Ah yes, your mailing list IS key…but what type is it?

Here's an interesting issue that is very worth considering…

As Internet marketers many of us have lists of optin subscribers that we have built.  Some of our lists have been brought in recently while others may have people on them that have been around for quite some time.  I want to talk about the age of those lists and how that comes into play with where, what, when, and why we market to them.

Here is what I do:

First I have some lists that I started LONG ago.  These are lists that have people that cam in 5-6 years ago in some instances.  These subscribers all stick with this lists because I tend to them.  I work at giving them content and continually building the relationship.

That word I just used there is the key to these lists. 

Relationship

The relationship is the key to this list.  I worked hard at the beginning to give and give,  earning trust all along the way.  This is the sort of list that actually reads all of the emails and in many cases even comments on things in this blog. 

Now, the second type of list is a completely different animal.  This one is built on recency of creation and is used in a vastly different way.

Consider a list that was built up during an affiliate driven promotion.  Now consider that list is approximately 20,000 in size.  Most of the people on this list are there because they are looking for a Solution to making money online.

SOLUTION

 Yes, this is a Very different sort of list.  This is the kind of list that one can take in a number of directions.  One option is to play it safe and work with this list the same way you did with the first list.  You will get and build some good relationships here but also know that again, these people are here to see how you can give them a dollar (or $10 to $100,000 of them!) and will likely not stick around if you aren't living up to that expectation.

So, another way you can look at this list is that it is a brand new set of people all looking for you t hand them a super solution.  Why don't you do that.

This list is the sort that will work very well to mail to every single day.  Continue to build an exciting list of offers and put them in front of the list constantly.  This is aggressive but at the same time can work very well as these folks are buyers and will most likely buy all sorts of what you show them.

Now, these are two different ways to work with a list.  One you build and nurture the list and the other you burn through them based on the assumption that either they buy what you show them or they are really no good to you at all.

I'd like to add one further element into this mix to make it even more interesting…

What drew them onto the list initially?

Was it a freebie that pulled them in or was it something that they had to pay for?

FREEBIE or PAID

This is a very important point.  If it was a paid offer you need to treat those people like gold.  They have already pulled out their wallet and invested in what you have to offer.  In short you have already taken the first step with them and are now on your way to much bigger and better things… if you want to.

If it was a free offer or even say you got their info prior to their seeing what the cost is for you site, then you have a very different list.  You have qualified them as being interested in your material but that is it.  You don't yet know what they will pay (If at all) and there is zero relationship in place.  This is the second type of list I mentioned above.  This list you can start sending offers to every day and see what you can get out of them.

I have spent the last 6 months mailing to one list every single day and have pulled in a TON of sales.  That list fits in the 20,000 person size and has out me at the top of a healthy number of affiliate promotions myself.  Now I also have a number of my own lists that I treat very differently (along the first type of list I discussed).  These people require some good thought in what I am going to share.  I take the time to write something thought provoking (like this post!) and I share it with them to keep them happy.

So there my friends are two ways you can work with your mailing lists.  I hope you are able to take these thoughts in and use them in your own work.  Build those lists and then work with them in the best ways possible.

Onward & Upward!

Sam Knoll