List Building - From Prospects to Customers - 7 Things You Can Do to Turn Your List Into Gold

When you first start building your list, you may notice lots of "Freebie Seekers" - people who will sign up for anything just to claim their free product. The key to your success as a list builder is how well you can turn these moochers into full-blown, hungry customers.

The following are seven easy things you can do to nurture your list and turn it into gold:

1. Offer Them Valuable Content

So you've got your list set up and people are signing up. Now you can start sending out your affiliate links and watch the money start rolling in, right? Wrong! Resist the temptation to send out promotions for every product you can think of. Instead, try to send out at least two informational messages for every promotion you send. When your prospects feel like they're getting good content, they'll be more likely to stick around and buy from you.

2. Be Professional

Before sending out a message, always double check for spelling and grammatical errors. However, before clicking "Send", take the time to really look at the message you're sending. Are the paragraphs well balanced? Does everything sit well on the screen? Is there enough space between paragraphs or do the lines seem squeezed together? These things may seem trivial, but for many subscribers, attention to detail and appearance is what separates the rookie marketers from the professionals.

3. Do a Cross-Promotion

Find another marketer in your niche who's offering a product that complements your own and try to arrange a cross-promotion, in which your list receives a special discount on his or her product. People love to feel like they're getting something special, so not only will you add subscribers to your own list, you'll benefit from their perception of exclusivity and increase your status as an expert advisor.

4. Make it Easy to Unsubscribe

It might sound counterintuitive - after all, won't making the unsubscribe option more visible encourage people to leave your list? Actually, the opposite is true. When people know they don't have to jump through hoops to get off your list, they won't be in such a hurry to find their way out.

5. Add Value to Your Promotions

Promoting a high-profile product with some of the biggest internet marketing gurus can be intimidating, but there's no reason you can't get a part of the action if you add value to your promotions. Suppose a big name marketer is coming out with a new software product designed to help manage affiliate contact information. Developing a companion manual that gives detailed instructions on how to use it is a great way to ensure that customers buy from your list.

6. Toot Your Own Horn

Prospects love to feel like they're dealing with experts, so don't be afraid to flaunt your accomplishments. Have you recently published a new guide? Or have you been featured in a print magazine or local television show? Don't brag, but let your list know about your accomplishments. When people perceive that you're an expert, they'll put more stock in your recommendations, leading to more and more sales.

7. Don't Let Them Escape

If you've tried several strategies, but no one seems to buy, don't lose hope. You can still make money from a list of freebie seekers by offering your valuable content outside of the actual message. Include a teaser paragraph in your autoresponder message that directs them to the actual content, which you've published on a separate webpage full of AdSense ads and CPA offers. If you can't get them to convert to customers, it's better than nothing!

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