Use Your List to Build Your List

People are interesting creatures. One thing that is true of most all people, no matter what their race, religion or sexual orientation, is that they like to know something that other people want to know and be able to share that information. It makes them look smart. It makes them appear to have inside information and they like that. Not only do they like to share information, they like to point their friends and family in the right direction.

People share all kinds of information. They tell their neighbors which plumbing company to use or NOT to use. They recommend the best barbers or beauticians. The same thing is true of subscribers to your opt-in list. They think that you are a guru or a great source of products or services or they wouldn’t be members of your opt-in list.

You need to find ways to take advantage of this human need to know what-is-what and the human willingness to share information. Most people will share information willingly and without much incentive from you but providing some incentive to share can’t hurt.

The first step is to convince your opt-in list subscribers that they really do have the inside track for success in whatever the endeavor may be. There are about a million ways to tell people that they are smart and that by being members of your opt-in list proves it. Never miss the opportunity to say so.

The next step is to get these smart members of your opt-in list to share with their friends and family and thus build your list. You can offer them incentives. For example, you might offer them a discount on a product for each person they recommend to you who signs into your opt-in list.

Another powerful way is to use a tell-a-friend script on your site. Tell your list that referring your e-zine to 4 or 6 people will earn them a free gift, and set the form to forward them to that download once they’ve completed and submitted the form. Don’t base it on the number of people who actually sign up, but rather on them referring your list to their friends. Many won’t sign up, and you need to avoid creating frustration in the readers who are trying to help you build your list.