Week 3: Getting Started Building Your First Mailing List!

This week’s lesson is probably the most important single thing you will do in internet marketing – building your list.  Why is building your list so important?  Without a list you have no business.  When you have built a huge mailing list, it is like being able to print money at the push of a button.

Say you have a new product of your own to promote or someone else’s product as an affiliate.  If you did not have a list already built, you would have a hard time making money because you have no one to send your offer to.  Once your list is built, you can send out offers whenever you need to make money.  Your entire business revolves around your list!  You will be building 3 different lists for each product that you promote:  a prospect list, customer list, and an affiliate list.

To start building your list , you will need to invest in an online tool called an auto responder.  There are quite a few of them to choose from, but with this coaching program they are recommending we use Aweber.  However, since I had already started with a different company, GetResponse, I am going to stick with that one and not follow the advice of the instructor.  Both Aweber and GetResponse are probably the top two auto responders available.   I have used Aweber before, but I cannot afford to have them both, so I will stick with GetResponse since I already have it set up.

Signing up for an account is quite easy, and with GetResponse, it is free for the first month for you to try before you buy.  Click HERE to try GetResponse!  Once you get your account set up, be sure to save your login username and password.

The first thing we need to do is create your first list.  In GetResponse, a list is called your campaign.  To start, click on the drop down menu under your account name next to the gear wheel symbol, then click on Create New Campaign.  Give your campaign a name, such as the name of your blog or promotion.  Then just follow the instructions as you go through the steps.  Once that is done, then you are going to set up your followup email or confirmation message.

The next step is to create your web form, or opt-in form.  Click on Dashboard if you have not already done so, then click on Web Forms at the top menu.  Click on Create New.  You will be presented with many different web form styles.  Pick a style that suits you and follow the on-screen instructions.   Then go to your OptimizePress Blog Settings, which is OptimizePress > Blog Settings > Modules > Side bar Opt-in > Integration Type > Choose GetResponse > The List Name.  Next, click on color scheme to choose your form design and then choose Content to make any personalized changes to the form, and finally, customize the form button.  Save settings.

To place the form on your blog, go to Appearance > Widgets > then drag your Side-bar opt-in widget to the top right side of the page.  Save and view the page to see if the form is displayed on the home page.  You may have to refresh the page to see the changes.  If you see a form on the right side at the top just under the header, then your form was successful!  Be sure to enter your name and email to test your form to be sure it is working as it should.

That concludes training for Week 3!

‘Til next time,

Rich