Build your list of prospects without spam

by Linda Cooke

You probably will only be reading this if you are looking to build a list of your own. If you want to sell anything online you need a shop window to display your goods. The first thought is to build a cracking website which will really impress and draw in customers. Most of us have found out the hard way that the best website in the world is no good if no-one visits. Let’s face it, there are millions of websites out there, so who’s going to stumble upon yours?

The next step most people take is to advertise their site. They spend a fortune on Google Adwords or similar Pay per Click schemes, or perhaps they take the more time-consuming but cheaper route of writing articles or joining traffic exchanges. All of these work if used wisely and you put the effort ant time in. Many become pre-occupied with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) but the odds of getting on that all-important first page of search results are very small.

There is nothing to compare with having your own list, the emails of people you can legitimately contact with news of product launches or more info on what you have to offer. Most of the English-speaking people you will come into contact with in cyberspace are from the Unites States, where spam (unsolicited email) is illegal. If you send out emails uninvited you can find your email account closed down very quickly and that’s no fun. If you are going to build a prospect list the recipients must have agreed to receive mail from you.

So what can you do? First of all set up an account with someone like Aweber who will allow you to set up auto-responders for one list or many and ensure that your subscribers have truly opted in to receive your mailings, newsletter, ezine or whatever it is you want to send out. Then you need to build a campaign to capture prospect’s emails. You can use any of the marketing techniques you would use for your website and Aweber gives plenty of helpful advice. They must have a reason for signing up like freebies, special offers, or useful information.

To increase the number of prospects you can email you may like to join a safelist or list-building group like List Bandit. Some of these groups have huge memberships and when you join you are allowed to email them, but you must be willing to receive emails from them also.

So build your website, grow your list and get selling.

© Linda Cooke 2007

http://www.internet-income-ideas.com