The Rapid List Profit Formula Real Money

Transcription

The Rapid List Profit Formula
How to Quickly & Easily Build a List of Subscribers That Will
Make You Real Money For Years to Come...
By Chris Rempel
Copyright ©2007 – All Rights Reserved
Check out more of my traffic strategies,
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Page 1 - Rapid List Profit Formula :: See All My VIP Confessions Reports
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Income Disclaimer: This document contains business strategies, marketing methods and other business advice that,
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absolutely no guarantee, expressed or implied, that by following the advice below you will make any money or
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Primarily, results will depend on the nature of the product or business model, the conditions of the marketplace, the
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Prelude: The ONE Thing That Every Successful Business Has in
Common...
People.
Take a step back and think about what drives any business – in any industry. Regardless of
the model, the product, the service or the format – the results of ANY enterprise are
dependent on the people it serves or influences.
Customers, trade contacts, partners, distributors/suppliers/manufacturers, media contacts,
prospects, salespeople & affiliates – and the list goes on...
That's what business is. People.
Therefore, is it any mystery that the businesses that “make it” are simply the ones that have
the most efficient and effective processes of communicating and influencing masses of
people?
That's really the basis of everything.
It's not about “traffic” or “offers” or “rankings” or really anything. Those are just means to an
end. It's about influencing people.
The smart entrepreneurs realize this, and so they look for ways to maximize the effectiveness
and efficiency of doing so.
This is why “list building” - done correctly – is the backbone of virtually any substantial
business – online or not. But the beauty of internet-based communication is that there is no
limit to how big you can grow a business, and you can deliver your message to all of your
prospects and customers instantly.
Click a button, and you instantly leverage ALL of your combined efforts from when you
first started until now – and the sales roll in. Again. Just like the other day, and the day
before that...
Generating pay-day after pay-day, sometimes generating more revenue with a single mailing
than what you used to make in a whole year – regardless of your current Google rankings, or
how much traffic your site got today...
This is unheard-of in much of the “real business world”.
But in the world of leveraged business, using simple strategies that have always worked and
will always work – it's just business as usual.
Welcome to the world of mass-scale influence and instant, widespread contact.
I labeled the “Conduit Method” as the simplest possible way to earn $100K+ as an affiliate,
which is accurate in terms of simplicity. But similarly, effective list-building is the simplest and
most reliable way to make your first million as a marketer, without exception.
And believe it or not – generating a phenomenal income through “list-building” often takes
less overall effort than what most people in this business have to exert just to pay the bills...
Introduction: A Fresh Perspective on What it Takes to Make Real
Money With “List Marketing”...
First of all – let me be clear about something. Size doesn't matter.
Yes, that's a cliché, and I don't care. The size of your list truly doesn't matter when it comes to
seeing incredible results in comparison to time & effort expended.
In fact, I clearly reveal some actual results from different affiliates in a recent product launch in
this video. As you can see, many affiliates with “small” lists were vastly out-selling others
who obviously had massive lists.
Now let's talk about why...
What I'm about to tell you is something that few people really “get”. But those that do,
have the ability to quickly rise to the top of virtually any market – generating results that baffle
their competitors. It's simple, powerful, and largely overlooked.
So let's get to it.
To start off, let me ask you something...
How many subscribers does it take before a list is considered to be “big”?
To some people, maybe the default answer is 10,000. Fair enough. That's a fair chunk of
people, to be sure.
To others, maybe the standard sub count for a “big list” is 100,000.
And still to others – perhaps beginners – even a list of just a few thousand people seems
massive.
So what's the answer?
When does a subscriber-base bridge the gap between “small” and “big”?
The answer becomes clear as soon as we switch our perspective of what list-marketing really
is. Here's the “switch” - the single most important outlook on list-marketing that will completely
change the way you look at list-size from this day forward...
YOUR “LIST” IS A LIVE AUDIENCE
It's not a “traffic strategy” like SEO, PPC or recruiting affiliates.
So instead of thinking of your list as “1500 leads” or “1500 potential visitors”, envision
yourself on a stage, speaking in front of 1500 people that have expressed interest in
what you know.
All of a sudden “list size” takes on a whole new meaning – doesn't it?
Sorry about all the big text and high-lighting, but this is very, very crucial to your long-term
success as a list marketer.
Because it changes everything...
With this “switch” in thinking, all of a sudden every mailing you send out will have a different
tone, a different purpose – and content with conviction.
Yes, there are some differences between public speaking and list marketing. Such as the fact
that your subscribers are each experiencing your presentations independently and privately.
So perhaps a better example would be comparing your list with a Special Interest TV
Channel dedicated to your target market....
Now with this perspective in mind – put yourself in the “shoes” of your subscribers and
consider the following:
•
How long would you watch a TV Channel where the only thing it ever broadcasted were
ads or infomercials?
•
What would stop you from “changing the channel” if the channel you were watching
seemed to get almost all of its story ideas and featured programs from other channels or
networks?
•
How much would you respect a TV Personality (or a public speaker) if absolutely every
word out of their mouth was hyped up and pressuring you do to something?
Obviously, you'd quickly tune them out and plan on never revisiting that channel – or seeing
that speaker – again, so help you God.
And yet this is how the majority of people run their “lists”.
Like a traffic strategy. And as a result, they torch their reputation and become an unwelcome,
annoying intruder in their subscribers' inboxes – ironically, without ever realizing it. And all the
“proven” email tricks, headlines, best-converting solo promotions or otherwise marketing
tricks will have trivial results at best.
Because they've clearly identified themselves as a one-trick-pony pitch artist. They've trained
their list to expect nothing more than a shallow-coated AD each time they send out a
broadcast, regardless of the headline (or promise).
And that is why their results are, or become, dismal.
They no longer have “subscribers”. They merely have a list of emails, whose owners are
either too lazy to unsubscribe or simply “tolerate” the emails and read something occasionally
if they're bored.
(Ironically, this leads many publishers to actually “hard sell” their list even more frequently,
trying to milk a dying cow for all it's worth...)
Now I'm not saying that you can't sell stuff to your list.
On the contrary – you can sell, and sell a lot.
But it's how you communicate with your audience that makes all the difference.
Just like a successful TV Channel, you can make a fortune by lining up a continuous mix of
great content, paid content and ads.
Now, here's how to do it the right way...
Part 1: Relentless Ad-Pounding VS a Compelling “Channel”
First of all, don't worry. This report isn't all just “theory” or metaphors. I'll get to the
mechanics of quickly building a list, growing it and getting your emails open, read and acted
on in later chapters further down...
...but for now, we need to start with the fundamentals. Screw this part up and you might as
well not even bother building a list to begin with.
One thing you might have already noticed is that some markets don't really “work” with listbuilding as well as others do. In general, if the most-popular merchants in the niche are
building a list on their sites, then it's a “list friendly” niche.
Another thing is that while list-building may work as a way of recycling traffic in some of the
more mainstream markets (like ringtones, etc.), that doesn't necessarily classify it as a
relationship marketing strategy, which is what we'll be dealing with in this report. Because
that's where the long-term profit is when it comes to running a “channel”.
In other words – your channel is your primary communication strategy and marketing
touchpoint for your business. And that's how you need to look at this, because it's exactly
what you're building – a system of providing customers with solutions.
Not a “site”, a “list” or some traffic trick. You're building a business.
A business that can create an incredible livelihood for you and your family. And a business
that you can sell – if you choose – for a fortune once you build up substantial cash-flow and
influence.
But only if you build it right, both technically and relationally.
Above, I briefly addressed some issues regarding why many publishers are killing their
reputations with their subscribers, by being the “relentless salesman”.
Just like those people you sometimes meet who seem nice, friendly and sincere – and they
invite you for dinner. So you show up, thinking it's a nice gesture.
Until you find out that it's actually an attempt to recruit you into some MLM “opportunity”.
You politely decline, and as the weeks go by, this person keeps on calling, emailing and
otherwise pestering you. In your mind, they've transitioned from being a nice, genuine person
to being a cheesy bastard that's only looking to use you for their own purposes.
The would-be recruiter is likely well-meaning and genuinely thinks they're trying to help you,
although oblivious to how they're really coming across. As time goes by, hopefully, they'll see
some negative social patterns emerging and modify their approach before losing any more
friends :)
Most people have experienced something like that in the past. Reading this will likely bring
back some awkward memories – but that's a good thing, because it's important to realize that
as a seller, you can't use a “bait & switch” personality.
In other words, you will lose interest and rapport with your list if they see you shift from being
sincere, legit and honest to becoming anything other than that.
But the thing I want you to realize is that it's actually easier to run a compelling channel
than it is to constantly beg for attention and pound your lists with offers. And you can
still sell. You can sell stuff like mad. We'll get into the specifics of how to sell (often) in part 3,
further down.
Well, we've talked about relentless ad-pounding. It's not too difficult to see why that's a shortlived strategy at best. So now let's talk about what it means to have a Compelling “Channel”...
The internet isn't just an information highway. Another major, major element to the net is the
entertainment factor. Markets that support relationship marketing are almost always ones
where much of the online userbase will proverbially “hang out” in forums, read blogs and
watch videos or otherwise view media related to their interests.
In other words, they're looking to be entertained. Engaged. They want to laugh, have “aha
moments”, belong to a group, and be inspired.
This is why the marketers who realize that the emotional experience of buying is just as
important as getting the sale with a traditional offer will see incredible response-rates.
You can build a profitable business through relationship marketing by selling what people
want.
But you can build a phenomenally profitable business by creating a memorable
experience for your customers when they buy from you – or join your list. Because
everything you sell or offer from that point forward will have that first experience
subconsciously attached to it.
Just like how if you've ever read and enjoyed a book, and years later it went to film – there's
no way you'd miss it. You want to re-live that first experience again.
Also, things that leave an impact with people in some way will spread virally, through “word of
mouth”. And that organic growth will have wide-reaching effects when it comes to becoming a
major player in a niche. You'll be “known”. Setting up deals with other marketers and so on is
a lot easier if you're known or talked about.
In fact, chances are they'll be approaching you.
So a compelling channel is really just delivering content with a TWIST. As the classic
adage goes, sometimes it's not what you say so much as how you say it...
Specifically, by blending entertainment and experience with content delivery.
Here's some examples of how to do this – and we'll cover this in more detail in the chapters
below...
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Using “build-ups” before getting into the specifics
Framing potential results visually and giving examples – even hypothetically
Reinforcing excitement throughout and after every stage of the sales/opt-in process
Delivering content in the context of personality. (Humorous, sarcastic, inspiring, etc.)
Tease their curiosity, and then roll out your discovery, or method – or whatever...
Conversational tone. Scrap the professional pretense. Be assured, and be yourself.
Using different delivery methods (text, video, audio, etc.)
Maybe you're reading this and thinking “wow, this sounds like a lot of effort...”
But that's actually not the case. In fact, when it all boils down, these are the only differences
between ad-pounding and a compelling channel:
•
The “format” of communication (even with the same number of mailings, actual text
size, and so on)
•
The real motive behind your mailings (not just to “make sales”, but to create
memorable, entertaining experiences for your list – even if promotional in nature)
That's it.
It's not “more work”. It's just a matter of doing things differently.
It's how you “say it”.
And folks, when it comes to results - it's a hell of a difference...
Part 2: How to Set The Tone For High Responses (and Profits)
From Day One...
First impressions last a long time.
When your subscribers “discover” you for the first time, they'll naturally be trying to categorize
you and figure out where you rank in terms of accomplishments, positioning, legitimacy and,
most importantly – a sense of relevant connection.
This happens subconsciously and instantly.
While you can definitely do well enough by simply delivering on your promises and providing
useful content, your results will be exponential if people feel that they have a connection
with you in some way.
And this is very, very easy to do – although it does require you to “open up” and let your guard
down a bit.
Let me explain...
What you want to become in the eyes of your subscriber is someone who not only has
answers – but someone who is genuine, believable and like them. What this does is it
instantly elevates you from being “noise” to being a trusted advisor.
Or maybe even a friend.
The beauty of the internet is that we can automate this and “connect” with people on a nearly
endless scale. Think about the power of hundreds of people getting to “know” you on a daily
basis. As opposed to hundreds of people simply just adding themselves to a database in
return for some kind of perk.
Here's a live example. Let's pretend we're in the “weight loss” niche and someone just
signed up for a free body-mass-index calculator by joining our newsletter.
Since we know that the first “welcome” email will definitely be the most opened & read email
in our autoresponder series, it's therefore very important that we make it count.
Here's two possible welcome emails.
Which one do you think would make the strongest impact and connection with the
subscriber?
----------------------------------------------------------------------Email #1:
Hi {!name},
Welcome to the Ultimate Fat Loss Secrets Newsletter!
If you haven't already, make sure to check out our BMI Calculator tool for FREE
right here:
<link>
Now – if you're really serious about losing weight – for good – you'll want to
check out my proven system for shedding the fat and KEEPING IT OFF, without
starving yourself and - without spending your whole life at the gym!
I can absolutely guarantee you that you've NEVER heard of this method before...
<link>
Take care – and stay tuned for more weight loss tips!
-Bob Smith
Whatever.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------Email #2:
Hi {!name},
First things first – congratulations on taking action today. You just signed up
to use our BMI calculator, which indicates that you're serious about seeing
some real changes in your life.
Also – I wanted to quickly encourage you with my own story...
How I Ended a 6-Year Struggle With Fat In 42 Days:
---------------------------------------------------I don't know you and you don't know me.
But I DO know what it's like to be fat, and I'm assuming that you do as well. I
was basically fat for all of my adult life up until recently. (I'm talking 100+
pounds overweight...)
And I can relate to the embarrassment, self-loathing and - truth be told inner-hopelessness that goes hand in hand with being overweight.
I felt like a second-class person.
As a single guy, I basically just gave up all hope of ever dating someone
attractive. Sure, I had some female friends, and some of them were gorgeous –
but I knew I didn't even stand a chance. In their eyes, I was just a “nice
guy”.
(The only “feelings” ANY woman had for me was pity...)
And that was just my “love life”. Being fat affects every aspect of your life.
Everyone silently judges you, and you know it. People automatically assume that
you're lazy, stupid or both.
Few people will ever voice that. But it's made clear through the subtle
dynamics of group conversations, people staring (or avoiding looking at you
altogether), and in general, simply not being included.
It was a vicious, downward cycle.
(When you feel excluded, it becomes harder and harder to even want to try
socializing...)
And regardless of how hard I would try to lose weight – dieting, exercise, you
name it – I just couldn't stick with it. Nothing would change. Even after
months of “dieting”, I would still look and feel the same. So I'd give up.
And I'd still go home every night from work feeling hopeless. Defeated. Alone.
Stuck, with no prospects.
Feelings of jealousy slowly turned into a general contempt for people in
general. And over time, it just turned into a sort of “numbness”. But I was
still filled with a quiet desperation to somehow, in some way, become
different.
It would be a lie if I didn't say that I had contemplated suicide a few times.
I never escalated those thoughts and I didn't dwell on them or anything. But it
was a distant option in my mind, at times.
But things did get better. And quickly.
So what changed, exactly?
Well, simply put, I had to accept responsibility for the way I looked and I had
to make some changes.
I didn't use some weird ancient mystery herb or eat baby food. And I didn't
“shock” my body with intense amounts of exercise or torture myself for hours on
a treadmill...
I just changed what I ate, and I figured out a way to do that without feeling
hungry all the time so I could sustain my new diet. In a nutshell, I replaced a
lot of carbs/bread with proteins and fruit.
(If you're hungry all the time, you'll just revert back to your old diet.)
Now listen – yes, I do sell a detailed 42-Day weight-loss plan that outlines
how I lost the majority of my excess weight in 42 days without taking extreme
measures. And there's a link to that further down if you're interested.
But that's not why I run this newsletter.
I do this because I know what it's like to have no hope. To feel like you're
stuck – and to feel like you're BEYOND help.
So my purpose in doing this is to give people what I had once lost.
Hope.
Even if all you do is read this email and realize that it's possible to change
- to have a better life, regardless of your current weight – than my mission is
already accomplished.
The way I see it, life's just too damn short to be doing something you don't
enjoy – and it's also too short to be weighed down (excuse the pun) with
obesity.
So that's why I run this site, and I love it. Because I enjoy it, people
benefit from it – and it's obviously a passion for me.
I especially enjoy getting emails from people who have replicated my diet plan
and seen similar results themselves.
THAT is satisfying.
But regardless – enjoy the free BMI calculator, and use it to track your
progress with whatever weight-loss strategy you try.
Most of all – please don't lose hope.
Things CAN change!
Always remember that.
Sincerely,
Bob Smith
P.S. If you're interested, my 42-Day Weight Loss plan is available at <link>
----------------------------------------------------------------------Obviously the second email is much more “vulnerable” and a lot less conversion-focused.
(And yes, it's way longer. What I would do is actually have Bob's story in PDF format and link
to it from the email)
Now, conversions may not be any better at first...
The first example isn't crazily hypey, but there's no attempt to connect with the reader. It's just
“hey, welcome, click here!”. Nothing memorable.
But the second example will strike a nerve with many of Bob's subscribers. They'll feel like
they can relate to Bob in some way. Also, it doesn't have the typical “pushiness” (or subtle
desperation) of the traditional style in the first email.
(By the way, if you're familiar with Frank Kern, this is what he refers to as “core influence”).
Bob is also straight up about the fact that he sells something, and he explains why as well.
Total transparency with the reader, which will instill trust.
The result will be that the stage is now set for future contact from Bob from a receptive,
“connected” audience, because they realize that Bob is
a) Genuine and a straight-talker
b) Up-front & transparent about motives and marketing
If Bob simply remains “himself” and shares genuinely useful things with his subscribers, then
his emails will get opened, read and seriously considered by FAR more people than with the
“normal” approach.
So instead of hard-selling a product initially, what you actually do is “hard-sell” your
personality. Which is far more natural (and effective) anyway.
So whatever you want your persona to be – humorous, sarcastic, inspiring, straight-talker,
intense, comedic (like the “rich jerk”), etc – sell that on your first impression with your
subscriber.
This will let them know that you're entertaining and trustworthy. It makes you memorable.
And being memorable is what will pave your way when it comes to getting your emails
opened, read and responded to with action.
So now let's talk about the other factor involved for setting the tone for profits right from the
start.
Namely – why they're joining your list...
In general, these are the reasons why someone would join a list:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
To stay informed about something
To receive an offered report, product or otherwise some form of value
To activate or use a service/product
To register as a customer after a purchase
To become a member of a community
To access discounts and product specials
To join or register for an event
There are other reasons & mechanisms, but that covers the vast majority of them.
I've found that the most profitable lists are ones that are centered around an initial
purchase (a customer list), or, lists where the reason why they're joining is to access
discounts, special offers, etc.
So you don't necessarily have to sell something up-front to build a “buyers list”. Sites like
DealDotCom.com, RetailMeNot.com and other similar sites have built huge lists of
subscribers that signed up specifically to BUY things at a discount. (Through affiliate links or
otherwise some kind of profitable arrangement, of course...)
And you can actually do this in very specific niche markets. One example is where I used to
have a “wholesale club” membership in the downhill skateboarding market, where I built a list
of would-be buyers, and then I went out and contacted the various manufacturers of the
products that the members requested on signup.
(You can see the site here: http://www.longboarddirectory.com/top_secret.html )
On the first initial “deal” that I set up, I only had about 500 or so subscribers, and we ended up
doing something like just over $5,000 in product sales (discounted, via a timed “blowout”
launch with fast-action bonuses, etc).
My take was 20%, so about a grand for one mailing to a list of 500 subscribers.
That's not what I call an impressive pay-day, but the conversions for a “free” list were
phenomenal – and that was just the first “deal”. I later did a few other deals with the list, all of
which had similarly impressive results given the demand for the featured products.
Eventually I basically had to stop doing “deals” like that because it was causing an issue
between some of the manufacturers and the larger retailers. Some folks in the industry didn't
like my “direct marketing” approach and felt threatened by how fast the “club” was growing.
I pulled the plug on it when the list was at about 6,000 subscribers due to the crap-storm it
was causing. But regardless – in the right markets, this approach is very, very powerful
because people are signing up to buy.
Combine that with running a compelling channel and connecting with your subscribers, and
you've got a license to print money.
Similarly, when you build a customer list (people buy something, then join your customer list),
they've identified themselves as someone who's not only interested in the market – they're
actually a buyer.
So if your product is legit and does what it says – along with providing a memorable
experience for them through your persona – then everything else you ever produce (or
promote) will sell like crazy, provided that you sell good stuff that your list wants.
So let's quickly review what we just covered in this chapter:
Setting the Stage for Profits & High Response From Day 1:
•
•
•
•
Hard-sell your persona immediately
Be open and transparent that you are a marketer – but explain why you do it
Live up to your persona by only ever sharing good, cool stuff.
If applicable, focus on building lists that are pre-disposed to buy, such as
customers and discount-seekers. (You can obviously promote these lists from your
“main” newsletter as well to encourage segmentation.)
Okay. We've covered a lot of the “why” elements of building profitable lists.
Now let's talk about the “how”...
Part 3: The Magical “Formula” For Generating One Windfall After
The Next...
This is where it all comes together. Your persona, your compelling channel – everything. And
you're about to see just how simple this really is...
Your entire job as the list publisher is to maintain the “excitement” of your subscriber's initial
experience.
And you do this by looking for cool stuff to share, or developing stuff that's actually cool, and
then giving it to your list. Sometimes this will be free, and sometimes it will make you money.
The important thing is that whatever you do – stay “in character”. Don't slip up and give
your list a reason to think that you're just exploiting them.
Anyway – here is my actual process and approach for running my “channels”, and it's
provided me with some very good results. I have no doubt that you'll see good results as well
in using these strategies if you've established a good “connection” with your subscribers.
Here's the game-plan:
The visitor subscribes, and then I'll hard-sell my persona. I try to be inspiring, sarcastic and as
genuine as possible. I carefully examine my writing so it comes across as authoritative and
never “desperate” or pushy.
The next few follow-ups will be tutorials or “revelations” that are genuinely awesome. At this
point you want to really give your subscribers a memorable experience.
This is where you pull out your biggest guns and impress them with some of your all-time
favorite strategies or tricks.
After that, I basically just look for cool stuff – things that I myself actually use, want, or buy –
and simply share them with my list. Line up a mix of free and paid resources and tools.
Now, when you mention these “cool things”, there's a specific process that always works for
sharing something (or selling something) without coming across like a pitch-artist.
I call it the “2-step”.
Very simply, when I promote something, I try and break it up into two separate steps:
1. I introduce the concept and generate excitement based on real results
2. Then I explain how it works (for free), recommending either a free resource or paid
product that directly ties in to the concept.
This way what you're doing is offering value FIRST, and then giving them the option of getting
even more value by following through on a recommended action.
Here's an example of this exact strategy at work on my blog: How a 12-Page Ebook Pulls
Down $200 per day...
As you can see, I'm transparent about my promotion, but I offer a lot of value in that post as
well, following up with a hypothetical example to show the power of the strategy.
In that case, I completed both “steps” in one post.
You can also spread this out. You can do an initial mailing with the concept introduction and a
tutorial – teasing your list by mentioning what you consider to be the ultimate resource on the
concept based on your own experience/results.
Then with the follow-up mailing, promote the resource/tool/product.
Can you see how this is a blend of entertainment, good content AND selling?
It really is this easy. You can do this over and over again and you'll generate sales like crazy
because it's worth their while to read everything you publish – it's entertaining and valuable.
You don't always have to use an “introduction” or a “2-step” when you tell your list about
something, but doing it often will maintain readership and responsiveness.
And don't worry – this doesn't have to be long and drawn out like the example on my blog.
You can do a “2-step” process in as little as a few paragraphs.
For example, here's a sample “2-step” mailing that I would use if I was going to promote “The
Ultimate Search Engine Loophole” as an affiliate...
Sample “2-Step” Email Promo:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Subject line: An actual search engine loophole (read this!)
Hi {!name},
What I'm about to share with you is considered to be “black-hat” by some, but
it's not illegal (or unethical). It is, however, a loophole.
And it's one that I've refrained from talking about simply because I used to
think it was counter-productive, especially when my main goal (and what I
“preach”) is building long-term assets and avoiding the short-term tricks.
But I'm deviating a bit today, because there's a LOT of traffic at stake for
people that want to take advantage of this...
First of all, I need to warn you that I can't guarantee how long this tactic
will last.
Even though it's working very well right now.
Also – you should use this primarily for list-building, in my opinion...
Here goes:
---------When people think of SEO and organic traffic, Google is what comes to mind,
almost exclusively. They are, after all, the main search engine. But MSN and
Yahoo are greatly under-rated. There's still millions of people who use the
other engines.
This “loophole” deals with MSN.
MSN has long been the target of blackhatters because it's so easy to
manipulate. Sure, they've made a few feeble attempts to improve their
algorithm, but it's quite easy to rank well in MSN if you know the process...
(And there's still a LOT of traffic on MSN...)
What's the loophole?
The “loophole” is a little technical, but it's based on THIS fundamental
ranking “secret” that many webmasters have known about for years...
>>
>>
Generally speaking, MSN prefers to rank small, one-page sites where the
domain name IS the target keyword.
Then you simply build up a whole bunch of backlinks – and it doesn't matter how
quickly you do this – and you'll pretty much rank for any keyword you go after
within reason.
In fact, you could just do that alone and see some decent results.
The ACTUAL loophole, though, involves the use of an ingenious little “trick”
with serving backlinks across a network of blogs...
And the results are pretty incredible. It basically takes that initial secret
and squeezes way more juice out of it (and mileage).
The guys who developed this loophole are ranking for keywords that even I would
never even bother targeting – and they're nailing it every time.
We're talking ranking #1 for keywords like “online credit” with over 500
million competing pages. Just imagine the kind of traffic that site would
get...
Just watch the video to see what I mean:
http://www.rankingloophole.com?=myafflink
They're selling the blueprint for using the exact process for a very reasonable
price. It's excellent value – especially considering what it DOES...
I bought it earlier on today and I can verify that this is the real deal. (And
I've also been scrambling to put this into action ASAP)
Well worth checking out.
Again – if you do use this, you should focus on building opt-in lists with your
traffic just in case the strategy becomes void at some point. But even if
that's the case – considering the traffic that you can drive in the meantime,
it's still worth doing, in my opinion.
This is one of those rare cases where this is actually a legitimately untapped
traffic method. It really is a “loophole”...
At the very least, you should consider targeting MSN (using the fundamental
ranking formula I laid out above) with one-page landing sites and building optin lists.
Take care,
-Your Name
P.S. Keep an eye on my blog. I'll be posting my results with this loophole
strategy as soon as my sites start getting ranked, which should be in a few
weeks time...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you see how in the example above I delivered a legitimate secret before getting to
the promo?
Did you also notice how I nonchalantly mentioned a powerful visual application (building optin lists) that they could USE the concept to do?
It's this kind of approach that will keep your list continually interested in your mail-outs.
You can literally just repeat this kind of selling approach over and over again – so long as
you're providing value and pointing to stuff that's actually cool – and your response rates will
actually increase over time.
Now – in addition to these types of “2-step” promos, I'll also send mailings from time to time
that simply point to a thought-provoking article or video, or to blog posts that instigate
conversation.
This sort of gives some subscribers a chance to feel a part of a community, and it also allows
them to see that there's a variety of people on my list – ranging from newbies to people who
have seen results or made progress. And this applies to multiple markets, not just
TheLazyMarketer.com
What this does is build rapport with your readers. When there's absolutely no promo involved
(other than your sig/bio links in the email, or peripheral on-site ads/links), then it's a subliminal
message that says “I actually give a damn”.
Which will hit home with a lot of folks – and you'll stand out from the “noise” in the
marketplace quite easily.
So let's quickly review the “magic formula” in terms of sequential strategy.
Note: This is just an EXAMPLE. You can apply the fundamentals to my approach and make your own sequence
– it really doesn't matter. What it boils down to is that you simply have to be genuine and provide cool stuff
consistently. That is it.
The Magic Formula:
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Set the stage for responsiveness by hard-selling your persona (see part 2)
Cool tutorial/secret #1 (no promo)
Cool tutorial/secret #2 (no promo)
Instigate conversation with a blog post (be slightly controversial, about a hot topic)
2-Step Promo #1
Article, Blog Post or Video. No direct promo.
2-Step Promo #2
2-Step Promo #3
Instigate conversation again.
2-Step Promo #4
Rant of some kind (full persona, use blog)
And so on...
Compare that to the usual “strategy” people use...
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Hard sell main offer
Hard sell main offer again
Hard sell another offer
Send out a second mailing, with some kind of excuse
Cross-promote someone else's stuff
Sell something else
Etc...
Now we're not “blasting” every time like with the traditional ad-pounding strategy, but take a
look at the overview of the “Magic Formula” - basically every 2nd or 3rd mailing is a direct
pitch!
And the results that you can see by doing this are mind-blowing, even with “small” lists.
Not only that, but regardless of the market, over time many of your competitors (or otherwise
other publishers) will subscribe to your list and basically all of them will respect your style.
This makes it very easy to strike up partnerships and so on to grow your business (which is
part of what we'll discuss in Part 7).
Alright – let's move on to the part that we've all been waiting for...
Part 4: How to Build Your List FAST
Now that you have a firm grasp on how to connect with and influence your subscribers, the
larger your opt-in lists, the more money you'll make.
There's a lot of strategies you can use to drive traffic to your opt-in page. Basically, most of
them work well, but there's a few of them that work VERY well – and very fast. That's
what I'll be covering in this report in detail.
However – for the sake of being thorough, I whipped up a quick mind map (using BUBBL) that
lays out the “master plan” for list-building, along with all the primary online traffic strategies.
So here you go – this is the comprehensive Master Plan:
Again, to reiterate, you don't have to do all those things. You can build a massive list just
doing any ONE of those things if you wanted to. But let's talk about the fastest possible
strategies, based on my personal experiences so far.
And lucky for you – they're free :-)
************************************************
A quick side note before we get started: While I won't address some of the “slow and
steady” methods here in detail (like SEO, PPC, Videos, Articles, etc.), those things are still
very important to use, in my opinion.
A continuous, steady influx of new leads (and sales) effectively acts as a “buffer” against
unsubscribes and occasional refunds.
They can also be very, very effective when it comes to growing your list as well, even if not as
quickly as the following strategies. It's important to have a continual, steady influx and not just
rely on the “big hit” strategies that I'll discuss below...
************************************************
There's two methods that have worked very well for me when it comes to building responsive
opt-in lists at “lightning speed”...
The first one is using forums and message boards to start drawing down traffic (and
subscribers) immediately. It does take some time to develop a “rep”, but it doesn't take long to
build a list into the thousands just by making helpful or insightful posts about HOT topics.
Obviously, you can only do this through your signature link, and every forum has its own
rules about how signature spaces can be used.
But it's well-worth finding forums that do allow sig promotion. And the best way to do this is
usually just to search google for something like “[your market] forum”, or by searching
directories like Big Boards and BoardReader. (You'll also want to see if Google Groups has
any relevant categories as well.)
In fact, in some niches you can literally add hundreds of subscribers a DAY to your list just by
doing this. My record is just over 600 new subscribers in one day from a forum thread on a
popular forum in the niche that became very popular.
The effectiveness of this strategy will depend on the following:
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Your offer and conversion ratio (visitors vs. signups) on your opt-in page
Your ability to write compelling thread headlines and impress the reader
Your ability to recognize what's “hot” in the market at the moment and inciting discussion
around it
Your reputation
How much traffic/membership the forum actually has to begin with...
Just like with your list, you'll want to be genuine and provide value first, before drawing too
much attention to yourself or your offers.
If your very first post on a forum is a tutorial or otherwise some selflessly shared strategy,
people will become suspicious.
So here's the approach I use to leverage forums for instant traffic:
1. If there's an “introduction” area for new members, I'll post there first.
2. Answer/reply to about 10 or 20 threads first – getting actively involved while sharing
some of my best information.
3. I'll take a look what's been hot on the forum in terms of thread views and discussion
(responses) – which basically shows you exactly how to get “eyeballs”
4. I then either provide an answer for some of the hottest issues/problems on the forum –
or I start a “question” thread that incites a conversation about something VERY
interesting to the community. I stay around so as to facilitate the conversation.
5. The key is to not “over-do” it. So while you can certainly be involved with the forum on
a daily basis, I would limit my “big hot thread” tactic to a few times a week.
In time, you'll find that the amount of signups that you get as a result of using each individual
forum will decline, simply because there's a limited number of members on each board –
however, you'll still see RESIDUAL traffic for a long time to come from your posts, because
usually, they get indexed and become search-engine food as well.
That's okay. Depending on the niche, you can still obtain literally thousands of
subscribers very quickly just by properly tapping in to the popular forums and message
boards – which gives you tremendous leverage.
************************************************
Side note: Don't just cross-post the same thing across your targeted forums. There will be a
lot of forum crossover, and you'll be exposed as someone who's simply exploiting the board
for traffic if you cross-post. Even though that's kind of true in a way, it doesn't matter if you're
sincerely adding value and contributing to the members, which is what makes this strategy so
effective anyway. People who join your list or buy your front-end product as a result of this will
be drawn to you out of respect and interest.
Which is different than cold traffic from PPC, etc. This is like an extra “boost” of
responsiveness built right in based on their opinion of you from the forum to begin with.
Very, very powerful.
************************************************
Over time, you can reduce your forum involvement as other list-building strategies (below)
take over, but you can always stay “in tune” with what's going on for market research
purposes as well – and if you see a “hot” opening – take it. As time passes, the forum's
membership will have grown as well and you'll see more sig-traffic per post as a result.
Here's some examples of “hot thread title templates” that you can use on virtually any kind of
forum...
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The fastest way to ____________ (“lose 10 lbs”, etc.)
The simplest way to ____________
Here's how I ______________ in the last 24 hours
My exact formula for __________. Works every time – enjoy!
Whoa.. check out my results with _________...
Lots of posts are asking about ________. THIS is the answer...
Contrary to popular opinion ___________ is NOT hard. Read this...
And so on.
The headline is what will make or break a thread in terms of traffic and appeal. Be engaging,
but never “hypey”. Also, always let your sig area do the selling. Never, ever, promote
something in your actual posts, and only link out to major authority sites if you're going to
link anywhere.
Really, try this. It works very well in almost any market that fits with relationship marketing.
The traffic you can pull down from this strategy alone is incredible. FAR, FAR more effective
for generating FAST results than article marketing or even SEO.
In a sense, it's actually sort of like a small opt-in list.
So that's the first strategy.
Now let's talk about the second “lightning fast” strategy...
Leveraging other people's subscribers, traffic and influence. And don't worry, this really
isn't that difficult. (There's another strategy as well that ties into “partner traffic”, but I cover
that in Part 7, further down).
In general, there are two very effective ways to leverage other people's traffic/subscribers to
build your business FAST:
1. Create a high-converting “front-end” digital product and pay out maximum
commissions to affiliates. Build a list of customers (and with an on-page mini-course, if
you wish) from that traffic.
2. Develop a valuable, complementary tool or resource specifically for for another
established business or marketer – and then offer that tool exclusively to their client
base in exchange for an opt-in.
I've covered the first strategy (creating a hot-selling product & recruiting affiliates) in both
Confessions of a Lazy Super-Affiliate and Reverse Niche Selection, but it's actually very
simple, so I'll quickly go over the process right now for the sake of being thorough...
a) Sell what's selling. Simply take a look at your marketplace and identify the top-sellers by
monitoring affiliate networks, popular sites/forums and in general seeing who's got the most
exposure in the market. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Just sell what they're selling,
with your own twise to make it unique.
b) Adapt your offer based on proven sales processes. Successful marketers are almost
all testing-freaks with very few exceptions. So you can rest assured that practically any
popular, hot-selling product in your niche has had its sales-page split-tested and optimized
many, many times and that it's a well-oiled sales machine. Which makes it really easy for you
to simply swipe the fundamentals of their copy and apply them to your own offer. (What the
headline says, main benefits, the tone/approach used, the price point, etc.)
c) Price to sell in volume. You need to balance making an easy sale with the “affiliate
factor”. Affiliates love money, plain and simple. And the more they can make, the better. So I'd
recommend that the minimum price for your digital product be $29.95. But of course this
depends on the market, as well. Use discretion based on what you see in the marketplace.
d) Get results, then approach affiliates with those results. This is pretty self-explanatory.
Simply get your offer converting as well as possible (see my Visitor Value report for an indepth look at how to do so), and then contact as many affiliates in your niche as you can find
– sending them screenshots with your conversions and average visitor value. If the affiliate
can clearly see that they can make more money by simply promoting you, rather than
whatever it is they're promoting now – they will. It's that simple.
Also: I recommend using an affiliate network like ClickBank, PayDotCom, CJ or ShareaSale
so that you can gain lots of affiliate exposure, thereby multiplying your traffic, sales – and
your list growth.
e) Collect user data after purchase (and optionally, directly on your sales page with a minicourse or free sample offer). Once again, self-explanatory. If you do build an opt-in list from
your sales page directly (pre-sale), make sure to be fair to your affiliates by delivering plenty
of value as well as encouraging the subscribers to buy the product your affiliate promoted
frequently. (You can use a series of “2-step” type promotions to do this).
It's that simple. And you can simply repeat this process again and again in various segments
of your market (or other markets, if you're building multiple businesses).
In fact, this process alone can create some serious revenues for you, even up-front, and
not including your subsequent profits made by interacting with your list.
Profit Tip #1: I would recommend using an immediate upsell offer (“OTO”, or one-time-offer)
after the customer joins your client list. Done right, this will immediately multiply your profits
right off the bat, if the OTO is relevant and complimentary to the product they just purchased.
For example, if you're selling a report on self-defense, your OTO could be a series of
instructional videos that visually explain the report – which have a higher perceived value.
Profit Tip #2: Another viable customer-list building method is by selling low-priced, short
reports or tightly-focused products using a script like 7-Dollar Secrets or Rapid Action Profits.
This can be very attractive to affiliates because they can be paid instantly via paypal for their
commissions. I would recommend that you launch short reports and so on TO your customer
list(s) and other lists as a way to provide more value to existing customers about specific
topics.
Leveraging affiliate traffic like this has built buyer lists for me well into the thousands.
And trust me – a list of 1,000 buyers is like having a list of 25,000 “regular” subscribers. It's
insanely powerful – especially if you over-deliver with your product.
So that's a strategy that is definitely worth your while in every way imaginable. In fact, most
successful marketers with substantial revenues that I know of have built their businesses
almost exclusively with affiliate traffic. It's the merchants and list-owners who will almost
always get the lion's share in this business based on the structure of their business alone.
Okay – let's move on to the second strategy for leveraging other people's traffic and lists for
rapid list growth...
Create a complementary, exclusive resource for someone else's clients.
Here's how this works:
What you do is collaborate with an established email publisher in your niche (or a site that has
tons of traffic) so as to figure out what they'd like to offer their subscribers, but either they
don't have the time or the capability (or desire) to put it together themselves.
For example, we recently had a customer (his first name was Kevin) who'd purchased the
Search Engine Loophole (which involves the use of blogs as part of the strategy), and he
quickly realized that many of our customers might find some specific wordpress themes to be
helpful.
So he put together some themes for Dave and I to check out, and we liked what we saw. This
customer was also a marketer in the same niche, and he set it up so that our customers could
exclusively access these themes for free, just by joining a dedicated newsletter.
Which was fine by us, since it was obvious from our research that this marketer was a
straight-up guy and had good products. So we told our customer list about it, which was
already into the thousands at that point. Kevin easily had several hundred people join his list
that day, just like that – and not just “free subscribers”. These were already proven buyers –
they bought our product.
It was totally win-win. We got to add more value to our clients, and Kevin rapidly grew his
client-base in just a few days time.
See how easy this can happen?
All it takes is to simply figure out what you can offer someone's client base – for FREE, and
exclusively – and then contact the publisher with your idea (or a sample, etc).
This could even be something like video tutorials or a “user guide” (similar to how there's
strategy guides for games, “teach yourself Adobe”, stuff like that).
Why would any sane publisher turn down an offer to give their customers directly relevant and
complementary value based on what they've already sold them?
Here are some hypothetical examples – just to get your brain in gear...
Product: Learn to Play Lead Guitar Videos/Membership
Your Offer: A report titled something like “The 20-Minute Songwriting Formula”, which would
reveal secrets about how professional songwriters come up with great stuff, over, over and
over again. (Just find someone and interview them if you aren't a songwriter).
Product: Real Estate Investing Course
Your Offer: A report or video specifically relating to the course that comprehensively covers
all the sources for easily finding distressed properties (or foreclosures, or whatever the course
is focused on). Basically an embellished directory.
Product: Dog Training Ebook
Your Offer: A report or video specifically relating to the course with some specific cool dog
tricks or specific training tips, not otherwise mentioned in the course.
Product: A High-Ticket Software Product (or Script)
Your Offer: Step-by-step install and usage guide/video. Many, many publishers simply do
NOT take the time to develop in-depth training resources. This particular complementary
approach alone will keep you busy for a long, long time.
Take a moment and think about how powerful this is...
You're not trying to “convince” the publisher anything, and you're also not trying to get them to
promote your product.
It also doesn't matter if you're an “unknown” or if they don't know you from a hole in the
ground. If you can provide something that their list would KILL for, they will listen to you – and
you'll find that you'll be well-received. Even by so-called “untouchables” in your market.
No, instead, you're literally adding value directly to their product, and you won't charge their
customers a dime. All they have to do is join your email list. Done deal.
Do this even a handful of times in virtually any market and you'll have built up a list of buyers
into the thousands that could easily have the potential to earn you a nice, consistent 6-figure
income using the strategies mentioned in other chapters of this guide.
This strategy is hardly ever talked about – and I don't really know why. It's far easier to do the
“exclusive complementary” approach than getting someone to promote a product of yours,
and in most cases, more of their list will enter your funnel anyway if the offer is free and
exclusive...
Especially considering that these people are all buyers anyway. It's incredibly powerful.
Anyway – those are my top strategies for building a hyper-responsive, buying list of
subscribers very, very quickly, without spending a dime.
More than that, these are simple, scalable tactics that don't require any kind of “negotiation
skills” or anything like that.
Especially the forum posting and complementary value strategies. Brainless, methodical,
highly-effective and instantly actionable.
I named this report the Rapid List Profit Formula for a reason...
Alright – hopefully that gives you some stuff to chew on in terms of driving some serious
traffic. Now let's talk about making your mailings and list-communication effective...
Part 5: Get Your Emails Opened, Read & Acted On
It's all for nothing if you don't know how to properly communicate with your list for maximum
readership.
There's a reason why newspaper & magazine editors will deliberate intensely over their cover
stories, pictures and headlines. Because it gets the product picked up, bought and read,
which in-turn gives them job security, Christmas bonuses and an opportunity to pay taxes :-)
It's the same with your newsletter. You need to carefully consider how to maximize the
effectiveness of your topic matter, subject lines, email content and how you present your offer
with each mailing you send.
So let's discuss the crucial elements of leveraging your list with maximum mileage...
Subject Lines That Get Your Emails Opened...
I've discovered, based on previous results, that it's better in the long-run to use specific
headlines than it is to use “vague” curiosity-grabbers.
Yes, using things like “Oh my god – you have to read this” or “Bad news...” or whatever can
be very, very effective. But, just like the boy who cried wolf a few too many times – your list
will soon learn to ignore you (and disregard any implied urgency) if you do this all the time.
So you can use obscure, curiosity tactics from time to time (just make sure it's CAN-SPAM
compliant), but it's better to catch their attention with the one thing they want most:
Specific results.
Here are some examples of highly-effective headlines, when used in combination with
impressive results...
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Here's the fastest possible way to __________________
This is my exact process for __________________
Here's a live example of __________________
This video shows exactly how to ___________________
The simplest possible way to _______________________
[impressive result] in just 24 hours. Here's how...
The best way for {!name} to ______________________
The #1 reason why most people never [something specific]
A dangerous MYTH about ____________ - read this!
How I ___________________ by “cheating” (this is a must-see...)
[amazing result] just by doing ______________ (this is powerful...)
And so on.
The key point here is be specific, compelling and irresistible.
Not with hype or “excitement” - let the results CREATE their own excitement.
I've stopped capitalizing the first letter of each word in my headlines for quite some time now,
simply because it comes across as less-commercial in its immediate appearance.
However, this may not apply to your market. If you use Aweber.com, you can split-test
different headlines and so on to measure the open-rates and click-rates for each mailing
variant (both variants are sent out to an equal number of leads – one headline reaches half
your list, and the other variant reaches the other half).
It's important to see what works best for you, but these are some things that have proven
effective for me. They may work well for you in your market also.
Now – let's talk about your email body...
Getting Your Message Read and ACTED On:
I'm going to start off by showcasing one of my all-time most effective mailings that I've ever
broadcasted. This one, single email literally created a shockwave of interest across much of
the affiliate-marketing industry...
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Subject: The Simplest Way to Make $100,000+ as an Affiliate (read this)
Hi {!name},
I just completed a powerful report that completely lays out my most
effective strategy - and this is by far the the most *methodical*
way to make REAL money as an affiliate.
It's called the "Conduit Method".
Check it out here:
http://www.thelazymarketer.com/vip-conduit/
This is how some of my sites that get less than 70 visitors a day
can generate a FULL-TIME income.
It's also how I'm able to instantly obtain "expert status" in ANY
niche - even if I don't know a damn thing about the subject matter.
And it's also how I'm able to create literally hundreds of pages
of high-value, completely unique content in ANY niche.
Again - regardless if I know anything about the topic or not.
I've been a little tight-lipped about this approach for a while now. I
have alluded to it in small pieces in "Confessions", on the blog
and in a few other places but I've NEVER actually "revealed" this
before.
It's incredible and you will surprised.
I don't say that lightly.
See for yourself:
http://www.thelazymarketer.com/vip-conduit/
Enjoy,
Chris Rempel
TheLazyMarketer.com
P.S. As you might have guessed, this is one of an entire series of
reports that I'll be rolling out in response to my survey a few
weeks ago on the blog.
And there's more to come...
***************************
Now, this may not be a classic “2-Step” approach, but that's because at this point I'd already
established a good relationship with the majority of my subscribers. And it's also my own
report, which is different than promoting an affiliate offer.
First of all – the subject line is very compelling, for obvious reasons.
Second – the link is posted right way, after a very short, but compelling “lead up” to the link
that acts as a way to legitimize the subject line and play on the reader's curiosity.
Just before the first link, the words “Check it out here” are more than just a phrase – it's a no
pressure call to action. It's not as strong (or desperate) as “click here now!” or something
along those lines.
I double-space around the top and bottom of the link so as to create white-space (and draw
attention) to the link.
Then I go on to further explain and sell the “concept”, as well as why it's powerful.
I close off with another call to action (“see for yourself”) and link.
This mailing sparked a windfall of interest (and sales). The Conduit Method report has
currently sold – at the time of writing this - just shy of 3,000 copies since it was first released,
1,560 of which are direct sales (not affiliate referred).
Obviously the copy was effective and so on, but it ALL started with that email above.
So here's some general “rules” that I try to adhere to when I compose my email body:
1. Get to the Point Immediately. Don't screw around in the first few sentences – those
are crucial. Get straight to the point and use a “lead-up” that either drives the reader's
curiosity or builds up interest into the link directly below it.
2. Mention the Link as Quickly as Possible. Notice how I had a “mini-description” at
first, then the first link – and then had a more detailed description underneath it,
followed by the second/closing link. This way the people in a hurry can get to it, while
those who need more of a “reason why” can make their decision effectively.
3. Seamlessly Weave In The Strongest Selling Points. Using a “matter of fact” tone, I
summarize all of my strongest selling points in the email's description. Try and do this
with as little hype as possible. Always let your words imply that it's the reader's choice
to do anything – and if they're interested, they can check it out. Don't pressure them.
4. Close the Email with a Final Call to Action. Self-explanatory.
This approach can apply to any mailing, even if it's a 2-Step promo, a blog discussion, or a
persona-selling email where you link to your story, etc.
It's a general format I've been using for quite some time now, and it is consistently effective.
Obviously you don't always have to use that exact format or anything – but you can use it as
a guide for creating your own effective mailings.
Side note: One thing you can do for affiliate promotions is use a “2-Step” approach for the
first mailing, and then follow-up a few days later with a “summary” in this style above. You can
also answer any FAQ's about the product based on subscriber feedback, etc. This way it's a
legitimate 2nd mailing which will draw down many more sales (if it sold well the first time).
Now, speaking of answering subscriber questions...
Part 6: How To Use Blogs as a Powerful “Transparency Tool” For
Selling...
In my opinion, the best usage for blogs is to facilitate conversation. This is where they really
come to life. Blogs have always been a weaker platform from a conversion perspective (if you
don't modify the template or CMS) simply due to their awkward navigation and layout.
But for public interaction with your list – there's nothing better.
Unlike trying to facilitate discussion on a forum or message board, blogs really involve no
commitment (or registration), which makes it a lot easier for your subscribers to contribute
back to the “question” or issue. The discussion is also controlled and linear, and doesn't
involve the hassles of an actual community or forum.
So that's why they're good.
Now here's why they're profitable...
Blogs make you “real”. When you open yourself up to public scrutiny, your articles,
“controversial statements” and promotions carry a different degree of credibility because
you're becoming vulnerable.
Because if you're promoting anything remotely shady, you're publicly risking a flogging by
your readers, which could damage your reputation.
(Most marketers who promote anything & everything, or sub-par stuff, do so from the
“anonymous safety” of a one-way email.)
Blogs also facilitate social proof. When you promote a product from a blog post, and your
customers chime in, praising you and your product/promotion, guess what happens to your
sales? They explode.
This is why I like to use my blogs for 2-Step promotions, product reviews and prelaunch materials for upcoming products.
Additionally, if you're a publisher in your niche and you sell a product or course, many of your
customers will make comments about the quality of your product(s) on your blog as well,
which others will see and it will greatly influence their perception of you.
Using blogs to promote and interact with your list is kind of like saying, “Bring it on – I've got
nothing to hide”.
And that attitude of confidence and sincerity is MISSING from several markets, especially in
the digital publishing markets. It's like your proverbial “Ebay feedback score”, so to speak.
Like I mentioned in previous chapters, this transparency approach will pay huge
dividends down the road as you build and culture your list, because you're “selling” trust.
People know that if you're the kind of guy or gal who will routinely lay it all out on the line and
become vulnerable to scrutiny with your promotions, then they'll automatically (and
subconsciously) consider you to be genuine.
More than that, there is also the residual effect of gaining additional exposure by using your
blog in combination with your list because it will generate some interest, trackbacks and so on
because you'll eventually get talked about by other bloggers who are on your list, etc. This
also leads to search engine traffic as a result of the backlinks.
So it all works together as a way to drastically increase your credibility, sincerity and “humanness” with your list, while also drawing new subscribers into your funnel via organic growth
and eventual blog traffic.
And, many of your promotions will have a longer “staying power” and will generate more sales
over the long-term because the promotion stays “live” (unlike an old email), and – with the
comments intact and social proof well established – new readers and visitors will be
impressed by the quality of your content and the power of your influence.
So if it makes sense for you and your market – use blogs.
In fact, that ties right into our next strategy for leveraged business growth by drawing from our
subscriber's resources & influence....
Part 7: Strategies For Multiplying Your Overall Traffic (and Sales)
By Using Your List as Leverage
I talked about how your list is more than just a “database” or traffic asset in the opening
sections of this report – they're a live audience. However, it goes even further than that. Each
of your subscribers is also a potential marketing partner.
True, there's the “word-of-mouth” viral aspect to almost any business that creates a positive
experience for their customers. And that can have a very profound impact on your business.
However, it doesn't end there. Here are some ways to further leverage your subscribers and
their spheres of influence to build your business...
1. Recruit Affiliates. This goes without saying if you're selling a product. Regardless of
your niche, you will eventually have other webmasters and marketers in that niche
subscribe to your list – if for no other reason than to get content ideas or research for
their own means. But if they like you, they'll help you out.
Have a link at the bottom of each mailing that says “Affiliate Program: <link>” or
whatever seems best. I wouldn't recommend over-selling it or pushing it too hard, since
capable affiliates will generally see the opportunity anyway.
Also, if you're launching a new product, then in your pre-launch build-up mailings &
blog posts, you can mention - as an aside or in the “P.S.” - that you are looking for
partners/affiliates and that they contact you for details. This is very effective and
doesn't come across as sleazy.
2. Create “Linkbait” For Your List on Your Site/Blog. Make something really, really
cool – or controversial – on your site and tell your list about it, encouraging anyone with
a website to “spread the love” as an aside. Things like handy lists, an on-site script that
is genuinely helpful, a free application, a funny or humorous video, etc. These are all
viable things.
Hint: You can even “sell” products where instead of payment, someone can link to
your page and get the product as a result – I'll let you brainstorm on how this applies to
you...
3. Create Applications, Widgets or “News Tickers” Pointing Back to Your Site. Even
in mainstream niche markets, many people on your list will have some kind of online
presence. Maybe they have a facebook/myspace account or participate in a forum. So
it depends on your market and subscriber profile, but see if you can create a relevant
and genuinely COOL “widget”, facebook app or otherwise something they would
willingly add to their online presence (which in turn drives you more traffic).
4. Encourage “Social Voting” or Group Involvement in Launching Your Content.
Let's say you have something going on that's really cool that your list already likes –
maybe a contest, or whatever – and you've got a “Digg” story going on about it. You
can send out a broadcast, saying you're on Digg, and ask your subscribers to “digg”
your story for you. That's just one example. This is how any kind of list can be
leveraged as marketing partners – even if they have zero online presence.
Those are some active ways to leverage your list to incite viral growth – regardless of your
niche.
Now let's talk about a very, very powerful way to build up your list FAST, by leveraging your
current subscribers.
This strategy becomes more and more volatile the larger your list grows, and it's also one of
the easiest strategies to enact based on how it works. The more you do this, the more
powerful this strategy will become – meaning that your business growth will literally just keep
multiplying at a continually faster rate as time goes on...
Cross-Promotion With Other Publishers Who Have Similar-Sized Lists:
Essentially, this works exactly the same way as the “exclusive complement” strategy in Part 4,
but with a twist.
Specifically, you'll have the other publisher offer something of exclusive & relevant value to
your list as well. This way, both parties win in every way possible:
1. You both get a huge influx of new subscribers – for no cost.
2. You both get to offer your lists something of tangible & exclusive value
Now, the only difference between this strategy and the “exclusive complement” strategy is
that it's far easier to get someone's attention (and participation) when you've got traffic to
send them as well.
Your “JV request” could be as simple as “Hey Bob – I've got about 2,500 subscribers on my
Gardening list. Looks like you've got about the same. Want to do a cross-promo so we both
get lots of new subscribers? Just let me know and I'll tell you what I have in mind...”
Using that general approach, you'll get a lot of interested responses, and many will “bite”.
It generally works best to approach other publishers with lists of the same approximate size,
but that's not a rule by any means.
And you simply do this over and over again as your list grows with larger and larger lists. Like
I said, the more you do this, the faster your business grows. It's the classic “snowballing”
effect.
Depending on the market – can you see how quickly you can build up your
subscription base like this?
It's sort of like using leverage in Real Estate investing to springboard a number of investments
by starting out with one property and using it as collateral for each subsequent purchase.
Just one word of warning – don't do business with anyone that you have reservations
about. If they're shady or have a less-than-stellar reputation, don't contact them to begin with.
It's a good idea to subscribe to basically all the lists in your market anyway when you start to
build your own readership, as this will help you to stay on top of the market, get
headline/content ideas – and, obviously – pick apart the “wheat” from the “chaff”.
The last thing you want to do is to send your valued subscribers over to a cheeseball. It will
reflect badly on you, ultimately.
And speaking of getting content ideas from other people's newsletters, that brings us to the
next chapter...
Part 8: Coming Up With New Content Consistently...
It's a fact that some markets are easier for publishing frequent content than others.
It helps to choose competitive markets with a large and active online community
because this lends itself to an endless stream of new topics, new products, new
“controversies” and in general – endless, legitimate reasons to contact your list consistently.
Other profitable markets that don't have these things – or where the online scene isn't
necessarily active – may still be profitable, but it won't be as easy to run a compelling channel
without doing some major innovation, content creation and so on.
Anyway – let's talk about how to consistently generate new topics and new “directions” for
your list as time goes on...
1. Subscribe to Every Major Newsletter in the Niche. I alluded to this above, and it's
fairly self-explanatory. This will make it easy for you to stay “in tune” with your market,
while also giving you an insight into what's selling (what they push all the time), what
headlines grab your attention, and so on.
2. Monitor Forums For HOT Topics & Timely Issues/Problems. This is essentially just
like monitoring other newsletters, except it's a direct “window” into a segment of your
target market. Look for popular threads that get a lot of attention and response – taking
note of the headline. Consider how you can apply those topics (relevantly) with your list
communications.
3. Your Local Magazine Rack. The magazine & news industry is literally built on getting
new, fresh and compelling content on a continual basis. It's their business model, and
they work damn hard to do it. So you'd be insane not to stay in-tune with the actual
hard-copy magazines in your niche for content ideas. Like most other things – others
have already done the hard work for you. Now just adapt it to your own purposes.
4. When You Get Stuck – Ask Your List Where They're “Stuck”. I did this exact thing
awhile ago on TheLazyMarketer blog. And it showed me exactly what people were
needing, and led to me rolling out my VIP reports (like this one) – based on the topics
that my subscribers specifically requested. You can see exactly how I did this on the
following pages:
•
My “Tell Me Where You're Stuck” Thread (with 140+ comments)
•
My Clarification Post – Just to make sure I got it right (with 50+ comments)
This way there's no guesswork or speculation – plus, it's also a great involvement and
interaction opportunity with you and your subscribers.
Those are the most effective ways that I've found to stay on top of my markets, as well as
serve up a continual stream of new and truly compelling content that my subscribers actually
want.
And it's way, WAY more profitable this way.
It just comes back to supply and demand. Rather than random, relentless and baseless
promotion.
Alright – now let's talk about what to avoid...
Part 9: Deadly Mistakes That Will Kill Your Profits
I'll keep this part brief because it's basically common-sense, and because sometimes “less is
more” when it comes to warnings. We can't afford any “gray area” with this part...
1. Don't Abuse Your Privilege to Your Subscriber's Inbox. If you email too much (like
every day), you'll become annoying and overbearing. Sort of like how it's fun when
friends come to visit you and stay for a few days. But when a “welcome” is over-stayed,
things can turn ugly pretty quick.
And obviously this depends on what they signed up for. If they signed up for daily
updates (like stocks, coupons, etc.) then obviously follow-through on that. Stay true to
your word when they initially signed up.
2. Don't Be a Stranger. Sounds like a contradiction to what I just said, but it's not. If you
don't stay in contact with your subscribers, you'll eventually become a “stranger” to
them – especially at first. Try to make contact at least a few times a month as a
minimum.
3. Follow-Through on What You Say. If you make promises, keep them. Don't go back
on your word or “bend” for the sake of extra profits or personal gain. Any short-term
benefit will be far outweighed by the damage it will cause to your credibility – and
future influence.
Note: With this in mind, be careful about making promises or deadlines with your list.
Keep it open-ended if possible and be honest. This way you won't tarnish your
reputation.
4. Only Share, Create & Promote GREAT Stuff. I can't stress this enough. If you ever
once hawk crap to your list, it will cost you, big-time. Because you're now the “boy who
cried wolf”, and many of your once-avid followers will simply unsubscribe (or ignore
you) and spare themselves the trouble of watching yet another marketer with good
intentions turn into the same old thing – just another cheesy bastard.
5. Don't Obligate Yourself to Marketers With Sub-Par Content. Regardless of how
“big” their list is, or how much of a big-shot they allegedly are (or more accurately, how
much of a big-shot they were).
I say this because when you're recruiting affiliates or partners, what you'll often find is
that the “big names” want either a cross-promotion or a commitment to sell their stuff
on your back-end. Unless they're a total stand-up marketer with superb, well-respected
content, don't do it. It's just not worth it, no matter how much traffic is at stake for you.
Trust me – I've made this mistake in the past and it was a hard lesson to learn...
6. Make Sure Your List Always Gets “First Dibs”. Avoid running exclusive discounts or
offers with other marketers or places that you didn't first offer to your list. In most
markets, there is a lot of crossover in terms of subscribers & customers. Everything
you do in your market will be found out. So put your list first – always. Learned that the
hard way, too...
7. Know the Law. Email marketing is governed by strict privacy and compliance policies
set in place by most governments around the world. In general, be aware of how you
can legally collect, manage and communicate with your list.
In the USA, the simplified version of being CAN-SPAM compliant is having a working
opt-out mechanism, including your business address in each mailing footer, using
accurate subject lines that aren't misleading, and obviously running an ethical business
that sells/promotes lawful merchandise. That's certainly not comprehensive, so I
suggest visiting the FTC website for more information.
There are hefty fines for failing to observe these laws that can end you up in a world of
trouble if you don't – and fast. This can shut down your business (and screw your life
up) overnight. So make sure you do it right. It's pretty simple stuff, anyway.
In general, my overall rule is this is to ask myself this question before sending anything to my
list:
“Is this something that will genuinely help and impress my subscribers?”
And if I'm selling/promoting something...
“Are my subscribers getting more value than what they're paying for?”
Part 10: Resources
Here are the essential tools that I've been using to build and manage my lists for several
years:
•
Aweber – This is an all-in-one list management service. It captures your leads, manages
unsubscribes automatically, schedules auto-broadcasts, autoresponses and a lot more. It's
the industry-standard email marketing service.
•
Setting Up Cloaked Links – You'll want to use short redirection links that cloak your
affiliate links and make your email content “cleaner” without long, ugly links. This is a
tutorial on how to do this with redirection pages (ie. Yourdomain.com/promo/)
And that's all there is to it.
Aweber makes it very easy to simply copy/paste your opt-in forms on your site, as well as use
dynamic pop-ups, pop-overs, slide-in boxes and more to drastically increase your signup
rates from your sites.
I suggest backing up and exporting all of your list data on a weekly basis. Store it on your
hard drive, your web host and also a remote data source (like a USB flash drive, CD-R, etc.)
That “list” is your audience and your business. Don't lose it all to some stupid tech error...
Conclusion: Short of Winning The Lottery, This is the Fastest
Ticket to Real Money That Has Ever Existed...
The internet has made it possible to systematically build the infrastructure of a multi-milliondollar traditional business, but with only one mouth to feed – not hundreds. Yours.
There's a popular quote that says “the money is in the margins”.
And when you look at how much leverage exists by building up a client-base of thousands (or
hundreds of thousands) and contacting them online – instantly, and practically for free – when
compared to the constraints, fixed costs and limitations of a traditional brick & mortar
business, it becomes truly obvious just how substantial our advantage really is as internet
entrepreneurs.
As you build up your client-base and become their trusted advisor, you really will come to a
point where it's like you have a license to print money. Where sending a simple
recommendation or product review on a whim can pull down more revenue than many people
working 9-5 will see in an entire year.
Yes, that really happens.
And as you can clearly see at this point – for a dedicated person that's willing to take some
action and just go for it – this isn't a pipe dream or some far-off goal. This can be a reality for
anyone who simply decides to create a compelling channel for their list, be sincere, and
match their client's needs/wants with genuinely good stuff.
The internet is literally a goldmine that is teeming with people that are sick to death of
hype, lies and cheesy bastards – in every market.
So if you actually give a damn, you'll stand out like a sore thumb – and make a fortune in the
process.
And in retrospect, it really doesn't take that long.
But the key is to get going...
NOW!
Sincerely,
Chris Rempel
TheLazyMarketer.com
Promote This VIP Confession Report For 100% Commissions
If you found this report to be genuinely helpful for you – or if it's directly affected your bottomline – why not tell others about it?
Not only will your visitors & subscribers get actual “trade secrets” (and major value) for a
ridiculous bargain – you'll get paid instantly and directly for every sale you refer.
That's right – just by simply adapting the link below to include your paypal address, any sales
you refer will land directly in your PayPal account, as they occur.
Just replace “[email protected]” with your paypal address and you're good to go:
http://www.thelazymarketer.com/vip-list/[email protected]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check Out My Other VIP Confessions...
If this report made a real impact on you, then you'll be pleasantly surprised to know that I've
published a number VIP Confessions at http://www.TheLazyMarketer.com/VIP.php
Prepare to lose some sleep :-)

The Rapid List Profit Formula Real Money

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