You need a list. That’s a given. This is the most important factor in your long-term success. Once you have a list built, you can market to it again and again. It’s a resource you can tap at any time and generate income.

So, how do you build a list?

Here are the three components of list building:

• Your Landing Page
• The Bribe
• The Opt-in Success Page

Your Opt-in Page – The squeeze page is the first thing your visitor is going to see. It’s the page where you ask them for their email address. So, obviously it has to be well designed. It’s also got to be free from distractions. And have a clear call to action.

Failure to include a great “call to action” will result in failure. Your call to action tells the visitor what to do. And if you don’t include it, they won’t opt in. The funny thing is that people just don’t know what to do unless you tell them.

If you want to add some extra juice to your opt-in page add a compelling video to the page. Adding video will help keep your visitors attention. It also allows you to tell them what to do several times. And after the video, you can make it just say “fill in the form now”.

If you don’t know how to make video, don’t worry. You can hire freelancers to do this for you for a few hundred dollars. There are also list building systems that give you squeeze page templates.

The Incentive – The next thing you need is an incentive to subscribe to your list. People need a good reason to part with their email address. Most people are very protective of their email address. So make your “bribe” a good one!

The key to a good bribe is that is has value. Then it becomes something people want to get from you. And something from which they can derive a benefit. It could be:

• An eBook
• Some useful software
• Training videos
• An email training series

It all boils down to content. And make it both helpful and informative. It goes without saying it must be free. If you make it good enough, they will give you their email in exchange.

Once again, don’t worry if you don’t know how to create the freebie. Here again, you can hire freelancers to create this for you. You just pick the topic and they create the training. For example, you could have them write a 5-part email course. Each email will cost between $20 and $25. So, a great premium will cost you around $100 – $150.

Or again, you can find complete list building packages for sale online that include an email series. Two critical aspects of using a follow up series. The first thing is that it delivers value to your subscribers. And it’s nice if it earns you some money, too. The easiest way to do this is to market affiliate products in the emails. This is such a simple solution because you don’t have to create the product. And it enables you to generate cash right away from your new list.

The Thank You Page – Finally, you need to consider your opt-in confirmation page. After subscribing to your list, your visitor is redirected to this page. A great thing to do here is provide some immediate value. That way, they feel glad that they gave you their email address. And it helps you establish the relationship. It also makes them more likely to open your emails.

You can use a “done for you” email marketing system. You can also put the whole thing together on your own. And do your own writing for this content. Or pay a freelancer to write the content for you.

Final thoughts

It doesn’t matter if you do all of this yourself. Or if you hire people to do this for you. Or if sign up for a “complete package” solution. The key is to start building your list. Because as soon as you’ve got your own list . . . You can basically write your own meal ticket.

Everybody in Web promoting agrees that ‘the cash is in the list’.

From day one, you should be capturing leads and then communicating with your sign-ups effectively.

After all, list building is almost more important than the website … and you do not truly have to own a website to begin this essential process.

A well-established means of list building is the Joint Venture Giveaway, and you’ll be able to see one that I’m currently involved with here:

Valentine’s Giveaway

Giveaways dominate within the Web Promoting niche, however they also flourish in different in style niches like Health and MLM/Network Marketing.

In this case, the Giveaway is concentrating on video coaching resources.

The essential method is this:

A hosts sets up and advertises a JV Giveway event

Contributors sign on and add their ‘gifts’ to the website … these are sometimes e-books, software packages, audios or videos

These gifts are sometimes offered free of charge, however members have to sign up to the contributor’s email list in order to receive their gift … hence this is often a ‘list building exercise’ for contributors

Once a pre-determined period of contributors adding gifts to the location, the doors open, and members will sign up and see what is inside.

Sometimes it’s a downloading frenzy, a trolley dash where you’ll download e-merchandise at no cost … and many of them will be resold for profit

Members are inspired to push the JV Giveaway, and incentives are typically given to encourage this

Credits or commissions are usually awarded for referring folks and probably downgrade penalties if no one is referred.

Many individuals join up to Giveaway events simply to assist themselves to freebies, and there is nothing wrong with this.

If people didn’t try this, the marketers wouldn’t generate any new leads … thus a Giveaway thrives on its ‘freebie seekers’.

But, there’s no higher place to be – if you’re serious about your online business and your list building – than at the front of the queue … and that means being a contributor and taking a vigorous part in a Giveaway.

For 1st-timers, it is best to take a free listing … most, if not all Giveaway events, supply a free listing option.

At the Valentine’s Giveaway there’s even a ‘Newbies Bootcamp’ which shows you specifically how to create a initial listing at completely no value to you whatsoever … and challeges you to enroll your 1st 10 referrals to convince yourself that this method extremely works.

Once you’re convinced about the method, having ventured nothing however it slow, you can begin to get really concerned and get the additional advantages of taking an upgrade.

When you do this, you get text adverts and One Time Offers, with the power to list more of your products.

Most Giveaways are therefore moderately priced, you simply have to sell one in all your One Time Offers and you may have earned your fee back.

So, what are you waiting for??

No matter niche you are in, there’s certain to be a benefit in taking part in these Giveaway events.

Sign-up at Valentine’s Giveaway right now and convince yourself that Giveaways really are the place to be if you would like to build a list fast.

I hope to see your name at the top of the leader board at Valentine’s Giveaway!