| Firstly lets be clear about what is an opt-in list. Every | | | | distributors who would love you to sell their products. |
| business keeps a list of its customers and potential | | | | They already have product catalogs, photos, |
| customers. When the list is only made up of people | | | | distribution and logistics facilities and marketing write |
| who have willingly joined it by subscribing or | | | | ups etc. |
| registering, knowing you will be contacting them, then | | | | They already make bulk purchases and warehouse |
| you have an opt-in list. On the Internet it is much | | | | the goods and are well equipped to fulfill orders. They |
| easier and cheaper to create and maintain an opt-in | | | | certainly welcome someone else also selling their |
| list. | | | | products and increasing the sales of something they |
| Note that people generally only join knowing that you | | | | are already engaged in. |
| will be contacting them with information relating to a | | | | In the US, search for these under terms such as |
| 'certain topic'* - we'll talk about this in a moment. | | | | 'drop shippers'. In the UK they are known as |
| Buying lists or copying from other sources goes | | | | wholesalers with fulfillment houses among other |
| against the notion of opt-in and sending emails not | | | | terms. |
| related to the topics the subscribers originally signed | | | | I set up exactly this kind of system for three major |
| up for will destroy your credibility. | | | | clients last year ... the clients loaded up the product |
| * Think about it, would you join some mailing list that | | | | details from files supplied by the distributor. The client |
| is about a broad range of subjects knowing that you | | | | then focused purely on selling and marketing online. |
| are going to get emails that are totally irrelevant to | | | | They never even touched a product or saw one in |
| your interests? Would you have any more respect | | | | their own offices. |
| for the list owner who seems to be the master of | | | | After the launch one client told me, who'd be crazy |
| nothing in particular and intends to send you mailings | | | | enough to sink a stack of cash into a warehouse, |
| about anything he likes (because he doesn't know | | | | advanced payment for stock or imports etc, then |
| care what 'your' interests are)? | | | | work like hell for weeks and months by the time the |
| Let me tell you, when you focus your material and | | | | stock is sold! This is a dream: we use your hosted |
| your subject on a specific subject, you get a greater | | | | end-to-end online product catalog/retail system and |
| proportion of your readers wanting to join your list. | | | | make 50% - 70% commissions on products we |
| Just as important is the fact that you can then finely | | | | never touch! |
| tune your offers to their specific interest and | | | | 5- Sell information products |
| significantly increase the response rate to each of | | | | This is a vast and rich subject which I can't discuss in |
| your offers. | | | | any reasonable detail. I just ask you to consider it. |
| Therefore, it should be obvious that after building | | | | Often delivery is by electronic means (email, |
| your highly targeted list, you can easily waste it all by | | | | download, etc) with no physical warehousing, |
| a careless irrelevant offer. I tell you, do not be | | | | fulfillment, shipping etc. Therefore you have no |
| tempted to offer something unrelated or even just | | | | distribution costs at all. The supply is almost infinite |
| loosely related to your subject area no matter how | | | | and you can package your product in a variety of |
| lucrative the profits for you! If you have a lucrative | | | | ways from regular lessons to ebooks to audio |
| product or offer, with a healthy market, then build a | | | | material. |
| new list. The second time around is a lot easier. | | | | No matter what the percentage profit margin, since |
| Ask any expert ... the late great Corey Rudl opened | | | | you are effectively supplying electronic files, there is |
| 'my' eyes to the 'life time value' of customers and | | | | no supply cost at all. This means you repeatedly turn |
| prospects. In other words it is not that first sale that | | | | a profit on every sale over a long period of time. |
| makes you rich but rather the steady stream of | | | | Look into this and you won't be disappointed. |
| sales over time that makes you wild profits. | | | | 6- Pass-on! |
| Just one final point here, when marketing to your list, | | | | You are reading this article therefore you certainly |
| 'your' emphasis must be on informing and educating | | | | know the importance of having a list. No matter how |
| not selling and marketing! Nobody joins or stays on | | | | good or bad the profits from your list, that will only |
| your opt-in list begging, "please advertise to me". | | | | improve when you increase the size of your list. But |
| If you just inform and educate, people will respect | | | | don't forget that you must keep your list tightly |
| and trust you. Your recommendations will then find | | | | targeted. |
| willing customers, easily. You can then of course add | | | | Two highly neglected ways of increasing your |
| subtle references to products and offers that you | | | | subscriber base are pass-on and post-on (explained in |
| recommend on the periphery of your highly | | | | 7 below). |
| informative communications. | | | | On every informative article or mailing add a little text |
| Once again you must thoroughly research your | | | | asking the reader to pass-on the article to a few |
| offerings and ensure they are completely relevant | | | | friends and colleagues that they think may benefit |
| and of the highest quality. | | | | from the information. You'll be amazed how many |
| Look out for my other articles on list building | | | | people never think of sending the information on to |
| techniques. For now let me show you a few ways | | | | others until they're prompted. You'll also be surprised |
| you can profit from your opt-in list(s). | | | | how many think this is a good idea when reminded. |
| Once you take care of focus and product quality etc, | | | | Don't forget to add a little more test to the effect |
| there are a number of ways to 'monetize' your | | | | that: |
| effort to earn top dollar. Here are some ideas: | | | | "... If someone else passed this information to you, |
| 1- Advertisements. | | | | you can benefit from regular informative articles by |
| Advertising your products and services in ezines and | | | | registering [or emailing] ...". Be sure to put this |
| newsletters to your opt-in list. This seems an obvious | | | | information in your resource box. A resource box is a |
| one. But many people haven't considered advertising | | | | short 3 - 6 line paragraph stating who you are, what |
| other companies' products. This is a rich and | | | | you do (that makes you an expert) and a link to |
| repeatable source of income. | | | | your website for more information or your contact |
| Just get the above principles about focus and quality | | | | email address. This goes at the bottom of all your |
| right and getting advertising revenue will be easy, | | | | articles and emails. You'll see why next, in (7). |
| successful and soon you'll have a queue of | | | | Tip: Some people advise that you can do any |
| advertisers. Take a look at various ad brokers and ad | | | | advertising in the resource box. I personally think this |
| exchanges etc. | | | | could take something away from your informative |
| Note that because companies can't trust bought-in | | | | article. I suggest you put no 'overt' advertising in the |
| lists, they'd rather place ads around your newsletters | | | | box. Also you may put off publishers from publishing |
| etc. You could then also offer higher priced 'solo ads'. | | | | your information, again see next, in (7). |
| That is, you could then email your list once a week | | | | I suggest you only go as far as offering further or |
| or once a month with just one ad that is bigger than | | | | more detailed information from your web site (or by |
| a classified ad but smaller than an article. | | | | emailing you). If your information is top quality and it |
| Tip: join a few ezines and you'll see exactly what I | | | | should be, then people will naturally want to know |
| mean. However, I suggest you reduce the frequency | | | | more and will click through to your site or email you |
| of these solo ads compared with the average. Be | | | | or take up your offers elsewhere in your ezine. |
| above average, 'less is more'! | | | | 7- Post-on! |
| 2- Look into affiliate programs | | | | On every article or ezine mailing to your opt-in list, |
| There is no shortage of 'affiliate' programs for | | | | include another line of text permitting other ezine, |
| absolutely any market. If there is demand for the | | | | newsletter or website publishers to reprint your |
| product or service in question, there is definitely a | | | | article on condition that your article is published in its |
| good affiliate program out there for it. Join it and | | | | entirety [if you want it that way] "AND" that your |
| profit hugely when someone else does the entire | | | | resource box remains attached to your article |
| fulfillment, administration etc. | | | | without any change. |
| Two points: | | | | A great many other publishers require regular fresh |
| (a) If you're not clear about affiliate schemes, you | | | | content and you will find a huge number of 'takers' |
| really do owe it to yourself to do a search for terms | | | | for your top quality articles. Attaching your resource |
| like "affiliate marketing". | | | | box to all articles and newsletters and 'not' advertising |
| (b) It is just possible but still highly unlikely that after | | | | overtly, vastly improves both the response to your |
| searching thoroughly for an affiliate scheme in your | | | | articles (i.e. increases your subscription base) and the |
| subject area, you find nothing suitable. If so, you | | | | reprint of your articles by publishers. This translates |
| have just struck gold! Research and then perhaps set | | | | to more income from your opt-in list. |
| up your own scheme. | | | | I have one final tip you: Focus on one of the |
| I guarantee you, if you can't find a good scheme, | | | | methods above and keep on tweaking testing, |
| there will be many thousands or may be even tens | | | | improving. Once you have mastered the method and |
| of thousands of others having the same problem. | | | | you see major benefits from your op-in list, then |
| You will be richly rewarded. | | | | move on to another technique from the above list. |
| 3- Direct approach | | | | You can apply this idea to virtually all actions and |
| Don't be frightened of approaching other web sites | | | | enhancements to your online business. It works |
| with some sort of proposition for joint effort. Most | | | | extremely well. |
| companies welcome the any reasonable offer that | | | | You will find most of those who fail to make any |
| lands in their laps without any effort, when it is | | | | meaningful profit from their opt-in lists or other |
| intended to make them money. | | | | efforts, usually have at least one thing in common: a |
| Ask if they are willing to share a percentage of the | | | | very noticeable lack of focus! Don't be one of them. |
| sales revenue that comes through your list if you | | | | I wish you success and profit from your opt-in list. |
| market their offer to your list. | | | | The world around us is changing all the time, look out |
| 4- Product sales | | | | for this and never stop learning newer, more suitable |
| There are a great many product wholesalers and | | | | techniques and approaches. |