person signs up for your list, give them a free video download. Interviews work wonderfully for this. Interview an expert or big name in your niche and offer the video exclusively to list subscribers. Audio is also good, but video generally has higher conversion rates.

10 IDEAS FOR FREE GIFTS FOR YOUR LIST Resource Guides. A downloadable resource guide that shows customers where to find more information. Give your subscribers a downloadable resource guide to help them find what they need online. For example, offer them a guide to the top tools you need for online business.

10 IDEAS FOR FREE GIFTS FOR YOUR LIST Free Service. Free service or consulting from you. If you're a service provider, offer a free service to new sign-ups. You can also offer a free coaching or consulting session. This is another great way to start building your relationship with your customers, and you can actually connect individually with each new subscriber.

10 IDEAS FOR FREE GIFTS FOR YOUR LIST PLR Content. Private label rights content that customers can use freely for whatever purpose they'd like. If your audience is made up of website owners, Internet marketers, or publishers, give them private label rights content. This is ready-made, customizable content that they can publish and use in any way they choose.

CONCLUSION The key is that your free giveaway needs to be exclusive and valuable to your target market. You can give away absolutely anything. The important thing is that your freebie should be valuable. It needs to help your audience solve a problem or get the help they need. Make it something good that will blow them away and keep them coming back for more. On the other hand, it doesn’t have to be huge. It’s the value that counts, not the size.

ASSIGNMENT Research and Select Your Gift Look at competitors in your niche, as well as lists outside your niche, and see what they're giving away. Add to this list of ideas and decide which is best for you. If you don’t already have something you can give away, create it now or buy some PLR to use so that you can get your list set up quickly. Research and Select Your Gift Look at competitors in your niche, as well as lists outside your niche, and see what they're giving away. Record this on your Free Gift Brainstorming Worksheet. Add to this list of ideas and decide which is best for you. If you don’t already have something you can give away, create it now or buy some PLR to use so that you can get your list set up quickly. Write down an outline of your offer and what you need to do to get it completed right away.

10 Tips for Building a High Converting Squeeze Page

INTRODUCTION The squeeze page has one sole purpose: to get visitors to sign up for your list. Your squeeze page is your email list's home on the web. It has one very important purpose: to get visitors to fill out the form and opt in to your list. How your squeeze page is written and designed will have a major influence on the number of sign-ups.

10 TIPS FOR BUILDING A HIGH CONVERTING SQUEEZE PAGE Compelling Headline. The headline should be attention grabbing and speak to your market's needs. Write a compelling headline that appeal to your market's emotions. It should grab their attention and speak directly to their needs.

10 TIPS FOR BUILDING A HIGH CONVERTING SQUEEZE PAGE Skimmable Content with Bullet Points. Text should be light and easy to skim. Make text sparse and easy to skim, and whenever appropriate, summarize using bullet points. Visitors need to be able take it in in a glance, so avoid large blocks of text.

10 TIPS FOR BUILDING A HIGH CONVERTING SQUEEZE PAGE Clear Call to Action. Calls to action should be interspersed throughout your page. A clear call to action should be mentioned throughout the squeeze page. It should be blatantly obvious what you want people to do. Write your call to action so that it emphasizes the benefits to your visitor. For example, instead of 'Submit,' say something like, 'Give me my free content now.'

10 TIPS FOR BUILDING A HIGH CONVERTING SQUEEZE PAGE No Distractions. There should be no links leading out or other distractions. There should be only one action a visitor can take on your squeeze page: to sign up. Don't put any links leading out or anything that will distract visitors and make them leave your page.

10 TIPS FOR BUILDING A HIGH CONVERTING SQUEEZE PAGE Clean and Simple Design. Design should be simple and clean. Don't dress up your squeeze page with anything too fancy. Make it clean, simple, and nice to look at. Your message should be the main thing that stands out.

10 TIPS FOR BUILDING A HIGH CONVERTING SQUEEZE PAGE Free Offer. Offer a free incentive for signing up for your list. Offer something for free for signing up. This should be prominently displayed on the squeeze page and its benefits should be described to the visitor. At this point, you should already have a good idea of what your free offer will be.

10 TIPS FOR BUILDING A HIGH CONVERTING SQUEEZE PAGE Emphasize Value. The text should outline the benefits for the visitor. The focus of the squeeze page content should be on the value the visitor will get from signing up. Tell the visitor what to expect and emphasize the benefits for them.

10 TIPS FOR BUILDING A HIGH CONVERTING SQUEEZE PAGE Consider Multimedia. Video or audio can also help to increase conversions. Videos and audios have been shown in studies to increase squeeze page conversion rates. You might consider putting a video or audio at the top of the page to make your message easier for visitors to digest.

10 TIPS FOR BUILDING A HIGH CONVERTING SQUEEZE PAGE Review. Ask friends or colleagues to review your squeeze page before you go live. Before going live, have friends or colleagues look at your squeeze page and offer feedback. If you're on an Internet marketing forum, ask people if they'll look at it for you. A more experienced marketer can point out weaknesses.

10 TIPS FOR BUILDING A HIGH CONVERTING SQUEEZE PAGE Split Test. Split test your squeeze page and make necessary changes. Take time to split test your squeeze page. Create two versions that are the same except for one difference, such as the headline, the wording of the call to action or a font color. Then, see which one performs better.

CONCLUSION A squeeze page is a work in progress, so keep testing and making necessary changes. After you've made your squeeze page, you should review it periodically to make sure it's up-to-date. If you find that your opt-in rate is falling, this is a sign that your squeeze page is due for an update. Think of your initial squeeze page as a rough draft that will be revised later

Assignment Squeeze Page Summary List the key benefits of being on your email list and what people will be receiving from you in future emails. List the key benefits of your freebie and summarize how it will help your subscribers. Make sure these benefits are clearly expressed on your squeeze page. Squeeze Page Summary Using the Squeeze Page Copy worksheet, list the key benefits of being on your email list and what people will be receiving from you in future emails. List the key benefits of your freebie and summarize how it will help your subscribers. Make sure these benefits are clearly expressed on your squeeze page.  

10 Ideas for Follow-up Emails

INTRODUCTION You need to send regular messages to your list offering informational content and promotions. Simply having a list is just the beginning. Now, you need to send regular messages to your list that offer valuable content and promotions that your subscribers can use. The best practice is to offer a variety of different messages. Here are ten ideas for what to send in follow-up emails.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS Promotions. Make offers for your products or affiliate products. Send promotions for your own or affiliate products. Keep in mind that not every email should be purely promotional. However, each should contain a call to action.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS Offers from Partners. Send offers for the products of your JV partners. You can also send offers from joint venture partners. Many marketers team up with others in their niche to cross-promote.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS Freebies, Discounts, and Deals. Keep offering free giveaways and discounts to your list. You know that you need to offer a freebie to entice people to sign up for your list, but you should keep the freebies coming after they’ve subscribed as well.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS Informational Content. Send informational content that your subscribers can use to solve their problems. The bulk of what you offer through your list should be informational content that offers tips and advice to help your subscribers solve their problems.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS Breaking News. End news in your industry that would be of interest to your subscribers. Include in your emails current events that are interesting or relevant to your audience. Tell them about any news stories that may affect them. Take relevant news stories and summarize them, adding your own commentary.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS Multimedia Content. Videos and audio work well as list content. You can offer videos and audios through your email list as well. People love multimedia content. For bandwidth reasons, you may instead choose to send links to websites where visitors can find the video and audio content.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS What's New. Whenever you have a new blog post or any change to your website, let your list know. Send your list an email letting them know whenever you have a new blog post or video published, or anything else new on your site that they might be interested in. Let them know what's happening on your Facebook or other social media pages.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS Response to Feedback. Reply to questions or comments to your whole list. You can turn emails or comments into message starters. When someone asks you a question or makes a comment, respond to it to your whole list. Chances are good that others have the same question or concern. Make sure it's anonymous and don't mention the person by name.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS Surveys and Polls. Engage your list with surveys and polls. Conduct surveys and polls through your email list. This is a great way to get your subscribers engaged with your company and also gives you valuable feedback.

10 Ideas for Follow-up Emails Get Personal. Sometimes, give your list a personal story. Sometimes it's good to relate personal stories, give your opinions, or just plain rant. This makes your marketing more personal and helps your subscribers get to know you. But, proceed down this path with caution and watch analytics carefully. Some lists don't like personal emails.

CONCLUSION Mix up your content and offer a variety to see what your subscribers like best. The best practice is to mix up your content and monitor it to see what kinds of messages get the best response.

ASSIGNMENT CONTENT IDEAS For each of the above content types, brainstorm 3-5 topics or ideas for emails Add these ideas to your Email Content Plan from the earlier chapter. Content Ideas For each of the above content types that might apply to your business, brainstorm at least 5 more ideas for emails (Add your ideas to the ones you already have on your Email Content Plan Worksheet).

10 Places to Find Traffic to Build Your List

INTRODUCTION You'll drive traffic from various sources to your squeeze page where visitors will sign up for your list. Your email list needs a squeeze page whose sole purpose is to get visitors to sign up. But if no one knows your squeeze page exists or where to find it, you won’t be getting a lot of subscribers any time soon. You'll need to drive traffic to this crucial page from a number of other sources. Look at your target market profile and determine where your people hang out. Then, choose traffic methods that will work to draw them in.

10 PLACES TO FIND TRAFFIC TO BUILD YOUR LIST Blogs. Start a blog or several blogs and put your sign-up form on the sidebar. Start a blog or several blogs. Write about topics of interest to your target market. Place an opt-in form somewhere on each blog, preferably on the sidebar near the top of the page where people can easily see it. Your opt-in form should have a quick advertisement for your list that summarizes the main benefits of signing up and mentions the free offer.

10 Places to Find Traffic to Build Your List Content Syndication. Write articles and submit them to directories with a link back to your squeeze page. Write short articles related to your topic and submit them to directories with a link back to your squeeze page. The articles should focus on helping the reader and offer a taste of what your list offers.

10 Places to Find Traffic to Build Your List Guest Blogging. Publish guest blogs on popular blogs. Write guest blog posts and submit them to popular blogs in your niche. Put a link to your squeeze page in the bio box.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS Produce Videos. Make videos and post them on your YouTube channel. Create a YouTube channel and make videos to post there. These should be short videos that show people how to do things or solve problems. The title, meta data, and description should contain relevant keywords so your videos will appear in searches. Put a call to action and link in the video description box.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS Create Visuals. Create visual content such as infographics, memes, and images. Create visual content such as infographics, memes, and images. Submit these to image sites and use them for social media content. Place a link to your squeeze page somewhere in the image or its description.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS Online Forums. Join online forums in your niche and help other members. Join online forums and put a call to action and link in your signature file. In the forum, offer help to anyone who needs it and participate in discussions in a friendly way.

10 Places to Find Traffic to Build Your List Social Media. Promote your list on social media sites. Create a page for your list and promote it there. You can put an opt-in form directly on your page as a separate tab. You can also tell your social media followers about your list, but remember to avoid being overly promotional.

10 Places to Find Traffic to Build Your List Paid Advertising. Pay for advertising through an ad network. Take out ads with an ad network. The major downside to this method is that it costs money, but the advantage is that it produces quick results.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS Partner and Cross Market. Start a joint venture and cross market to each other's lists. Connect with other marketers and set up joint ventures where you advertise to their list and they advertise to yours. Place solo ads with their list. Solo ads can often attract freebie seekers who will take your free giveaway and run, but if the list is well-targeted and you have a good upsell in place, solo ads can be very profitable.

10 IDEAS FOR FOLLOW-UP EMAILS Offline Marketing. Tell people about your email list offline. Advertise your email list offline at every opportunity. You can put QR codes directly on marketing materials, promotional items, and business cards that direct browsers to your squeeze page. If you’re doing a seminar or participating in an offline event, bring an email sign-up form and make sure subscribers give you explicit permission to market to their email addresses.

CONCLUSION Monitor results carefully and focus your efforts on the best traffic source.   Whatever traffic methods you use, monitor the results closely and focus your efforts on those that pay off.

ASSIGNMENT FINDING YOUR TARGET MARKET Use your demographic information and research to identify a list of places to find your target market online and off. Use the Finding Your Target Market Worksheet to record your results. For each potential traffic source, fill in the rest of the information on the worksheet – Time Commitment, Traffic Potential, and Priority. Pick 3 that you can start using immediately. If relevant, set up accounts in those places (e.g., forums, social sites, etc.) Mark your calendar for a block of time each day when you’ll visit these places and comment, interact, post, or do any other activity that will give your squeeze page visibility Finding Your Target Market Use your demographic information and research to identify a list of places to find your target market online and off. Use the Finding Your Target Market Worksheet to record your results. For each potential traffic source, fill in the rest of the information on the worksheet – Time Commitment, Traffic Potential, and Priority. Pick 3 that you can start using immediately. If relevant, set up accounts in those places (e.g., forums, social sites, etc.) Mark your calendar for a block of time each day when you’ll visit these places and comment, interact, post, or do any other activity that will give your squeeze page visibility.

10 Ideas for Monetizing Your List

There are a number of ways to profit directly from your email list. INTRODUCTION There are a number of ways to profit directly from your email list. Most marketers create an email list with the long-term goal of profiting directly through the offers they make to their list. There are a number of ways to monetize your list with your promotional messages.

10 IDEAS FOR MONETIZING YOUR LIST Your Products. Sell your own products through your list. If you have products to sell, you can do so directly through your list. Occasionally make an offer or tell your subscribers about a new product or service you're offering.

10 IDEAS FOR MONETIZING YOUR LIST Affiliate Products. Sell affiliate products through your list. If you don't make your own products, you can market affiliate products to your list. Find products and services your subscribers would like and tell them about the products. To further entice customers, offer a special bonus for clicking through your link.

10 IDEAS FOR MONETIZING YOUR LIST Reviews. Try out products and write reviews for your list. Try out products related to your list and review them for your subscribers. This is a clever way to promote affiliate products. Subscribers can read your review and then click to buy the product.

10 IDEAS FOR MONETIZING YOUR LIST Discounts and Coupons. Offer discounts and coupons to your list. Offer discounts on products or services. Make sure these are exclusive discounts that are only available to your subscribers, like a loyalty program. You can also offer coupons to your list. Many people see coupons as equivalent to money, especially if the coupon is on a product they already use or were already planning to buy.

10 IDEAS FOR MONETIZING YOUR LIST Upgrade offers. Give your list members a deal for upgrading a product they're already using. Give your subscribers a chance to upgrade a product or service they've already purchased from you such as a membership or software program.

10 IDEAS FOR MONETIZING YOUR LIST JV Partner Coupons. Offer coupons for the products and services of your JV partners. Offer coupons and discounts on the products of your JV partners. Many marketers work out JV deals where each party cross-promotes and profits from each other's list.

10 IDEAS FOR MONETIZING YOUR LIST Membership Offers. Invite your list to join an exclusive membership site or get a deal on membership. Offer membership to a site that is either only available to your list or available at a deep discount.

10 IDEAS FOR MONETIZING YOUR LIST Consulting and Coaching. Offer consulting or coaching to your list. Offer consulting, coaching, or training via webinars that are only available to your subscribers. If your program is available to others, offer your subscribers a discount or free session.

10 IDEAS FOR MONETIZING YOUR LIST Advertising. Sell portions of your list messages to advertisers. Sell a small part of the space in your email messages to advertisers or sponsors. This is an easy way to make money directly as long as you have a large, responsive list. However, you should be careful because some subscribers may be turned off when they see outside advertising.

10 Ideas for Monetizing Your List Solo Ads. Allow advertisers to place solo ads. Let an advertiser pay you for an entire message. This method usually results in great profits for you, but like other advertising methods, it could turn off your subscribers.

CONCLUSION Create a prospects list and a buyers list. Once a prospect makes a purchase, move them to your buyers list. Don't forget to keep sending freebies to your list as well. This keeps them tuned in and helps them see you as a generous, helpful authority.   The list you build from your initial squeeze page is the entrance to your sales funnel. It's actually a list of prospects. Once a prospect takes you up on an offer and makes a purchase, you should automatically move them to a buyer's list. The buyer's list includes qualified prospects that have actually purchased from you and are therefore more likely to do so again. Depending on your autoresponder service, you can usually do this through some automation rules. For example, you can set up a new list just for customers. Then set up an automation rule that unsubscribes people from the prospects list when they become subscribed to a customer list.

ASSIGNMENT Your Monetization Methods Select at least 3 methods you will use for getting income from your list Go back to your Email Content Plan and identify where you’ll use these methods in your email follow-ups Revise your Email Content Plan if necessary to make sure that your ‘monetization’ is consistent with the topics of your emails. Your Monetization Methods Select at least 3 methods you will use for getting income from your list Go back to your Email Content Plan and identify where you’ll use these methods in your email follow-ups Revise your Email Content Plan if necessary to make sure that your ‘monetization’ is consistent with the topics of your emails.  

10 Email Marketing Analytics to Watch

INTRODUCTION Email marketing analytics tell you whether your efforts are succeeding or not. The key to success in email marketing is to watch your analytics and adjust your strategy accordingly. Your analytics will tell you exactly what you're doing right or wrong. You can then make the adjustments needed to make your campaign more effective.

10 EMAIL MARKETING ANALYTICS TO WATCH Bounce Rate. The number of emails bounced from inboxes. Bounce rate tells you how many emails were 'bounced' from recipients' mailboxes and were therefore not received. This could be because the person’s inbox is full, their address is not valid, or any number of things. If you have a high bounce rate, you need to clean up your list and remove those email addresses that are no longer valid. This should be done as soon as possible because a high bounce rate tells ISPs that you're a spammer.

10 EMAIL MARKETING ANALYTICS TO WATCH Delivery Rate. How many emails are delivered successfully. Delivery rate tells you how many of your messages are getting delivered. This includes those that are bounced as well as those that are not delivered because of spam filters. Your delivery rate should be 95% or higher. If it's not, you need to make sure your messages don't look like spam.

10 EMAIL MARKETING ANALYTICS TO WATCH Open Rate. How many messages are being opened by your recipients. This metric tells you how many of the messages that went through were opened. It tells you one clear thing: whether or not your subject line is working. However, it tells you little else. A high open rate only means your subscribers are opening your messages, but not that they're taking action.

10 EMAIL MARKETING ANALYTICS TO WATCH Click Through Rate. The rate at which your subscribers are clicking the links in your messages. The click through rate tells you how many subscribers are clicking the links in your messages. This tells you how well you're making your offer and calling people to action.

10 EMAIL MARKETING ANALYTICS TO WATCH Conversion Rate. How many subscribers are taking the desired action once they click through. Conversion rate tells you how many subscribers clicked through and then took the action you wanted them to take afterwards. They didn't just click, but bought, signed up, or downloaded. Among other things, this tells you how effective and relevant the site you're sending customers to is.

10 EMAIL MARKETING ANALYTICS TO WATCH List Growth Rate. The number of new subscribers minus unsubscribes. List growth rate is the number of new sign-ups minus those unsubscribing or removed because they were no longer valid. A healthy list should always be growing steadily. If your list growth rate doesn't reflect this, there may be a problem with your traffic sources, squeeze page, or offer.

10 EMAIL MARKETING ANALYTICS TO WATCH Depth of Visit. How many pages visitors to your site view and what they do on your site. Depth of visit is how long subscribers who clicked through your link were on the website. It shows how many pages they viewed and basically what they did there. You can usually find this information in your website analytics.

10 EMAIL MARKETING ANALYTICS TO WATCH Sharing and Forwarding. The rate at which your messages are being shared. This metric tells you at what rate people are sharing your messages. If a message is shared a great deal, this means that it's relevant and valuable. In other words, you're doing something right.

10 EMAIL MARKETING ANALYTICS TO WATCH Revenue Per Email. How much each email is earning you. Revenue per email tells you the dollar value of each email you send.

10 EMAIL MARKETING ANALYTICS TO WATCH Unsubscribe Rate. The rate at which members are unsubscribing. This metric tells you how many people are unsubscribing. People will inevitably unsubscribe, so it's not something to obsess over. But if you see a sudden jump in unsubscribes, pay attention.

CONCLUSION List size isn't as important as the amount of engagement you receive from your list. An important thing to consider is that email list size isn't really important. What's important is how your subscribers respond to your messages. The above metrics will measure that for you.

ASSIGNMENT Track Your Metrics For each metric, use the Email Statistics Tracking spreadsheet to record your current results, where you know them. If you can only focus on a few metrics, look at your Open, Click-Through, and Conversion rates. Track Your Metrics For each metric, use the Email Statistics Tracking spreadsheet to record your current results, where you know them. Most should be available through your autoresponder service. Others may only be accessible through additional tracking software or platforms. If you can only focus on a few metrics, look at your Open, Click-Through, and Conversion rates. Those will tell you whether you’re doing a good job on the content of the emails themselves and whether you’re matching them to your market.

10 Reasons Your List Isn't Responding

INTRODUCTION If your subscribers aren't responding, there are several potential reasons why.  What's most important in email marketing is how your subscribers respond to your emails. By watching their responses, you can decide what's working and what isn't. If your list isn't subscribing, here are ten potential reasons.

10 REASONS YOUR LIST ISN'T RESPONDING Spam Folders. Your messages may be ending up in recipients' spam folders. Your messages may be getting thrown into spam folders. The reason for this could be that the messages contain images or HTML that your recipients' email service blocks automatically. Check your autoresponder program's spam rating and take whatever action the program recommends to reduce it. You can also play it safe by sending text-only messages, but you’ll be missing out on opportunities with images and other content.

10 REASONS YOUR LIST ISN'T RESPONDING Subject Line. If your messages aren't being opened, this could mean your subject lines aren't appealing enough. Your subject line might not be grabbing your subscribers' attention. If your messages are getting delivered but not opened, try writing a catchier, more attention-grabbing subject that tells recipients clearly the benefit of the message.

10 REASONS YOUR LIST ISN'T RESPONDING Frequency Issues. You may be sending too many or too few messages. You may not be getting a response because you email too much or too little. Experiment with sending broadcast messages at a different frequency and see if there's a change in response.

10 REASONS YOUR LIST ISN'T RESPONDING Bad Timing. You may be sending messages at the wrong time of day. Certain times of day work better than others for certain lists. Experiment with different times of day and days of the week to see if you can find your subscribers' most responsive times.

10 REASONS YOUR LIST ISN'T RESPONDING Irrelevant Offers. Your offers may not appeal to your subscribers. If subscribers are opening your emails but not clicking the link there, this means that the offers in the message aren't relevant. In other words, the messages don't deliver what you promised when the subscriber signed up. Go back and review your marketing materials and squeeze page to make sure they set the right expectations.

10 REASONS YOUR LIST ISN'T RESPONDING Bad Content. Your message content may not be valuable enough to keep subscribers reading. Your subscribers may not be taking action because your content isn't high quality. Your email content should be just as good as your website content, blog posts, or content you use anywhere else. If this is an issue, try upgrading your content.

10 REASONS YOUR LIST ISN'T RESPONDING Call to Action. Calls to action may be weak, badly worded, or wrongly placed. Your call to action may be weak, improperly worded, or placed incorrectly in the message. Every message needs a call to action and it needs to emphasize what benefits people will get by performing the action.

10 REASONS YOUR LIST ISN'T RESPONDING Message Length. Your messages may be too long. There may be a problem with your message length. When this is the problem, it's usually because messages are too long. Short, concise messages that get straight to the point work best.

10 REASONS YOUR LIST ISN'T RESPONDING Over-Promoting. You may be sending too many promotional emails and not enough that are purely informational. If you're promoting too much and not offering enough purely informational content, you'll lose people. Make sure there's plenty of informational content mixed in with the promotions.

10 REASONS YOUR LIST ISN'T RESPONDING Image Problems. Your recipients may not be able to see your images. If you use images in your messages, they could be causing problems. Some email services don't display images. Use alt text on images so that even if people can't view the images, they’ll know what they're supposed to be looking at.

Ask for feedback from your subscribers from time to time. CONCLUSION Ask for feedback from your subscribers from time to time. From time to time, seek feedback from your subscribers. Ask them how you're doing and if there are any changes they'd like to see you make. This can prevent you from learning this feedback from your unsubscribe rate, when it’s too late.

ASSIGNMENT Feedback Write and schedule an email requesting feedback from your customers. Use your Email Content Plan to record the questions you want to ask your subscribers regularly After you’ve sent the feedback request email once, send it again a couple days later to those people who didn’t open the first email. Revise your content plan based on the feedback you receive. You should also report the results to your list. Feedback Write and schedule an email requesting feedback from your customers about the content and frequency of your emails. You can also use a tool like Survey Monkey to create a survey for your list and send them the link. After you’ve sent the feedback request email once, send it again a couple days later to those people who didn’t open the first email. Revise your content plan based on the feedback you receive. You should also report the results to your list.