Viral Profits - Building your Own Opt-in List

 

Viral Profits Tutorial:
LIST BUILDING:

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"The Money is in the LIST"....You've probably heard that before...but did you know that Building your own opt-in mailing list is the single most important thing you can do for your internet business!!  It is absolutely essential. We cannot stress this enough.  Ask any of the internet marketing guru's what it takes to be successful on the Internet and you will hear this consistently from all of them.

In this tutorial, we'll show you everything you need to know about how to build your own opt-in list, develop a trusting relationship with your subscribers and to start your own online Ezine/newsletter. Let's get started!!....

YOUR GOAL FOR BUILDING YOUR LIST:

There are basically two kinds of lists.  

  1. A list of untargeted, non specific, or general interest
    prospects and leads.

  2. A list of highly targeted, specific prospects and leads

Of course, your Goal is "B".   Your aim AT ALL TIMES is to build a targeted list of
highly responsive and trusting prospects and customers
.

We will cover HOW TO BUILD your list further down in this Tutorial.  One of the best ways to interact with your list, to gain subscribers and to build trust with them is by starting your own Ezine (which means "online magazine") or Newsletter.  Ezines and Newsletters are basically the same thing, an electronically published newsletter delivered via e-mail.

STARTING YOUR OWN EZINE/NEWSLETTER:

Starting your own Ezine is a great way to build a list of potential customers.  By sharing information with your subscribers on a regular basis, you will build your credibility and establish a trusting relationship with them.  This provides you with the opportunity to advertise your products/services and provide them with your recommendations which means $$$$ in return for YOU.

There are 3 important decisions to make before you can proceed any further.  The are:

  1. You must choose on a "Topic" for your Ezine.

  2. You must choose a "Name" for your Ezine

  3. You must decide When & How Often your Ezine will be Published

(1) Ezine Topic:

You'll want to spend some time on this, it's important.  Ideally, the topic of your Ezine should be something that you have a great deal of knowledge about and have a passion for while at the same time keeping in mind the theme of your website or products that you'll be promoting to your list.  You must also keep in mind your target audience (who will be subscribing to your Ezine).  For example, you have a passion for Music, but your website is focused around resell rights and digital products.  Since a Music Ezine would probably not do a lot for your resell rights business, perhaps you should focus your Ezine around the topic of Digital Products with Resell Rights.  

Let's take our Ezine for example.  Our business is Internet Marketing.  Through Viral Profits, our goal is to help others become successful by providing them with the tools and information necessary to do so.  So we decided to focus our Ezine around the theme of Internet Marketing "Success" and called it the Partners in Success Ezine.

Once you have decided on your topic, you'll need a name for your Ezine...

(2)  Ezine Name:

Naturally, your name should reflect in some way or another your topic or the general areas you will be covering through your ezine content.  Try to think of something original and then do a search on Google to make certain the name is not already taken.

(3)  When/How Often to Publish your Ezine:

It is entirely up to you as to how often your Ezine is published.  Some are published weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, twice a week...We publish ours every other week on Wednesday.  Once you decide on how often, you will need to determine which day of the week to mail it to your subscribers.  The most popular days for Ezines are Monday and Friday.  Keep in mind that your subscribers are probably subscribed to other Ezines as well so you may want to consider the less popular days of the week, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday or even Saturday or Sunday!

Once you have determined the frequency and day of the week, make sure you are consistent.  You want your readers to grow to expect and look forward to receiving your Ezine.  Deliver your Ezine consistently and promptly on the date promised!

After determining the topic, name and publishing dates of your Ezine, your next step is to set up your autoresponder to automatically respond to your subscription requests.

SETTING UP YOUR AUTORESPONDER FOR YOUR SUBSCRIBE REQUESTS:

You'll need to set up your autoresponder to send a "welcome e-mail" to your subscribers.  This accomplishes two things - one, the subscriber receives confirmation immediately and two, it saves you an incredible amount of time from having to deal with the requests manually.

To set up the autoresponder for your Ezine, simply log into your Viral Profits Autoresponder account and choose "Autoresponders", "Create New". Follow the steps for setting up the fields.  Note that the "subscription address" should be something related to your Ezine's title. For example ours is: 
partnersinsuccess@viralprofits.com
 
Be sure to place a checkmark in the fields "Email control" and "Form control" to allow subscriptions via e-mail or a form on your website.

Once you fill in all the fields and create the responder, click on "Add Message" to add your welcome e-mail for your new subscribers.

Below is a sample welcome e-mail: (Note:  If you offer a free gift to new subscribers which is a VERY good idea, be sure to include the download information in your welcome e-mail).  Not sure what to offer as a free gift?  Grab an e-book from your VP WarehouseTM, upload it to your site and there you go!

 

SAMPLE WELCOME E-MAIL:

Hello {FIRSTNAME},

Thank you for subscribing to the Partners in Success Ezine. The Ezine is published and delivered to your inbox every Wednesday and has received much acclaim from fellow marketers. We pride ourselves on packing every issue with articles, tips, hints, and bonus goodies designed to assist you on your journey to Success in Internet Marketing.

In the meantime, you may view the current Issue of the PIS Ezine here:
http://www.partnersinsuccess.net/ezine/current.html 

You may also wish to visit our Marketing Support site for our Ezine subscribers located here:
http://www.partnersinsuccess.net 

As a thank you for subscribing, we invite you to download "Start Pack", your step by step guide to setting up your own Resell Rights business.  Please visit the following site to download your gift:
http://www.partnersinsuccess.net/ezine/sp.htm 

Until Wednesday....

Partners in Success,
Charles & Susan Truett
Editors
http://www.partnersinsuccess.net
http://www.partnersinsuccess.net/ezine

 

VP TIP:  To create a "subscribe me" form for your Ezine, log into your Viral Profits Autoresponder and Click on "Autoresponders", "Show List".  Find your Ezine Responder and click "Edit".  Then Click on "Generate Code" and follow the instructions.  Place this html coding on your website wherever you would like the subscription box.

BUILDING YOUR LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS:

At Viral Profits, we've already given you a HUGE jumpstart on building your listEvery Viral Profits Member has a "drop in subscribe box" on their VP website!  The subscribe requests are automatically directed to your Viral Profits autoresponder series of messages which is automatically set up for you in your Autoresponder.  Once you  have your Ezine/Newsletter details in place, simply send a broadcast to your list and invite them to subscribe! 

There are MANY other ways to build your list of subscribers which we will cover below. 

Place an opt-in subscribe form on your Website
Place a subscribe me form on EVERY page of every website.  We are amazed at how many people are NOT doing this!  If you have websites through affiliate programs that you are involved in, e-mail the Admin or Support Department and tell them you have your own Ezine and request that a pop-up subscribe me be added to your site for your Ezine.  They may or may not allow it, can't hurt to ask!

Offer a FREE gift/bonus to new subscribers
This is an excellent way to obtain subscribers.  People will rarely turn down something for free.  Offer them an e-book, free software or free e-course.  Just grab an e-book from your VP Warehouse, upload it to your site and you're done!

Include an e-mail signature for your Ezine in your outgoing e-mail
Excellent, free advertising!  Visit the e-mail signature tutorial for information on how to set this up.  Hey, there's no "rule" that says you can have only one signature!  Create one for your Viral Profits site and one for your Ezine!

Find Forums and Message Boards related to your Ezine Topic and post to them with your e-mail signature at the bottom
Most professional Forums will not allow advertising so don't even try that or you will be quickly deleted.  However, almost all of them allow you to include your e-mail signature at the bottom of your post.

Send an E-mail to all of your past Internet Contacts
Send an e-mail to all of your internet contacts and let them know that you have started your own Ezine.  Invite them to subscribe and offer them a free gift!

Reply to Spam/advertisements that YOU receive with an offer to subscribe to your Ezine!
This is a simple thing and you would be surprised at how well it works.  When you receive an email advertisement from someone, DON'T DELETE IT!  Simply hit "reply" and send them your Ad right back.  It can be something as simple as an invitation to subscribe to your highly informative Ezine!

Write Articles and submit them to Ezine Article Directories
Many Ezine publishers feature articles from other Ezine publishers or internet experts in their Ezine (we will discuss this further down in this tutorial).  Write some articles and submit them to Ezine Article Directories.  Include a "resource box" below your article which contains either your ezine website address for subscribing or the e-mail subscribe me link to your autoresponder.  Ezine publishers know that they are required to include the "resource box" when publishing articles from guest authors.  One fellow marketer that we know has built his ENTIRE business and a list of subscribers (over 60,000) using this method alone!

Below are a list of Ezine Article Directories to get you started.  Additional Ezine Article Directories can be obtained from a simple search on Google.  

Using any of the above resources will assist you in building your list over time.  You must remember it won't happen overnight, you will start with a small list and build it over time.  When we started our first Ezine, we had just 200 subscribers.  If you would like to speed up the process, it is possible through services called "Co-Registration" List Building.  We will discuss this further below.

Co-Registration Services:
Co-Registration Services are a fairly new concept in List Building.  Many expert marketers are already using them to build massive lists.  They are an excellent option for those who wish to "speed up" the process of building a subscriber base.

In a nutshell, here's how they work. Co-Registration Services consist of large sites or a network of sites with a large amounts of traffic.  You contract with the owners of these sites to collect a list for you based on your specific offer.  You pay per name for each person who responds, and you tell the site Owner in advance how many names you want (or can afford).  Some sites will have a minimum order, but that can be as low as $150.  It normally takes anywhere from a few days to a month to build your list.

The site owners will post a brief listing of your offer (normally a description of your newsletter or ezine) with a check box along with one or more other offers for more information. The leads are quite targeted because the visitor will read about your offer and if they like the idea, they'll select to get more information.  

This will provide you with a list of high quality, targeted leads.  However, we all know that names purchased via co-opt systems are less responsive. They are less responsive because the subscribers don't know you - they don't have a relationship with you.  HOWEVER, once you have access to one of these lists, it's all about return on investment.

If you provide genuine value in the content of your Ezine/Newsletter, over time, you will build a relationship with many of these leads. Many will unsubscribe, but again the important factor is return on investment.  If you start out with a list of 100,000 names but end up with a list of 5,000 quality subscribers, that's still QUITE a GOOD list!  The KEY thing to remember is that by using these services you are making an investment.  Remember, the money is in your LIST!

 

VP TIP:  We cannot STRESS enough the importance of building your list.  It WILL pay off in the long run.  Once you have built a relationship with your list, the limits are endless.  We have literally earned over $1000 from just ONE solo ad mailing to our list.  We have also built large downlines in the MLM/affiliate programs we're involved in by recommending various programs to our list!

We have done quite a bit of research on Co-Registration Services.  Based on our own personal use and experience, we can tell you that this is a good way to add subscribers to your list but you must be patient.  You will have to weed through them, expect a lot of unsubscribes and even some "nasty" emails insisting they NEVER asked to be on your list.  But hey, that's OK!  Just delete them and move on.  They aren't going to put any money in your pocket anyway!

Based on our experience, as well as recommendations from fellow marketers who have been using Co-Registration Services, listed below are the services we recommend looking at should you decide to go this route.

Nitro List Builder  Click Here
List Builder Pro  Click Here

 

VP TIP:  Create a folder in your e-mail client and start saving the Ezines YOU receive.  This is a great way to gather ideas for your OWN Ezine.

There are literally thousands of articles available for use in your Ezine.  In most cases, as we have previously discussed, you must include the author's resource box following the article.  Below are a few sites where you may obtain some very good articles for your Ezine.  A search on Google will bring up thousands of others.

Sites to Obtain Articles for your Ezine:

Partners in Success.net

Ezine Articles.com

Idea Marketers.com

Web Source.net

Including ADS in your Ezine:
Always include an advertisement of some sort in your Ezine promoting one of your products
.  For example, you might include your Viral Profits affiliate link or grab one of the products and resell it from your VP Warehouse.  There are a couple of ways to go about it.  You can actually format it in the form of a small box ad OR you can make a small article out of it mentioning the program or product and including a link within the article.  We have included a couple of examples below:

Box Ad:

Recommended Resource:

An arsenal of products with resell rights is at your disposal along with a professional autoresponder, ad tracking, internet marketing tutorials, unique compensation plan and SO MUCH MORE!

You've GOT to check this out!
-- YOUR VP AFFILIATE LINK HERE--

Small Article:

Guys, I've run across a resource SO amazing, I'm almost hesitant to pass it along to you.  I'm tempted to keep it a secret, but I won't.

I've found a new membership site that provides you with a complete arsenal of products with resell rights, a professional unlimited autoresponder, ad tracking, internet marketing tutorials, unique compensation
plan, and SO MUCH MORE!

Check it out here:
-- YOUR VP AFFILIATE LINK HERE--

Once your subscriber base reaches 1,000, you can then decide whether or not you wish to sell advertising in your Ezine.  The general rule of thumb is that you may charge $20 per Ad per 1000 subscribers.  This in and of itself is a great way to make a side income.  Many Ezine Owners are earning BIG BUCKS from selling advertising space in their Ezines.

Another great idea is to "SWAP' Ads with other Ezine Owners - you run their Ad in your Ezine, they run yours in their Ezine.  Simply contact other Ezine Owners and ask.  Find them through a simple Google search.

You have already determined when and how often you will mail your Ezine.  Be consistent and timely with the delivery.  Once you have delivered your Ezine consistently for 3 to 4 weeks, you can then begin mailing "solo ads" to your subscribers.

 

VP TIP:  Be sure to utilize your VP Ad Tracker to track ALL of your ads!  Your Ad Tracker is an invaluable tool and utilizing it is a must for the successful internet marketer!

Mailing Solo Ads to your Subscribers:
A Solo ad is an e-mail specifically promoting a product, resource, mlm/affiliate program or anything else you wish to pass along to your subscribers and from which you will profit.  For example, you might send a mailing to your subscribers promoting your Viral Profits affiliate link or you might send one promoting one of the products you are reselling from your VP Warehouse
TM.  You have literally an ARSENAL of products available to you in your VP WarehouseTM to promote to your Ezine subscribers.  We suggest that you consistently deliver your Ezine for a minimum of 3-4 weeks before sending your first solo ad.  Don't overload them with solo ads, a good rule of thumb is to send NO MORE than one solo ad per week your List.

 

VP TIP:  Don't expect overwhelming results from your first solo mailing.  The results will increase slowly over a period of time as you continue to build a trusting relationship with your subscribers!

WEB PAGE FOR YOUR EZINE

Finally, you will need a website/web page for your Ezine.  This can easily be a sub-page of your main website.  For example, one of our websites is http://www.partnersinsuccess.net
and our Ezine site is
http://www.partnersinsuccess.net/ezine
More detailed information about setting up your website can be found in the Website Building Tutorial.

Your Ezine web page should include a description of your Ezine listing all of the major features, when and how often it is published as well as a description of how the subscriber will benefit from reading your Ezine. Of course, you will need an opt-in subscription form.  Remember, you may obtain the coding for the opt-in form from your Viral Profits Autoresponder once you have your Ezine Autoresponder in place.

Below are some additional ideas for inclusion on your Ezine web page:

  • Offer incentives for new subscribers such as a FREE e-book, FREE e-course, FREE software, etc.

  • Include a "contact us" button and ask subscribers to contact you with suggestions of topics they would like to see covered in your Ezine.

  • Include a "Tell A Friend" feature where subscribers may refer their friends to your Ezine.

You can obtain an excellent FREE Tell-a-friend script here complete with instructions on how to edit it and upload it to your site.
Click Here to grab the Tell A Friend script

In conclusion, when you put all of the above into action you will begin to see the true earning power of the Internet!  Never forget, The Money is in the List!