If you’ve been following my list building topics, you know I am passionate about list building.
And the reason I am so passionate about it, is because I know it works. Whatever line of business you are in; creating a list of names of people that are with you and want to hear more from you is the golden ticket.
The fact is, having a list of attentive subscribers eager to hear your message is a marketers dream and one that needs attentive, strategic care to maintain.
List Building for Business Building
I remember back many years ago when I was working for a top-producing real estate agent, our client list was absolutely golden to her. This was about 10 years ago and while I didn’t comprehend the value of it at the time, she quickly taught me why your client list is a treasured asset.
If you’re not familiar with real estate, marketing is a huge part of the business.
You can easily spend a lot of money marketing and trying to bring in new clients. Or you can do it a smarter, easier way…
Take this agent I worked for as an example – she did not advertise or spend money trying to attract new customers.
Don’t believe me? Her advertising budget was in the low hundreds every month. Minimal by real estate standards!
So what did she do that allowed her to sell 8 figures of real estate each and every year without advertising?
She acknowledged that she had a list of customers already and she marketed to THEM!
And they thanked her by sending her more referrals every month than most agents see in one year. There is a saying that it’s cheaper to maintain the customers you already have, then to pay to attract more.
I know you’re probably thinking that this does not apply to online businesses but stay tuned… It does!
The Connection
Once you’ve decided to start building a list of subscribers, there will come a time when you are wondering what to do with your list. Maybe you’ve sent them a couple emails, maybe you’ve shared a few blog posts with them – but where do you go from here?
First, get back into your role – a Realtors’ job covers many facets – so does an online business owner’s. We market, write, create, socialize, develop, coach, do tech stuff, the list goes on and on.
YOU are running a business and YOU are the expert sharing your gold nuggets with them.
People decide to opt-in to your list because of some reason – was it the freebie? Was it because you supplied the information they were looking for? Either way, you are the expert in the scenario.
So the second aspect of what to do with your subscriber list is to think, act and behave like the expert you are.
You should be mailing to your list often and you should be recommending helpful products and tools and you should even be selling your own products (gasp!)
If you feel like an affiliate product would be beneficial to others, share it. And tell why in the process!
My definition of an expert (probably not the dictionary definition) is one who has the knowledge and skills to teach others on a subject matter. Every new subscriber you add to your list has positioned you as the expert – they are reaching out to you for help, guidance, or your free book. Either way, you are called on to share your knowledge with them. And, if you are coaching, then you help them obtain success in the process.
Think about it – just by taking action and building a list you are ahead of the curve. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished in your business – what better way to do this than to pass along your success stories to your email list.
One final thought…
While my 8 year old DS teaches me many things every single day, there is one thing that stands out and relates well to an online business – a relentless drive to succeed! He HAS to make this jump on his bike and HAS to cross the big kids monkey bars.
Even if he falls or gets distracted, he gets right back up and continues on…
Exact same principles of an online business, right?!
So, stay the course and keep your list building efforts on track. Keep marketing, keep recommending, and keep pushing your business forward.
A big shout to Melanie Kissell for the inspiration!
Like this post? Please share it with others!
First off, Christine …
A bouquet of thanks for the shout out!
I really enjoyed reading about your real estate career and the super wise woman you worked for. She was, no doubt, a marketing maven!
SO many takeaways in this post but one that jumps off the page for me is …
” … having a list of attentive subscribers eager to hear your message”
The key phrase, of course, is “eager to hear your message”. It’s all about attracting the right people — your target market — your ideal clients and/or customers.
Otherwise, you’re marketing to thin air (and in some cases, people who mark your messages as spam)
Very helpful, uplifting, and enjoyable read!
Melanie Kissell recently posted..Please Unsubscribe From My List
Thanks Melanie!
It’s funny, I had an idea percolating about a blog post and when I read your post, I immediately blasted out this one!
My views on listing building has changed quite a bit – ultimately, when you know your message is a good one, by all means share it!
So glad you enjoyed it -
Thanks for stopping by!
have to sort this out
a friend (publisher) once told me i should not set up a newsletter (or email letter) for my list (which is small – about 4 entries so far) if i don.t have anything new to tell … what he meant was: “you don.t have anything which you should tell so shut your mouth”
not sure by the moment – although i am a single woman biz there are new things happening every week or month
so how do i built up a list, and what will i tell them in my emails?
helen recently posted..Wordless Wednesday – Flags
Hi Helen,
This blog post – http://insightfulmommy.com/build-a-list-subscribers – will help you with the basics of starting an email list. The Challenge is going on right now, so that link is expired – however I will have more to share on this topic very soon.
I’ve had a lot of success in building my list and I do recommend not just emailing them for the sake of emailing – that is the quickest way to lose subscribers, in fact!
Stay tuned – I’ll be sharing more next week.
Thanks for stopping by!