There are still many internet business owners and internet marketers that do not fully understand the power or purpose of building, growing and cultivating a list in their niche market.
And of those that do see the value, a very large number don’t understand HOW to do it properly.
What I mean is the HOW that goes into daily or, at least, weekly conversations with their marketplace that will help keep your list fresh, interested and eager to read what you have to say next.
A major part of the systems we deliver inside InfoMarketer’sZone cover list building strategies and how to transition yourself from an unknown stranger into a "best-friend" figure to your subscribers.
If you don’t have that type of relationship with your list then you won’t have a pool of eager buyers when you present them with the next offer or recommendation – instead, you will have a subscriber list that will, at best – ignore you and at worst – actually turn against you.
YOUR ROLE AS A LIST GROWER – BECOMING A BEST FRIEND
Too many people view their role as a list owner as someone who provides one-time value in exchange for your reader’s contact information.
The obvious problem is that after they receive their first e-book, report, audio recording or autoresponder message, they will soon forget all about you and lose interest in a matter of days.
The right mindset of a successful list builder is "to be the best and only, ongoing catalyst through which your subscribers will be guided, every step of the way, to their promised land"
Think of a best friend. Do you only go out and have fun once? Do they only talk to you when things are good? Aren’t they around always, no matter what? Do they not typically have your best interest at heart?
Your list building and management must be done with a YOU and I against the world mentality where you place yourself directly in the position where ONLY you can help your prospect get the right information, opinion and advice.
AN EXAMPLE:
If you are aware of the weight loss niche, you know that 1) Very few people can lose weight on the first time around using information from any one product and 2) Even if they do manage to lose weight short-term, very few are able to keep it off…
Therein lies your role and opportunity as a list owner…and best friend:
1. You send them a message each day or twice a week that helps remind them of the mission they are on, share personal experience of you or anyone you know who have been through it, share additional resources they can use, add a tip that they can use right now to help in this mamoth fight to lose weight
Remember, it’s YOU and THEM against the world – that should be your starting point.
2. There are many things that go into losing weight – positive outlook, your friends and those around you, motivation, diet, exercise, your ability to handle stress….
Seriously, you should easily be able to find something to help them with each and every day of the year – it’s just a matter of wanting to.
Yes, if you want to build a list and maintain the people you do need to stay in contact, you need to be empathetic to their cause, you need to be helpful , you need to be entertaining at times…remember – it’s you and them against this dreaded weight loss monster!
Take this "best-friend" approach to your list building plan and watch your business grow.
That was an interesting approach. I have never thought about it this way before, but I am not sure if I agree. The best friend might be a little too much. Especially since a lot of people are subscribers to different lists, and if all list owners treated their subscribers as best friends, we would get a lot of e-mails 🙂
But I get your point, and I agree that you should treat them as friends and maybe even close friends, but not entirely the best friend approach.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Jens – yes, get your point, your subscribers may not want to be contacted to the same degree as a “best friend” – point taken. I was refering more to the style of contact, taking your relationship with your subscriber as seriously as a “best friend” relationship where you share not just information on the latest products, but conversation, things that work, opinions, etc…
Thanks for your comment.
Jeff