We have arrived at the final installment in my series on effective list building – although this certainly is not the last word on the subject of how to build a subscriber list. What I have provided for you is a simple road map to build a responsive double opt- in or double opt-in list.

Here are the other post in this series:

Part 1: Ten-Actions-to-Build-Your-Subscriber-List-Now

Part 2: List-Building-is-a-Numbers-Game-But-Quality-Matters-Most

Part 3: How-to-Build-Your-Subscriber-List-with-Relative-Ease

Part 4: Provide-Maximum-Value-First-for-Your-Subscribers

Part 5: Create-a-Free-e-Book-and-Give-It-Away

Part 6: E-Zine-Ad-Marketing-and-Ad-Swaps

Part 7: Invest-in-Relationships-to-Explode-Your-List

Part 8: How-to-Leverage-Social-Bookmarking-Sites

Part 9: Use-Pop-Ups-to-Capture-Exiting-Visitors-to-Your-Site

Today, I am concluding the series by giving you a list of the same viral tools I use to explode my personal list and add value to my subscribers on an ongoing basis. My recommendation is to carefully ready and implement the strategies covered in the prior 9 post in this series and then leverage your efforts with the tools listed here.

Viral URL: I use Viral URL to Cloak my affiliate links and to track my affiliate campaigns. In addition to the link cloaking features in Viral URL, they also have a solo ad and safe-list mailing feature that allows you to mail to thousands of fellow members. Using solo ads and safe-list to mail your promotions is critical for newer marketers who do not have their own subscriber list.

Visit Viral URL: Free Viral URL Account

List Hero: The brainchild of list building guru Tellman Knudson, List Hero is a all in one solution to help you build a viral opt-in list.

Visit List Hero: Free List Hero Account

Super Sign Up System: I use my Super Sign Up System to add new subscribers to my list every day by giving away 12 high value e-books followed by a series of helpful follow up letters delivered by email auto-responder.  For a small one-time charge, I will give you the entire system including a sales page, 12 e-books for you to give away for instant download and a follow-up responder series for you to copy and paste for your list.

To learn more follow the link below and opt in to receive all twelve e-books and to review the Super Sign Up Series. After you have provided your name and email address you will be redirected to download your books and review the entire system

Visit My Super Sign Up System: James’ Free Give Way

AWeber Auto-Responder: I actually use three different auto-responder services in my business – more on this another time. If I was forced to only use one email auto-responder service it would be AWeber, which is the top choice by the majority of online marketers. Aweber has a variety of features such as opt-in form templates, post to blog features, and unlimited list on a single account.

To learn more about auto-responders in general and AWeber specifically, simply follow the link that follows and sign up for a free test drive.

Vist AWeber: The AWeber Test Drive

I encourage you to take action and begin building your list today. I have heard it said and agree with the thought that building a responsive subscriber list is essential to creating a successful online business. Through this series of post, I have given you everything you need to effectively build your list… so take action today.

Please be sure to leave a comment and share your thoughts on list building – let us know what is working for you or tell me your biggest challenge with list building.

I am here to help you succeed online and achieve your ideal Internet lifestyle!

(c) Copyright 2008-2010 James A. Holmes. All Rights Reserved.

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James Holmes, Global Team Builder, Coach and Trainer, combining online and offline techniques to help you grow your business. To request a free 30 minute consultation contact James by phone at 303-523-9503 or email at james@AskJamesHolmes.com

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Note: If you’d like to reprint this article on your blog or in your newsletter you have permission to do so as long as the copyright information and the resource box above remains with the article.

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List building is largely a numbers game but many marketers forget that quality matters when it comes to earning revenue with your list. If you want to monetize your subscriber list you must first provide real value for your members for free and then within your funnel convert those subscribers to buyers.

The basic formula that I teach to achieve our objective is simply offering visitors to your websites and blog sites a high value item free as a reward for opting in, I refer to this as an ethical bribe. Keep in mind that this is a reflection on your brand and for your future customers it is their first sample of the quality and value you provide. As a result you want to give away some of your BEST information. If you give your new subscribers cheap or low value products and information, they have no reason to pay for what they will perceive to be more of the same. When you provide high value information as a free gift and continue to provide quality content through your auto-responder messages, you begin to build trust by establishing your expertise and you create a desire in your subscriber to obtain more of your content and a willingness to pay for the value they receive.

Join me for this informative topic covered in depth on my Internet Business Blueprint Podcost. Here are the show details:

Show: The Internet Business Blueprint Podcast

When: Friday July 2nd at 1:00 PM EST

Web-Host: Blog Talk Radio

Show Page: http://www.JamesHolmesRadio.com

Call In Number: 1 (646) 727-3058

Chat Room Open: Yes

Listeners of the program will be given an invitation to subscribe for a free copy of my soon to be released book on list building – this will no a “free” offer as a reward to my loyal listeners. I hope you will join me for one of all of these special session.

I am here to help you succeed online and achieve your ideal Internet lifestyle!

Be sure to visit the Blog Talk Radio Site: http://blog.blogtalkradio.com

(c) Copyright 2008-2010 James A. Holmes. All Rights Reserved.

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James Holmes, Global Team Builder, Coach and Trainer, combining online and offline techniques to help you grow your business. To request a free 30 minute consultation contact James by phone at 303-523-9503 or email at james@AskJamesHolmes.com

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Note: If you’d like to reprint this article on your blog or in your newsletter you have permission to do so as long as the copyright information and the resource box above remains with the article.

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James Holmes Featured Host

I invite you to join me Wednesday June 30th, I will begin a new series of podcast on the “Internet Business Blueprint” on Blog Talk Radio. This series is titled “Effective List Building” and it will be presented in 10 episodes.

List building is a crucial piece of the success puzzle when it comes to creating a successful Internet marketing business. The bottom line is clear, you need a list regardless of which business model you choose; information product marketing, affiliate marketing, direct sales or any other the other handful of variant models you have to choose from. The bottom line is to be successful you must place your message in front of your market with consistently.

There are a variety of channels that you can use to deliver your message, but few are more effective than a responsive double opt in subscriber list of buyers who already know you, like you and most importantly have grown to trust you. Once you have a subscriber list in place, you should plan to earn one dollar for every name on your list each month. Then if your desire is to make more money simply grow a bigger list.

I have been and will continue to focus on list building for the rest of my entrepreneurial career, both in my personal business and in the training, resources and tools I produce.

Listeners of the program will be given an invitation to subscribe for a free copy of my soon to be released book on list building – this will no a “free” offer as a reward to my loyal listeners. I hope you will join me for one of all of these special session.

Visit the Show Page Here: http://www.JamesHolmesRadio.com

I am here to help you succeed online and achieve your ideal Internet lifestyle!

Be sure to visit the Blog Talk Radio Site: http://blog.blogtalkradio.com

(c) Copyright 2008-2010 James A. Holmes. All Rights Reserved.

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James Holmes, Global Team Builder, Coach and Trainer, combining online and offline techniques to help you grow your business. To request a free 30 minute consultation contact James by phone at 303-523-9503 or email at james@AskJamesHolmes.com

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Note: If you’d like to reprint this article on your blog or in your newsletter you have permission to do so as long as the copyright information and the resource box above remains with the article.

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Do you publish an e-zine? An e-zine is a web-based newsletter that is more highly designed to take on the appearance of a traditional magazine and it can be a powerful tool for building a list of loyal subscribers. Unlike auto-responder campaigns, your e-zine should be published less frequently, perhaps once or twice each month and should include information on topics beyond your business. This is the perfect format to share a little about your life in order to provide your reader with a chance to get to know you better.

E-zine ad swaps involve trading advertising exposure in your e-zine in exchange for exposure in another e-zine in your niche or a closely related niche. I recommend negotiating a direct swap making this a great free option although if the other publisher has a much larger distribution list, you may be asked to either pay a small premium or perhaps allow the other publisher two issues in your e-zine in exchange of one in theirs.

I recommend setting an objective to have two ad swaps for each issue you publish and closely monitor your opt in results by using a tracking link or promoting different pages in each e-zine. Continue to advertise in the publications that convert to opt-ins or sales and move away from those that do not. If you see traffic and opt-ins peak and begin to fall off assume that you have obtained maximum penetration of this list and begin looking for a replacement.

Focus more on building your brand and delivering value than making a sale. If you write ads that demonstrate your authority in your niche and give away a high value e-book, special report or auto in exchange for a name and email address from the reader. Keep in mind, you will have plenty of time to sell after the subscriber has joined your list, which of course if your objective.

Choosing Your Ad Swap Partners

Research e-zines in your market and trade up, meaning you should seek out better known publishers with larger list than your own.

You should choose a relevant e-zines with authority in sub-categories of your niche to partner with your ad swaps. The publishers should not directly compete with you, but be in a businesses that complement yours. By being strategic you will reach a targeted audience who are already engaged in your niche and ready to buy from you.

Most e-zines are archived online which means that the reach of your ad may grow overtime long after the campaign is complete. As a result, your ad swaps will continue to deliver traffic, build your list, and produce sales with no further financial investment.

There is a psychological key here that you must fully understand. Participating in As Swaps allows you to leverage the trust that your partner has established with his or her list as you are essentially being endorsed by the publisher. From the readers perspective, if you were not a trustworthy authority, the publisher would not be willing to promote you in the e-zine or recommend you to their list.

Trust is the basis of every mutually beneficial business relationship and it is often earned over time. By seeking first to ad value to your ad swap partners and their subscribers, you will develop true loyalty and earn the right to make recommendations of products and services that a large percentage of the list will accept and from that group many will buy.

Be patient in this process but do not wait too long to convert subscribers into buyers. You are continually training your list members with every ad you place and every e-mail you send, be sure to balance out the amount of free content you provide and the monetization offers you make as you grow your list.

How do you get started? I recommend a great set of resources by Charlie Page the editor of “Ezine Traffic Formula” get it free here and the creator of the “Directory of Ezines” membership site. These are both great resources for you to use to maximize this list building strategy. The first step is to make sure that your own e-zine is up to par – Charlie’s free book will help you to accomplish that. Then use his directory to find the best quality e-zines in your niche.

Here is the link you will need to get started:

E-zine Traffic Formula Free Offer

E-zines can really jump start your online business and they are the perfect way for marketers without a large subscriber list to place their marketing or brand message in front of thousands of qualified prospects every month.

If you decide to implement this strategy I would love to hear from you. Feel free to post your question here as a comment so that others may benefit. Likewise, once you have executed on this strategy for a couple of months, come back and let me know how it is working for you.

I am here to help you succeed!

P.S. Charlie’s book normally sells for $47 and your free download is instant!

E-zine Traffic Formula Free Offer

(c) Copyright 2008-2010 James A. Holmes. All Rights Reserved.

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James Holmes, Global Team Builder, Coach and Trainer, combining online and offline techniques to help you grow your business. To request a free 30 minute consultation contact James by phone at 303-523-9503 or email at james@AskJamesHolmes.com

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Note: If you’d like to reprint this article on your blog or in your newsletter you have permission to do so as long as the copyright information and the resource box above remains with the article.

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One of the primary purposes of your blog should be to collect subscriber names and email addresses to add to your list. The best way to achieve this is to consistently post great content to your blog to generate traffic and then offer a item of high value free in exchange for the subscribers opt in to your list. I like using either a free e-book, a seven part email course (delivered over 21 days), or a free video based product.

Let’s examine the options of offering an e-book in greater detail and take a look at a couple to tools to help you get up and running quickly. I am also going to show you a short cut used by many of top marketers on the Internet!

I. Free E-Books

Marketing free e-books is an effective way to build your list regardless if the content is your original work or work for which you have obtained “resell rights.” If you follow the recommendations found in this post, you will be able to create numerous viral funnels that will drive traffic to your blog and build your subscriber list by simply giving information away.

If marketed correctly your e-books will be viewed by thousands of Internet users over time making them viral. the more relevant the content is to your targeted audience the greater the opportunity for your e-books to be seen as valuable within your niche.

II. Write Your E-book Written

Be sure to select a relevant topic that your niche will respond to and create a high quality e-book. Just because it is to be given away for free, the subscriber is entitled to truly valuable content. Remember, you are making a first impression with your e-book.

Please understand, you do not have to be a Pulitzer Prize winning author to write an authoritative special report or e-book. Simply select a topic you know something about, do any additional research needed to create authoritative content, organize your material in a logical sequence, and write in a very instructional manner as you would be speaking to one person, make it personal to your reader.

If the idea of writing an e-book seems overwhelming you can employ a ghost writer or use resell rights for published work or private label rights products from a quality source.

Here is the shortcut I promised – use resell rights e-books.

III. Using Resell Rights

I have published an e-book titled “James Holmes Exposes Resell Rights Secrets,” which provides a number of tips to help you use resell rights to build and reward your list with relative ease. I highly recommend clicking on the link above, acquire a copy of the e-book by immediate download and take action.

IV. Quick Tips

1. There are few hard and fast rules when it comes to creating an e-book, you can provide a ten page special report or a one hundred page book – there are no limits to how you present your content.

2. Always deliver your e-books as a digital PDF, only offer to mail an e-book if it is part of a larger course that should also include recorded media, either MP files or DVDs. Your subscribers are looking for the immediate gratification of receiving your material as soon as they opt in – they will not want to wait for snail mail!

3. Be sure that your e-book is created to be viral by including several links to your website, blog, and other resources including affiliate links and your contact information. If the e-book is a free offer, be sure to provide “give-way rights” in the copy write section of your book.

4. Be sure to include a “subscribe” link in several places in your book so that anyone who ends up with a copy can easily join your list.

5. Do not stop with one e-book, you must continue to produce content on a regular basis, reward your current list members with new material and keep your offers for new subscribers fresh. The more content that you can produce and distribute online, the more traffic you will generate and the bigger list you will build.

V. Leverage Your E-books to Build Your Subscriber List

There are several ways that you can use your e-book to build your mailing list, pick one and master it:

1. Simply offer the complete e-book for free in return for your visitor’s name and email address.

2. Authoring an e-book helps to establish you as an expert in your field and builds your credibility.

3. Post your e-book on a variety of  niche sites and social media sites in order to maximize the number of opt ins and download your viral e-book receives.

4. Generate sales for your paid content such as e-books and courses by giving away the first two chapters of your e-book along with a special offer to buy the full e-book as a new subscriber.

5. Offer your paid content for free as limited “time sensitive offer” to create true urgency and deliver a valuable resource for free to new subscribers.

I welcome your comments or questions, so please feel free to leave a comment and if you like what you have read, be sure to re-tweet this post.

I am here to help you succeed!

P.S. Here is a free account that allows you to re-brand vial e-books: Get Free E-Books

(c) Copyright 2008-2010 James A. Holmes. All Rights Reserved.

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James Holmes, Global Team Builder, Coach and Trainer, combining online and offline techniques to help you grow your business. To request a free 30 minute consultation contact James by phone at 303-523-9503 or email at james@AskJamesHolmes.com

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Note: If you’d like to reprint this article on your blog or in your newsletter you have permission to do so as long as the copyright information and the resource box above remains with the article.

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Effective List Building Part 4

As an entrepreneur you are rewarded for two specific outcomes:

1. The Value You Provide

2. The Problems You solve

When it comes to list building the rewards you earn are loyal responsive subscribers who choose to remain on your list and sales of your info products, affiliate programs, business opportunities, and other resources you recommend.  My goal in this post is to help you maximize your list building activities by providing your subscribers with extreme value first, allowing you to create loyalty and solidify your relationship with your list.

Here is my strategy for adding value as a component of  effective list building!

Give Your Subscribers What They Want and Need

Be consistent and targeted with the information you send to your list. Keep in mind that you attracted your subscribers based on a invitation or item of value likely focused on a specific niche. For example, if a subscriber opted into your list for an internet marketing product, they likely will not expect you to email them information about cooking or how to restore a vintage automobile. If you work in a variety of niches, you should build separate list for each niche and only mail across all of your list when the information is relevant to the entire list.

If you email your list with targeted information that provides added value for their lives and helps them grow their businesses, you will develop loyalty and maximize your rightful opportunity to monetize your list. People like to buy from those they know, like and trust – you can develop these three qualities by seeking to add value first and monetize second.

Provide High Value Content and Resources for FREE

I have constructed “My Private Vault” to give high value resources to my list free of charge. The vault includes software, videos, audio MP3s, e-books, marketing systems, training materials and so much more. I offer literally thousands of dollars in value to my list every day in order to help them grow their businesses. You should be doing something very similar to this and then watch your list grow.

In addition to adding value to your subscribers, you can also use free items to “pre-sell” your paid products and services by providing your subscribers with a free sample of a paid product or a complete version of a paid product. By doing this you allow your list to try it before they buy it and in the long term all parties will benefit from this high value sales cycle.

Build a Quality List and Maintain it

From day one set your objective on building a quality list and maintaining your list quality as it grows. The highest quality list is a targeted list of loyal subscribers who choose to remain on your list and are responsive, meaning they choose to open your emails and follow your recommendations.

Here are 10 Key Tips to Get You Started

I have found that presenting your opt in as a “subscription” to a newsletter or inner circle list works best across multiple platforms. Keep in mind that you need to identify an opt in gift (example) worthy of attracting subscribers and then take action on the following marketing ideas.

1. Offer a free subscriptions to targeted (by niche) Ning communities
2. Offer a free subscription to popular forum members in your niche
3. Offer a free subscription to members of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter
4. Offer a free subscription through online classified advertising sites
5. Offer a free subscription in your email signature and auto reply from your email service
6. Issue press releases virally to publicize your free newsletter
7. Offer a free subscription on ALL the pages of your blog and website
8. Acquire relevant opt-in e-mail lists and introduce yourself with a free subscription creating a actual opt in
9. Offer a free subscription to members of professional associations in your niche
10. Use a “Tell a Friend” script to encourage your subscribers to spread the word and provide “gift subscriptions” to their friends

Closing Thoughts

Building a subscriber list is essential to the long term viability of your online business and creating a responsive list requires focus and commitment to adding value to your subscribers. If you follow the advice I provide in this series of post on effective list building, you will be well on your way to developing a thriving, responsive list of loyal subscribers.

Be sure to leave a comment and share this post with your friends and members of your social networks. Remember the more value you provide and the greater problems you solve the bigger your reward.

Remember, I am here to help you succeed!

(c) Copyright 2008-2009 James A. Holmes. All Rights Reserved.

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James Holmes, Global Team Builder, Coach and Trainer, combining online and offline techniques to help you grow your business. To request a free 30 minute consultation contact James by phone at 303-523-9503 or email at james@AskJamesHolmes.com

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Note: If you’d like to reprint this article on your blog or in your newsletter you have permission to do so as long as the copyright information and the resource box above remains with the article.

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Effective List Building Part 3

List Building Doesn’t Have to be Difficult

New and intermediate marketers operate under a false impression that the only way to build a list is to have a visitor opt into a subscriber form on your website or blog. Unfortunately this leads to a lack of action because they get stuck either because they don’t know how to put a web form on their site or they put the form on their site and do nothing more.

The long-term impact on the business of these marketers is a lack of sales. The longer you go without an organized and consistent list building strategy, the more difficult it will be for you to begin making real money online. If you read this blog post carefully and take immediate action, you will be on your way to building a responsive list with relative ease.

Subscription Opt In Forms an Obvious Place to Start

I believe that every serious online marketer should have a blog which services as the hub for their primary online activity. That being said, placing a web form on your blog that offers a free item of extreme value to your visitors for subscribing to your mailing list is the obvious place to start, so this is your first assignment.

Here are a few bullet points detailing how you establish a high converting subscription magnet to encourage your visitors to (join) opt in to your list.

1. Offer a valuable ethical bribe, which can be any item that creates desire from your visitor.

2. Make your form attractive using a template or custom web form. These forms can easily be created using an auto responder service such as Aweber. Refer to this blog post: Aweber Web Form Generator

3. Ensure that your subscriber form (or a subscriber form) appears on every page of your site. Depending on how a page viewer finds your site they may arrive at a page other than your home page. Most standard blog templates present a static sidebar that appears on every page. I would suggest placing your opt in form on the sidebar or in the header of your site.

4. Keep it simple to encourage an opt in by your visitors. It is best to ask for a fist name and email address only – asking for more information will lower your conversion rates with each additional question on the form.

5. Deliver the opt in gift immediate to reward your new subscriber and begin to build your credibility and trust.

Gain Organic Traffic by Creating Content

Dynamic content creation is such a big topic that it requires an entire series of post and cannot be covered here. The bottom line is that you should be posting to your blog weekly, writing articles, bookmark your site, become active in social networks, and re-purpose your content in a variety of ways.

Buying Traffic is a Solution if Your Budget Allows

If you have a sufficient budget, you can purchase traffic or subscribers from a variety of resources. I will cover this specifically in future post, but here are a few ideas. You can use pay per click, e-zine ads, solo ads, classified ads, advertise on other blogs, and purchase subscribers from list providers.

Build Your List with Your Funded Proposal

One of the most powerful ways to build a list is through a self-funded proposal. I use the Prosperity Marketing System as one of my automated funnel in addition to hosted sales pages offering a free e-book or audio mp3 files. In my opinion, having a series of self-funded proposals posted across the internet is the best free or low cost method for building a quality list.

In addition to building your list, a self-funded proposal also develops buyer among your list members allowing you to identify segments within your list most likely to purchase your products and services in the future.

Here is a Golden Nugget

You have likely heard it said that “the money is in the list,” the truth is that the money is in the buyers within your list. So providing your list members with extreme value for free in the beginning builds your trust and credibility. Once established you must convert free opt in subscribers to buyers, even for a small monetary amount such as a seven dollar special report or a paid membership to your site.

Build a Targeted List

It is critical in all aspects of your business to be very specific about your market and develop an effective message to market match. Once a visitor opts into your list, you should consistently provide them with content, products and services within their targeted areas of interest. If your subscribers suddenly find that your content and recommendations no longer fit their needs, they will simply (unsubscribe) opt out.

Recognize the Lifetime value of Your List

Having a large responsive list of loyal subscribers allows you to effectively market on a continual basis as long as you do not abuse the privilege. If you use care to market relevant products and services while consistently rewarding the loyalty of your subscribers with free reports and other bonuses, you will secure the long term viability of your business.

Be sure to provide me with feedback concerning this post and your own thoughts on effective list building. Be sure to follow this entire series and share you have discovered with your friends.

I am here to help you succeed!

(c) Copyright 2008-2009 James A. Holmes. All Rights Reserved.

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James Holmes, Global Team Builder, Coach and Trainer, combining online and offline techniques to help you grow your business. To request a free 30 minute consultation contact James by phone at 303-523-9503 or email at james@AskJamesHolmes.com

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Note: If you’d like to reprint this article on your blog or in your newsletter you have permission to do so as long as the copyright information and the resource box above remains with the article.

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