List Building Checklist

List Building Ideas

Before you jump headfirst into creating a subscriber following, take a close look at this list building checklist to get an idea of what your will need to make your campaigns a success.

If you can make sure you have a least a majority of items on this list you’ll be well on your way to becoming a a pro at list building and email marketing in general.

AutoResponder

The first thing you’ll need to tick off that list is your autoresponder. Your autoresponder is what you’ll use to build your opt-in forms, to manage your e-mails and to protect against spam. The two best autoresponders that we recommend are:

Each of these will provide you with all the features you need as a marketer but without breaking the bank.

Opt-In Forms

You then need to build your opt-in form. This will give you some code you can embed to add your sign-up anywhere on your site (or even on other sites).

Opt-in forms should be colored to match the look of your website but also to stand out to at least some degree.

Set up a ‘double opt-in’ in order to protect against spam and to maintain the integrity of your list.

Website and Squeeze Page

You’ll need a website with a blog and on top of this, a squeeze page to sell your mailing list. Both these things will build trust and help to make your mailing list more appealing.

To build a website, you’ll need:

A hosting account
A domain name
A WordPress installation

You can then add themes and plugins to your WordPress installation in order to make the site more attractive and optimized and to embed your opt-in forms.

Your squeeze page can be built using Instapage to streamline the process.

You can perform split tests for your squeeze page with Optimizely.

Squeeze Page Copy

For your squeeze page, you need to write persuasive copy that will encourage the maximum number of sign-ups.

To do this, consider the following:

Use a narrative structure Use a vertical layout
Make sure the entire copy can be understood from the headings alone Appeal to facts, statistics and authority sources
Focus on your value proposition
Use the ‘AIDA’ structure: o Awareness o Interest o Desire o Action

Adding List Building Incentives

Incentives are free gifts, offers and the like designed to get more people to sign up to your mailing list.

The most common form of incentive is an eBook, though reports can do the same thing with less investment on your part.

Other options include:
Contests
eZines
Email Courses Special Offers
News About a Forthcoming Product

Particularly useful are those products that encourage people to interact more with the mailing list.

Content Marketing

Your main strategy for gaining more subscriptions is going to be to use content marketing. Effectively, this means that you’re going to be writing blog posts and articles and doing whatever you can to make them exciting and engaging. You can even add optin forms directly to your content.

The main objective here is to use your content marketing as a ‘free taster’. This should demonstrate to your audience what kind of content you’re capable of delivering. In doing so, you can encourage more people to trust your authority and this will make them more interested in hearing more by signing up to your mailing list.

At the same time, creating content for your site helps you to promote your brand and bring more people to your opt-in form.

Marketing

Now you need to begin marketing your list and your blog. The main tools for doing this are:

Social media marketing
Sharing your posts
Engaging in discussion
Posting useful/inspiring content SEO
Landing guest posts
Creating content with keywords o Optimizing your site

PPC

Specifically: CPA via Facebook Ads. Don’t spend more than $1 per subscriber.

Writing Subject Headings

Now your that your list building is beginning to grow, you need to start creating the e-mails you’re going to send out to them.

Here, one of the first and most important steps is to make sure that your subject headings are going to get opened. Make sure you meet these criteria:

No marketing lingo that can alert the spam filter. Don’t use: Free o Deal o Offer o Bargain oBuy

Keep headline under 50 characters
Include the subscribers’ names where possible
Promise value and leverage curiosity

Creating High Value E-Mails

There are a number of types of e-mail you can use. These include:

Newsletters
Content/Articles/Information Email courses
Ezines

Some tips to consider when creating good e-mails:

E-mails should be no longer than 400 words or 700-1,000 if you’re aggregating content
Use a friendly and personal tone that will draw in the reader Provide value by writing about unique topics that aren’t ‘over done’ DON’T just market your products
Send e-mails about once per week to once per month

Your objective is to build interest through your e-mails in order to encourage people to want to trust you. Provide lots of value before you begin thinking about trying to sell.

Selling Through E-Mail Sequences

When you come to sell, you can use the same ‘AIDA’ structure. Try to build interest and buzz around your products by mentioning them in passing alongside your valuedelivering content. Then build interest further by revealing more details and then build up to your ‘launch event’ when readers can actually buy the product.