The Money Is In The List

Yes, as they say, "the money is in the list". It really doesn't matter how good your search engine optimisation techniques are. It's not important how much you spend on pay-per-click search engines.

At then end of the day, what really counts is (a) how many people are on your email list and (b) what credibility you have with these people.

Your email newsletter is your "brand"
Think about it. Think how powerful "branding" is. Think about "Coka Cola" or "Nike" or "KFC". Would you be prepared to pay less for a cola drink not made by "Coke" (or maybe "Pepsi")? Or running shoes made by an unknown brand? Or a quick meal that didn't bear a brand name which you didn't recognise?

Maybe. But most people feel happier buying into brands - recognisable brands. You trust them. You'll buy from them.

That's why "the money is in the list". Get people to sign up to your newsletter. Keep them enthralled with high quality info. And yes, you've established a "brand". They will trust you. They will buy into your recommendations.

List Building Methods
But how do you build up your email newsletter subscriber list? There's a load of temptations out there. "Get millions of subscribers - join our 'xyz program'". Do they work? Some of them do, to a very limited extent!

Then there's 'SafeLists'. The principle here is that you sign up to receive emails from other members of the SafeList. Beware. Don't give an email address that you'll not be happy about being spammed. You will get hundreds, if not thousands, of emails a day, most of them rubbish.

"SafeLists", where all members can email everyone else in the system whenever you like, are, in my humble opinion, useless. You could get loads of emails (mostly untargeted) every day / week. Caution - if you go for a "SafeList", never use anything other than a 'disposable' email address.

(Side note: Here's a great, free resource: SpamGourmet. Whenever you sign up to anything use a disposable 'SpamGourmet' email address. If you're happy to keep on receiving mail from that source, you can always switch your subscription to a permanent email address. (Or you can use the SpamGourmet system to make that particular SpamGourmet email address a "trusted" address.))

And there's the s-l-o-w, cautious approach. Put up a sign-up form on your website, and wait for the punters to come trickling in at 2's and 3's per day. I do it; look up and to your left - there's the sign-up form for my email newsletter. Yes, it works - but to a limited extent.

There's a new approach doing the Internet Marketing circuits. There's at least 3 schemes that I know of so far. And yes, I've signed up to all of them. How do they work?

The new approach
So, what's the new approach to list building? Here's how they work..

1) You sign up to the system.

2) You promote the system and get people to sign up and get them in your 'downline' (Yes it sounds like MLM, but it isn't).

3) Every day / week (it depends on the system) you can email only as many people as you have signed up in your 'downline'. Most systems claim huge figures that you can email. That's because they are using the downline multiple figures - like:

You sign up 5:
Each one signs up 5 = 5x5 = 25
And they all sign up 5 = 5x5x5 = 625

.. and so on. 10 levels down, the figure is 78,125! Don't believe these huge figures. But, if you are able, safely, to email 1,000 or 2,000 people each day / week, it could be highly profitable. Remember where the money is? In the list!

OK - the only way that it will work if everyone in your 'downline' is as proactive as you are - that they (a) have a good email list and (b) they are prepared to recommend the system that you have recommended to them.

My recommendations:

• Don't ignore these opportunties if they cost nothing to join.
• Don't pay anything to join them; if they ask for a fee, they are likely to be a scam - unless there's a "pro" version; make your own mind up on these.
• Don't expect everything for nothing. If you join them, be active and promote them to your contacts. Do nothing; expect nothing!

I've signed up to these list building systems. I've checked them out. They are run by reputable people:

• Instant Buzz: Although it's been designed as a traffic generating system, Instant Buzz has been the most successful list building method for me. It works through a toolbar, which plugs into your browser, and which displays adverts from other members. Not everyone can join - it's by invitation only. If you'd like an invitation from me, .
• The John Reese System: John made a name for himself by becoming the first person to make $1 million on Day One of a product launch. He was backed by nearly all the top internet marketers. This guy is solid!
• The "Bulletproof" List Building System: Devised by Marvin Haycock and Ewan Chia, this adds a twist to the John Reese system. You still have to join John's system, but there are some extra bonuses.
• The Mike Filsaime System: Mike has produced some superb products recently. This list building system is his latest winner.
• The Russell Brunson System: Russell is one of those extremely irritating people - still a college student, he's right at the top of the internet marketers league. Grr! Like the other list builder guys, Russell has a solid track record, with some great products under his belt.

When I come across new systems, I'll check them out and add them to this list. One final reminder - don't just sign up and do nothing. Tell people. Email them. Use your website. Do nothing - and you'll get nothing. Act - and you'll get results!