‘The Money is in the List’ is the resounding mantra heard by anyone interested or engaged in Online Marketing. The logic of this statement is widely accepted, and it is the reason why Online Marketers spend large amounts of time and energy in list-building activities. Let’s explore why this phrase has become the guiding light for online marketing success.
List building involves having people sign up to have their names entered into your database. This is usually initiated when they become aware of you by seeing something that you have published on the Internet relating to a topic that interests them. As a result, when people are pleased with your material, and are interested in getting more of what you have to offer, they willingly provide their contact information and their permission for you to email them regularly. Usually, they will sign up to your list via an “opt-in box” that is located on your website, blog, or other such site. When they do this, they are legally giving you permission to email them on a regular basis about a specific topic.
This contact information is usually loaded into a database that is often maintained by an Autoresponder company like AWeber, GetResponse, Constant Contact, MailChimp, etc. Alternatively, you can host that information on your own website via a database, but it’s usually easier for an Autoresponder company to do it, since it has greater experience in managing such information and has systems in place for getting email messages delivered.
As a result of being interested in your material, the person is originally drawn to you and opts to be added to your list. Now you have the opportunity to build a relationship with that person over time. By producing quality content, you have the ability to be seen as an expert in that subject. As you interact regularly, your ‘know, like and trust factor’ increases with this subscriber. It is well-known that most people will only purchase from companies that they feel comfortable dealing with. This can only happen over time by providing quality information on that topic of interest.
Although it is possible to make a random sale from someone passing by your site on the Internet, if you really want to build a solid business and a reliable, consistent income, you have to build your own list. The best way to ensure an ongoing audience for your offerings is to have them eager to receive what you have to say, produce or recommend. You can build a good relationship with the people on your list so that they will continue to come back to you and purchase from you regularly. The way in which you build a relationship is by emailing the people on the list on a regular basis.
Therefore, the truth of the phrase “the money is in the list” is proven because it helps to create an ongoing relationship with your customers. The list is the tool that will help you to earn repeat sales. This is why you must have an opt-in form on your site, blog, and similar sites; building a meaningful list to create a relationship with your subscribers, is the only way to create a sustainable business and build a reliable and sustainable income online.
