by Sid Hale

You've heard it a million times, and you know it's true: The money is in the list!  The number of ebooks and traffic programs developed around list building "techniques" over the past couple of years, is staggering.  

But what is really amazing, is how many people don't know what to do with the list once they begin getting sign-ups.  

To many, that's all it is - a list!

You need to make it the beginning of a very lucrative relationship.

Sure, you can send your promotional messages to that list, but how many promotions would you be willing to receive with no other content (i.e. solo ad, after solo ad, after solo ad), before you decided that you no longer wanted to be on that list?  

Of course, since the reason you built the list in the first place was so you could send promotional messages - it leaves you in something of a quandary, doesn't it?

So, for starters, you have to understand what your list represents.  It might be 

• a list of "opt-ins" that expect you to provide timely information, relative to a particular subject,
• a list of customers that have bought from you before, or
• even a list of your affiliates if you have set up an affiliate program for your own product.

...or any combination of the above.  There may be overlap in those lists, but each list represents a specific segment of your market

Let's look at each of these, and how you might use them to assure your success.

First, there is the simple "opt-in".  The list we collected in exchange for some free information (whether a free ebook, an ecourse, or a regularly delivered newsletter).  While probably the least responsive of lists, it is still very important and is usually our largest list.   How responsive this list will be depends on a number of factors, but we do have some degree of influence on the responsiveness of this list.  It will depend on the level of relationship we develop with that list.

The FREE Download
For instance, if our only contact with the list was the initial offer of some "freebie" in exchange for the opt-in, we have a pretty shallow relationship. Kind of like the morning after a first date (a blind date, at that). 

Do we give her a call to let her know we enjoyed the dinner and the show?  Take a little time for some casual conversation?  There is still a lot of nurturing to do, and we have a lot of relationship building to do before we can expect this list to become responsive to our offers.

The FREE Course
When someone signs up for a free e-course, they've already agreed to multiple contacts from you.  A "courtship", if you will. 

Once our list has received a series of lessons, the relationship is a little deeper.  We have had a few conversations.  Meaningful conversations, at that - because we imparted knowledge that the list was seeking.  We've brought some value to the relationship, so they've come to appreciate us a little. 

Maybe they have even benefited from taking some of our advice, and have begun to trust our knowledge and opinions.  Needless to say, we stand a little better chance of getting another date with this list.

But...
there is an expected end to the lessons.  Once you send the final lesson, your opt-in may opt-out.  If you have done a little "back-end" promotion from within the course, maybe you have made a few sales, and those buyers have progressed to your "customer" list.  But only a small percentage will have responded to your offers.  For the rest, you will have to create a reason for them to remain on your list.  Dangle a carrot so they don't opt-out just yet. 

You want to continue the relationship.

The Newsletter
Unlike the e-course, a subscriber to your newsletter doesn't have a pre-determined objective.  Each new issue may contain some new nugget of information that your reader may benefit from.  

So even if the latest issue is a disappointment, your reader will probably elect to continue the relationship, so they don't miss out on the next learning experience.  

Of your opt-in lists, this is the most powerful.  You will not only be able to promote to this list over and over, but will be building trust with each new issue.  You can promote to this list not only with ads in the newsletter itself, but your readership will tolerate the occasional solo mailing as well - as long as you don't abuse the privilege.

I think those are the primary examples of "opt-in" lists, so now let's look at...

Prior Customers
These are the people who trusted you enough to give you their business, and if you have given them no reason to regret that decision, this will be your most responsive list. 

In fact, if you over-delivered, they trust you even more now.  You gave them a product or service that was worth more than it cost them, so they are more likely to take your recommendations in the future.  If you continue the pattern of promoting only quality products to that list - honoring their trust with exceptional worth - that trust will grow and grow, and this list will become even more responsive. 

If you sell your own product, you will be able to develop a list of customers as a part of the ordering process.  If you sell other people's products to your lists (i.e. as an affiliate), you will still have them on your list, but might not be able to identify them as customers.  You won't really know how deep your relationship really goes.

As I said, if you are selling your own product, you will be able to easily identify those that have bought from you.   

If you offer that product through an affiliate network, those affiliates will promote your product through their lists.  You effectively expand your list to include the lists of your affiliates.   

Not only will you be able to convert your affiliates' lists to immediate sales, you will be able to add those names to your own customer list (remember, that's your most most responsive "opt-in" list).  So you will be adding contact information from other people's lists - to your own.

But there's more...

By selling your own product through a network of affiliates, there is an opportunity to develop another type of relationship.

Given the right affiliate management software, you will be able to closely monitor and easily identify those affiliates that are the most aggressive promoters and bring you the most sales (your "super" affiliates).  Maybe it is because they write good pre-sales copy, or because they have a HUGE list, or maybe they have just found a few very good advertising channels.  What is important is that they are productive affiliates.  

Just think how you can use this knowledge to help you promote future products. 

As you identify your best affiliates, be sure to nurture your relationship with them.  Give them advance notification of new products you release.  Let them be the first to promote these new products - maybe even ahead of your own promotions.  

They will benefit from even greater sales, and will appreciate your recognition of their value.  If they have found their niche (and apparently they have), they will be perfectly happy to promote other products for you in the future.

These relationships may be the key to your ultimate success!