If you have been online for any time at all, you have already heard the statement “The money is in the list” hundreds of times.  Actually there is a bit more to it than that.  The real money is in the RELATIONSHIP you build with your list.

Well, let me tell you a little story.  I have been online for thirteen years now and I am finally getting the fact that “The money is in the list”.  You see I am stubborn – you can say that I am a Taurus for a reason… I truly am a Bull when it comes to doing things my way even when my way is the wrong way! Over my years online, I have done lots of different things to generate an income; I have built Adsense sites, sold affiliate products, even built and sold my own internet marketing software products.

BUT, I never ever focused on building my list. Huge mistake… no Huge is not big enough… COLOSSAL MISTAKE.   Honestly, I have probably lost millions of dollars in revenue by not focusing on creating the single most valuable asset to any marketer; a responsive opt-in list.

Well, not any more.  Every action I take in my marketing has one single purpose in mind; drive thousands of information seeking prospects to my list and feed them with valuable content on a consistent basis. Funny thing is, the bigger my list gets and the more valuable content I feed it… the more money I make.

SO please hear me!  The money is in the list and the relationship you build with your list. Ok, now that I have beaten that idea into your head with a sledge hammer (I hope your headache goes away real fast so you can take in the rest of my message), let’s discuss the secrets and strategies to actually building your own amazing ATM, i.e. your list.

Hey, just a quick side note, when I say build your list (singular), you may actually end up with many lists for multiple purposes like home business prospects, blog subscribers, prospects interested in your primary business opportunity, and lists for each specific PPC campaign you run.

To get started on the right foot, choose a top tier autoresponder service.  My autoresponder of choice is GetResponse.  You can view a very good basic video tutorial on setting up GetResponse for your business here… autoresponder tutorial

Let’s cover the necessary functions of an autoresponder that you will need to understand so you can maximize your revenues with your list just like I do.

1. The ability to create automated messages. This ability is one of the most POWERFUL functions of an autoresponder when you are creating online campaigns.  Using the automated and times message features of GetResponse will enable you to build completely automated campaigns as DEEP as you can create content.  In other words, a single lead could opt-in to your email campaign and receive your valuable marketing messages for the next five [five what???} or longer.  The depth of the campaign is completely up to you and your ability to provide valuable content.
2. Sending Newsletter Broadcasts to Your List. This function is crucial to your success with your list.  While you have your automated messages going out on a schedule, it is still important to send out regular newsletter posts to your list.  This allows you to build a stronger relationship with your list and earn money by recommending certain promotions and services.  You should be using this function several times per week.

3. Tracking Your Leads. Inside the 'Subscribers' tab in GetResponse, you are able to check your leads.  If you set up your opt-in forms to collect phone numbers,  this function is great because you can start calling them on the phone, and building relationships with your contacts.

4. Managing Your Stats. Inside the 'Statistics' tab you can keep up with the number of leads you generate each day.  It is crucial for you to know the volume of leads you are able to create ach day as this will give you a good feel for the potential growth of your business.

While the above functions are the bulk of what you need to know about using your autoresponder, I would also like to share a couple helpful hints for using your autoresponder with ease.

• Get comfortable creating new campaigns.
• Sub-segment your lists. If you have multiple markets you're targeting, create separate lists for each market.
• Get comfortable generating your opt-in code. When you create your own capture pages for generating leads, you’ll need to generate your own opt-in code and place it on the page.
• Remove the double opt-in feature on your campaigns, so leads only have to opt in once. This will dramatically increase the number of leads that will actually end up on your active list.
• Check out the ‘Preload’ function. This feature is very helpful for copying messages from one campaign to another and can save you a lot of your precious marketing time.

So now you have on overview of the steps necessary to create your autoresponders.  Let’s move on to discussing the strategy necessary to maximize the results from your lists.

By far, the most important aspect of effective list building is building and maintaining your relationship with your leads.  This process starts the minute a new lead opts into your list.

The relationships you create with your list are very powerful and can last a lifetime.  If you take my advice in this post and implement the steps I am giving you, then you will build an extremely Powerful ASSET that will last you a lifetime.

Building a strong bond with your list all starts from the value you offer your leads. If you want a good list, then you have to provide real value to your leads. I consistently feed my list awesome content, real value, and real STORIES that build my relationship with them. I have learned very specific formula for creating this relationship, and I'm going to share it with you today.

Ok… let’s get started.

1. Generate a minimum of 2-4 months of automated messages to be sent out on a schedule to your leads from the moment they opt-in.

For all of my primary lists, I use a specific 8 day Bootcamp series where I provide them with huge amounts of value and information.

This series is delivered every day for eight days so my leads will learn to expect great content from me on a regular basis. I have found this strategy to be very effective and I would advise you to create your own series where you will offer your leads amazing value and brand yourself as a true leader in their eyes.

2. Develop the habit of consistently sending a Newsletter Broadcast to your list at least twice per week.  This is the step that most marketers fail to do and the reason they do not reap huge benefits from their lists.

No matter how small your list is right now, if you create this habit immediately, you will see amazing benefits for a long time to come. You see, by communicating with your list this way, you will be forming strong relationships, increasing your personal brand, and strengthening your influence over them as your valuable content has a positive impact on their lives and business.  All of this eventually ends up with a large percentage of your leads buying from you and working with you.

As you continue to work through this process, you will become a more confident and effective marketer.  You will soon be bringing in more and more leads and become very skilled at building relationships with everyone on your list.

Discover the power of repurposing your content. This is an amazing strategy that allows me to get the maximum benefits from every newsletter piece I create.  I simply take the newsletter content from each week and turn it into long-term messages in my email campaigns.

This simple strategy allows me to keep my campaigns growing in a natural fashion.  The cool part of this process is I normally repurpose the content to market something I want to sell.  If you’re like me, you will also find when you write your weekly newsletter, you are normally going to be writing form your heart which is always going to be your very best content. The end result is you will be adding only your very best content into your autoresponders for your future leads to read.

Please take action on the step above, I promise if you force yourself to develop this one habit, you will find achieving success in this industry to be much easier for you.

Ok, Ok, Ok…. I hear you.  Adding content to my autoresponder sounds great, BUT what the heck do I write about.  I am not a prolific author like Stephen King.

Well, while content creation is the most important piece of the puzzle and the better your content is, the better your list will perform… writing content does not have to be like walking on hot coals for a mile and blistering your feet beyond recognition.  Trust me, when I started my blog, I hated to write, but the more I do it, the better I get and the more fun I have doing it.

There are several types of content you will want to share with your readers.  The first type is known as your “Pillar Content”. This is simply your very best content and normally the content you spend the most time creating.  Your “pillar content” will be used in your autoresponder campaigns and add extreme value to the newer subscribers on your list. As a general rule, this content will automatically be branding you, while building a stronger relationship with our readers.

There are literally hundreds of ways for you to come up with content for your list…

1. Blog posts.
2. Blog posts using video, audio, or other media within them.
3. Podcasts
4. Videos on YouTube or other video networks.
5. Audio recordings
6. Recorded versions of teleseminars, or conference calls.
7. Webinars
8. Recorded webinars you have uploaded to the Internet..
9. Regular emails.
10. Specific websites you would like to recommend.
11. Interviews with other leaders via phone, conference call, or videos. (Very Powerful Content)
12. And any other good ideas that pop into your head....

I have found it is a good idea to mix in various types of content because different subscribers on my list resonate with different forms of content.

Now that you have an overview of the types of content you can create. Let’s move on to developing a successful content creation strategy.

In order to have an unlimited amount of content to send to your list, you really need to have the right mindset about content creation.  You should train yourself to be constantly brainstorming about new topics, strategies and techniques you can share with your list.

I am techy by trade so I always have my trusty iPhone with me… very cool, because it has a built in voice recorder on it so I can always note new ideas as they pop into my head while I am out and about or while I am working away on my laptop.  Once a week, I simply take all of my dictations and add them to my content creation notebook.  This process allows me to have a virtually unending amount of topics with which I can craft amazing content for my loyal readers.

I have found that I do not like to write everyday as there are so many tasks on my marketing to-do lists. So, I took some good advice from my buddy Kary Rogney and I sit down and write all of my content for each week on Mondays. Now this may not work for you, but it allows me to focus on creating my content for one full day a week and then I am off to learn new things and work on building offline relationships with my list…. Yes, I actually love talking to my subscribers on the phone or via Skype.

In order to keep my readers interested, I am constantly changing up the types of content I provide.  I will write text posts for several weeks, and then I will switch up to video posts for a few weeks, and then I will add in a post and a link to a value filled webinar.  The idea is to keep it interesting.

Along the same line, I will do several posts in a row about a form of marketing, and then I will do several posts about personal development.  I really strive to connect with all the readers on my list, and each of them will have different interests in the content and with the delivery methods I provide.  Try to keep your readers entertained so they are always anxious to receive your next post.

The important concept is to be enlightening, inspiring, entertaining and educational... and always be rotating back and forth with the types of content you provide.

One of the strategies I have used with great success in creating great content for my list is very simple, yet very powerful.  Take some time and subscribe to the lists of the best marketers in your niche. Study their emails and create swipe files of the content that resonates with you. You will be amazed at how quickly you will be able to improve the quality and quantity of the content your produce.

The last item I would like to touch on is ratio for providing valuable content versus selling to your list. Many people wonder how often they should try and sell to their list. I personally follow the 90/10 Content To Selling rule. This is a rule that I adopted from the teachings of one of my favorite master marketers, Jonathan Budd.  I watched how much value Jonathan provides to his list and the success he enjoys and I simply started following his lead.

So. I like to spend 90% of my time adding valuable content for my readers to enjoy and about 10% of the time promoting high value products and services.  I truly believe if you adopt this same formula, you will succeed far beyond your wildest dreams.

As always, I wish each of you amazing success and joy.

If you resonate with this and have some ideas or encouraging words to share, I’d love to hear from you down below. And if you think the people over on Twitter would benefit, a ReTweet is always appreciated too, and if you think your FaceBook following would benefit from these words feel free to share them with your friends.

PS  Would like to learn see how you can brand yourself with every single email you send out, increase your retention rate on your list by 500% or more, and stand out above all the other marketers in your niche, then simply fill in your name and email address in the form below and I will share my new branding domination tool with you.