What are Lists and Why Do You Need to Build Them?

When I ask, "do you have a list?" what comes to mind? A to-do list? A list of groceries? Those are important lists, but not the list that matters most. If you are a Internet Marketer, or business owner, your list consists of the contact information you have for your clients.

A common mistake thatonline marketers, and business owners make is putting false belief in social media as the best way to connect with customers. If you believe this, STOP! Social media is a platform to engage your customers, but the contact information belongs to the company providing the platform. If your account is hacked, the company goes under, or they change their strategies, you may lose the access that you have to all the people you count on for your business.

Building a list that captures contact information that you store in your private database is the only way to ensure you are able to engage your clients no matter what happens - with or without social media.

You can build your list easily.

Here's how to do it: 

?  Opt ins on your website pages
?  Links to free products
?  Offer information or services in exchange for contact info
?  Ask
?  Targeted ads

Here's why to do it:

?  Building relationships with customers gets them returning to your business over and again.
?  Building relationships gives you the authority to sell to them.
?  Building relationships gives you unlimited opportunities to deliver content and opportunities to serve.
?  Building relationships gives you access to your customers any time.

Building a list takes time but finding a formula that works best for you is just a matter of taking action and seeing what works. You can even use social media to drive traffic to your list-building optin, which is a win-win when you engage your customers on various platforms.

Pro tip: Imitation is a sincere form of flattery. One of the best ways to begin cultivating a list is to emulate peers. If you see someone doing it right, find out how they do it. You can hire a virtual assistant or a business coach if you need a tutor to help you understand how to recreate the methods that grow your list.

"Your money is in your list" is a common phrase in the online industry. Take the time and the effort to build your list, and you will build a thriving community ready to learn and to buy what you have to offer.