Six Steps To Six Figures With List Marketing

by Jimmy D. Brown

 

The fortune is in the list.

 

If you had a dollar for every time you've heard that said, well, you'd already have a fortune! :-)

 

However "broken-recordish" it may sound, it IS a truthful statement. The fortune REALLY IS in the list.

 

Fact is, if you possess the knowledge of how to grow and profit from opt-in lists, you can pretty much write your own ticket.

Now, to be sure, list marketing has MANY parts. Throw in words like "autoresponder", "opt-in page", "conversion", "open rate", "delivery", "offers", "permission", "bounce", "white / black list", "call to action", "personalization", "subject line", "confirmed", "click-thru / click-thru rate", "targeting", "unique click", "hard / soft bounce", "demographic", and "campaign", along with a gazillion other terms, and it's easy to see why so many people don't ever get to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

While there are many parts, I believe there is only ONE system.

 

It's not "my" system, it's THE system.

Everyone uses the same basic system. Some do it better than others. Some understand it better than others. Some explain it better than others. But, at the end of the day, it's the same system.
Now, I'm going to explain this system to you in my own proprietary way that no one else on the planet uses. Remember, it's the same system - it's just my unique way of explaining that system.

And, along the way, I'll talk about each of the six parts of the system and share some insights that are also exclusively my own.

 

I call this universal system the "List P.R.O.F.I.T. System™" and I've been using it myself since 1997 (and using it SUCCESSFULLY since August 2000).

 

There are six steps in the system and - if you master them - you CAN easily make six figures online with nothing but your list.

 

The components of the List P.R.O.F.I.T. System™ are...

P - PROMOTE your list. R - REWARD the optin. O - OFFER a proposal. F - FIXATE attention. I - INITIATE a response. T - THWART the filters.

Now, I'm going to briefly explain each of these six steps in the remainder of this lesson.

 

Let's begin...

 

P - PROMOTE your list.

First things first, you need to get people to your site so they can join your list and give you permission to begin mailing to them. Obviously, it provides no value to you if you have a great list in place and no one knows about it.

In the List P.R.O.F.I.T. System audio course at www.ListProfitSystem.com I share one of the BEST ways to drive traffic to your opt-in page as we look at "P PROMOTE your list" in greater detail.

For now, I want to instill in you the great necessity of putting list-building at the forefront of every business action you complete online from this day forth.

 

Seriously, there is nothing you will do that is of more benefit to you than getting people to join your list.

 

Because of the great significance of building your list, it is important that your every move be towards ushering more people to your opt-in page.

 

And I mean, in EVERYTHING.

 

Write this following sentence down on a post-it note and put it in a spot very near your computer:

 

“Everything I do must work towards list building.”

Listen to me carefully: when you hear or think or see the word "traffic" from this point on you think of directing that traffic to your opt-in page as your primary course of action. End of discussion.

• Don't promote that affiliate link until AFTER you've gotten them on a list!

 

• Don't sign off your post at a forum with a link to a sales page. Point it to your opt-in page!

 

• Don't buy advertisements to promote a product or a service or an offer - use ads to build your list!

The important thing that I want to stress is this: everything you do must work towards building a list. You have to have that mindset as you are growing your business. Ask yourself the question "How can I use what I am doing right now to add more contacts to one of my lists."

Promote your list. That's objective number one. Always. That doesn't change. Ever. Got it?

 

R - REWARD the optin.

Now getting people to your opt-in page and getting them to join your list are two different things. Once you've got traffic to your opt-in page, you need to convince people to "opt-in" to your list.

That is, get them to join your list of their own free will. Usually, this involves giving away a mini-course, report or newsletter from your web site. All you need is..

- An Attention Grabbing Title. (I wrote a lesson once to offer as an incentive to get people to join my list. I could have chosen "4 Keys to Successful Email Promotions" for that article, but is that as attention-grabbing as the one I went with ... "How to Pull in As Much Profit As Your Wallet Will Hold From Opt-In Lists"?)

- A Handful of Bulleted Benefits. (A short list of 4-6 desirable things subscribers will learn if they join your list. Think "what's in it for me?")

- An Opt-In Submission Form. (Your autoresponder system will provide this for you.) In the third lesson of the List P.R.O.F.I.T. System audio training, I'll talk more about designing your opt-in page, including WHERE your opt-in call to action should take place for best results. (In fact, I'm going to talk about how to get as high as 90% of your visitors to join your list!)

The important thing is to "reward the optin" - in other words, give your visitors some compelling reason to join your list right now.

 

That's a mouthful of a statement - and perhaps you didn't catch it all - so let me say it again in super slow motion...

1. Give your visitors
2. Some compelling reason
3. To join your list
4. Right now.

When people arrive at your site, they are skeptical. They've got their guard up. They're probably shaking their heads side to side before they even read your headline. They've seen it all before, and they've been punched in the mouth by every scammer out there. And they think you're next in line.

You've got to convince them to TRUST you enough to let you into their lives enough to hand you their name and email address.

And you've got about 60 seconds to do it.

So, " give your visitors" (Not even a HINT of you're selling something) "some compelling reason" (Anticipated results) "to join your list" (Proof of your claims) "right now" (A reason for urgency).
That's what it means to "reward the opt-in".

And in lesson three of the List P.R.O.F.I.T. System audio course at www.ListProfitSystem.com I'm going to give you a step-by-step, detailed blueprint (I seriously could be selling this for $27+) of exactly how to get people to join your list. I'll explain how to "give your visitors some compelling reason to join your list" in a simple way that you'll have up and running in half an hour tops.

That brings us to "O"...

 

O - OFFER a proposal.

Let me make a statement LOUD and CLEAR right here. (If you're a greedy, selfcentered, get-all-you-can-get, drain 'em dry kind of person, here's your warning to stop reading. Or, better still, keep reading 'cuz you probably need it)...

There are many ways to profit from your list while providing a valuable service to your list members.

In other words, being a list owner is SO MUCH MORE than just firing out offer after offer. I am sick and tired of seeing "offer harlots" out there who lure people onto a list only to promote a new offer every single day to unsuspecting people.

Sure, adults are adults and they've got the good sense to unsubscribe anytime they want and move on to something else. But, all too often, inexperienced folks get sucked in by the smooth talker with the marketing mumbo jumbo and they hit "unsubscribe" well after they've maxed their credit cards.

Listen, I'm all for making money. I've got a beautiful home. I drive a BMW Roadster Convertible. I travel a lot. I'm all for making money. But NOT by tricking, cajoling, misleading or manipulating others at a breakneck pace of an offer an hour.

There's a point to this, so stay with me.

The "O" in the system is " Offer a proposal". Sometimes that will be a solo mailing for an offer. There’s nothing wrong with that. As long as you're not constantly telling your subscribers "you gotta have this" and "you gotta have that" and "this is the best thing I've ever seen" every fifteen minutes, I’ve got no problem with your approach to email marketing.

------ Sidebar ------

Let me point out something to YOU as the list owner. If you become an "offer harlot" (Someone who does nothing but blast out offer after offer to his or her list just to make money - in most cases, having never used the product or service offered themselves) sooner or later you'll find that you don't have a list.

Trust me here. Not only do you do your subscribers a disservice, but you harm yourself financially by ruining your reputation and running your list into the ground until it's no longer a viable asset for you.

------ Sidebar ------

BUT, learn this: I said offer a " proposal". There are MANY ways to make money from your list that don't have anything to do with "buy this, buy this". In fact, quite a few of them are actually BETTER generators of revenue.

Let me just give you a quick example:

Let's suppose you're getting ready to begin working on a new product. Think of all the ways your list members could be beneficial to you in just this one example alone...

• They could advise you on what "topic" to focus on in creating your product. (What better indicator of a product to create than the very list of folks who are most likely to buy it from you?)

• They could submit their "most asked questions" for you to answer in your content. (Again, giving you greater opportunity to sell the completed product - AND helping you actually outline the product.)

• They could participate in the content creation. (By submitting their "top tips". Some could be interviewed if they have experience. Some could be guinea pigs to try out your system. Some might have talents such as editing and proofreading and formatting and graphic design they would be willing to exchange for a copy of the completed product. Etc.)
• They could offer testimonials. (Offer a review copy to the first 20 who respond. Or, send out a free copy email to the first 20 on your list. Get their testimonial and add it to your salespage or send it to your list.)

• They could become partners on launch day. (It could be as simple as mentioning your course to folks in their favorite forum to a full blown affiliate attack.)

And those are just a few ideas for one specific function.

 

Very few people understand the tremendous value in their list.

Very few people get that. They think they do, but they really don't. They see it primarily as a list of "potential customers". Your list is so much more than that. It's an entity of its own. It's a network of influence that can create fame and fortune for you if you tap into its almost magical powers. It's a machine that just needs you to treat it appropriately and set it into motion.

There are many, many ways to make money from a list without sacrificing your integrity or the well-being of your subscribers.

In lesson four of the List P.R.O.F.I.T. System audio course, I'm going to share with you one simple thing you can do with your list that will skyrocket your profit greater than anything else, second to none. It is simply THE BEST WAY to make money from a list and it has absolutely nothing to do with trying to sell them something. So, that's coming. You're not going to want to miss that.

But, there's even more to the system...

 

F - FIXATE attention.

 

When your emails successfully arrive at the inboxes of your subscribers, another task awaits - getting them to actually open your message and read it.

This is going to depend upon your " subject line". It is paramount that your subject line be intriguing enough to convince your readers to stop what they are doing and take a look inside.

One way to get this done is to create a swipe file of email subject lines that have convinced YOU to read the messages and then modify those subject lines for your own use.

Ex. I received an email that had the subject line of "This affiliate tip is almost too easy" that caught my attention and forced me to read the associated message.

 

This subject line could easily be used in a variety of different niches...

• This dieting tip is almost too easy
• This time management tip is almost too easy
• This marriage saving tip is almost too easy

In just about anything that has to do with "marketing" of any kind, one of the recommendations that you hear over and over again is to "create a swipe file".

 

In other words, create a file of examples and case studies and exhibits of other successful ads, headlines, testimonials, guarantees, claims and so forth.

The idea is to build a file of the best examples you can find to refer back to when creating your own ads. You would use the swipe file to generate ideas and even modify for your own use.

You've probably already heard this before, right? Well, what you haven't heard before is what I'm about to tell you.

Revealed: I've got a simple little technique that you can begin using right now and build a huge swipe file in 48-72 hours automatically without spending a penny. (I first shared this in my ground-breaking course, Subject Line Secrets. Click Here for details on the course.)

1. In fact, you'll be able to create a swipe file of the best email subject lines from the top marketers in the world! You'll be able to see exactly what the best of the best marketers are doing with THEIR email subject lines to learn from what they DO, not just what they SAY.

2. You can also see how niche marketers in all walks of life are using email subject lines to convince non-marketers like "70 year old grandmas who love gardening" to open up their email messages and read.

3. Finally, you can "spy" on your competition and see how they are using email subject lines to tap into the same exact target audience that you are focusing on in your own email marketing.

And, all the while, you'll be building a large database of the best email subject lines on the planet to use in generating ideas and spinoffs for your own campaigns.

Sound good? I'm telling you the truth. This one single tip right here is worth a fortune.

 

Here it is: Go to Hotmail.com or Yahoo.com and get a free email account. You will NOT want to use your regular email address for this.

Sign up for a free email account and then join DOZENS, even HUNDREDS of lists in every imaginable topic. Start with marketing lists. Then, join lists in as many different niche topics as you can think of, especially those you are interested in. Find your competition and join their lists.

1. Join newsletters.
2. Subscribe to ecourses.
3. Opt-in for free reports.
4. Register for free telesminars and webinars.
5. Register for free prizes.

Of course, you can find various lists to join by searching for "Keyword + newsletter" such as "marketing newsletter" or "dieting newsletter". Or, use the variable of "ezine" such as "travel ezine". You can also search for lists to join at various ezine directories online which you can find through Google.com

A couple of other places that I recommend you look are the Clickbank marketplace and Google Adwords. The reason being is because you'll find a lot of different niches where MARKETERS are actively working and THEY almost always offer lists at their sites.

Now, after you join as many lists as you can - again, using the free email address
- you login in a few days, and you'll have dozens upon dozens of emails waiting in your inbox.

Look for the subject lines that get YOUR attention . Look for the subject lines that make YOU want to open up and take a look inside. Look for the subject lines that create curiosity and are irresistible. Store those in a folder on your computer and delete everything else.

Once a week or so, log in to your free email account and do the same thing again
- look for the best subject lines. In just a few days you should have as many compelling subject lines as you can possibly want for your swipe file.

Print them out, put them into a folder and you've got a tremendous resource compiled from the sharpest marketers in the world right there at your fingertips
anytime you want to fire out a mailing to your own list.

Use your swipe file to generate ideas and variations for your forthcoming messages. I'm being honest with you, this is THE best way to get a free email marketing education in the art of crafting great subject lines -- by observing what other successful list owners are doing and then modeling your own email campaigns after theirs.

Now, having said all of that, in lesson 5 of List P.R.O.F.I.T. System audio course, I'm going to share a simple idea that I found out about literally by "accident" that gets subscribers to open email messages EVERY TIME it is used. Seriously, I get the most action from emails that I use this particular strategy on than I do any other mailings.

(Note: So, why don't I use it every single time I do a mailing? Simple: It would stop working if I beat it to death. I use it for those emails which are especially important to me that I really want a great response to - and I pull out my secret weapon to blow away the competition.)

I'll share what it is and how YOU can use it (for free) to see your most important mailings get the maximum results.

 

Now, on to the "I" of our system...

 

I - INITIATE a response.

 

When you have convinced your subscribers to open your email message and read its contents, you gotta get them to respond.

You want them to take action. Click a link. Go somewhere. Ultimately, do something that's going to make you money.
One of the best ways to accomplish this is summed up in a simple catch phrase I've been teaching for years: "useful, but incomplete".

It simply means this: your messages must provide content that is " useful" to your subscribers (otherwise, they'll unsubscribe faster than you can say "oops"!), but is also "incomplete" in that there is some additional offer that could enhance or maximize that content.

Example . You might write an article that shares "7 Ways to Profit With Autoresponders" to send to your list. That's "useful" information to those who are interested in that particular topic. It's also "incomplete" because they need an autoresponder service to put the information into action. That's your cue to promote your recommended autoresponder service.

Now, we're going to talk a bit more about " useful, but incomplete" in the sixth lesson of this series as I give you a crash course in "email copywriting" that's never been shared before anywhere publicly.

People often ask me how I get such great results from my mailings.

Trust me, it's not that I have a watch swinging back and forth to get you in some kind of hypnotic trance. It stems from "useful, but incomplete" and involves a very specific (but simple) email copywriting formula that I have been using successfully since 2000. We'll talk about that in lesson six.

For now, I want to quickly mention something that's oftentimes talked about - but not really. It's sometimes said out loud but only for appearance purposes. Some folks will say aloud, "Give your subscribers real value" while quietly passing you a note under the table that reads, "I'm just saying that so they feel good. Sell to them, sell to them, sell to them!"

If you want anything out of your list, you've gotta put something into your list. And that is "value". By the time you finish this course, I'll guarantee you that you'll be ready to buy whatever I ask you to buy. Why? Because you'll KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have provided useful information to you. You'll be genuinely moved by my sincere effort to give you quality lessons, and you'll reciprocate by spending a few bucks with me.

(Or, you're a freebie seeker and you'll never buy from me or anyone else and you'll wonder why no one is buying from you.)

 

If you learn nothing else from this lesson, learn this –

The real secret to getting staggering results from your email marketing is to make a difference in the lives of your list members by giving them something they can use.

When you provide valuable content and resources that your subscribers see results from, you won't be able to stop them from taking actions that make you money.

It begins and ends with your commitment level to them. It begins and ends with what you can do for them, not what they can do for you.

Seriously, you build loyalty by providing value to your subscribers. If they're able, they'll buy. If they can't buy, they'll participate in your project. They'll answer your surveys. They'll defend you at the forums. They'll recommend you when they can. They stay subscribed long after they've hit the "remove" link on other lists. They'll be loyal. And you can't put a price on loyalty. Making money is on autopilot when you have your subscribers' loyalty.

Let me give you a quick example: When everyone is buzzing about a new big product release in the internet marketing world, I actually have people come to me and say "Jimmy, what's your affiliate link. I'd like to buy it through you." Why would someone go out of their way to buy from me - without me even asking? Because they're loyal. And why are they loyal to me? Because I've been loyal to them in providing useful content lesson after lesson.

See how to "I - Initiate a response"?

If you've been paying attention, you'll see that I just gave you a tremendous clue to getting people to respond. If you weren't paying attention, re-read this section where I talked about providing "Value".

Don't move on to the final step in the system until you've figured out "value".

 

On to "T"...

 

T - THWART the filters.

You've done a lot of great things so far. You've got people to your site. You've convinced them to join. You've prepared a proposal. You've crafted a great subject line to get them to open up and read. You've got something inside the email that will get them to take action.

What happens if they never see your email at all?

 

There are three forces working against every single mailing you send out to your list:

1. SPAM filters and their “false positives.” Here’s the big one. A recent study shows that as high as 46% of permission-based email messages are being BLOCKED by the Top 15 ISPs in the country. The problem is generally what is referred to as “false positives". You send a mailing. The ISPs SPAM filtration system recognizes a word in there (as simple as “free”) and determines your email must be SPAM and automatically deletes it. It doesn’t matter that the subscriber requested it. They never even see it.

2. Subscribers and their “mass deletions". Of the increasingly small number of email messages that actually do make it into the inboxes of the recipients, another challenge awaits. It’s what I call “mass deletions". All of your subscribers have likely done it at one time or another. They check their email. There are fifty messages sitting there and most of them are SPAM. They quickly scan them, select a group of them and hit DELETE. And, in the process, your legitimate email that they requested is accidentally deleted with the SPAM messages. You made it to their inbox, but they never even see it.

3. Competitors and their “constant mailings". If your email message is lucky enough to make it past the SPAM filters and past the accidental deletions, you’ve got yet another problem. This time it’s your competition. See, you aren’t the only one sending out mailings to John Q. Subscriber. Your competition (even if it’s not PRODUCT competition, it’s TIME competition!) is also trying to get their attention. And, here’s the thing: your subscriber only has so much time in his day. He is only going to read so many emails before he moves on to something else. Will it be your email, or your competition's email?

It is estimated with some lists less than 10% of your subscribers are actually reading your email messages!

 

You simply must get your messages delivered or no one benefits.

In lesson seven of the List P.R.O.F.I.T. System audio course, I'm going to share with you a tremendous method for getting your messages delivered properly. I'm going to show you how to beat the filters, beat the mass deletions and beat your competition. It's absolutely critical that you put that lesson into practice regardless of what you do with the other information I'm sharing. If your messages aren't delivered, you've wasted your time.

Now, I