Here’s the question that’s on everyone’s mind when they start thinking about mailing lists:



“Which service should I use?”



I see this SO much in Facebook groups, and everyone chimes in with their favourites. Hey – no judging, I’ve done it too – but now I know better I can advise you better! You might have even wondered this yourself, and maybe even spent a few hours (or days, or weeks – hello, ideal procrastination tool!) researching your options.



Stop!



This is not the question you should be asking (yet).

 And it’s exactly why so many of us get stuck in the planning stage of list building. 

The First Step in List Building

Before you even start to think about tools, you really need to ask yourself this:



“How can I best serve my market?”



Whether you call yourself a business owner, a freelancer or an entrepreneur, and whether your customers are other business owners, new mums, bloggers, or youth pastors, they have a need that only YOU can fulfill.

And when you discover what that need is, you’ll have two valuable pieces of information:


  • 
What incentive will be a true no-brainer for your ideal client to opt-in to your list?
  • 

How can you use your mailing list to provide the best value for those who join your list?  



Don’t over-think these questions, though. Your opt-in incentive can be as simple as a resource guide or a short how-to video that answers a common question. You don’t have to go overboard with dozens of downloads and a 100-page ebook.

Rather than providing value, these massive downloads are more likely to overwhelm your reader than encourage them to learn more. 

Or just as bad, they will sit in their inbox waiting for a time that they can properly digest your amazing information (and that time may never come).

When it comes to providing value to those people who have subscribed to your list, keep three things in mind:



  1. Regular communication is a must (consider an autoresponder series if you’re not good with scheduling email updates)


  2. Marketing is second to information—too much selling will cause your opt-out rates to soar.


  3. It’s your responsibility as a thought leader in your market to distill and provide the information, tools and products your audience needs.



“What is my list-building goal?”



How will you be using your list?

Will you:



  • Send a weekly or monthly newsletter? 


  • Create an autoresponder series that delivers content on a pre-determined schedule? 
  • Use affiliate links as an income generator? 


  • Promote your own services and products? 



The answers to these questions will help you determine not only the right tool for your list-building needs, but will also determine the path for your ongoing mailing list content, promotions, and growth.

Interested in finding out more about creating an irresistible opt-in that people can’t help but THROW their emails addresses at you? Join We Think CEO – The Member’s Club for a detailed training on this and so much more!