Internet marketing Guru’s swear by them, and you’ve no doubt heard the phrase “the money’s in the list” more times than you care to acknowledge. Certainly running an email list can be lucrative, but why is it so lucrative, and how can you build a mailing list that not only increases sales, but increases your website traffic as well?

Why running a mailing list can increase sales

It’s statistically proven that on average a person must be exposed to a website or offer 7 times before they’ll make a purchase. While the underlying reason for this fact is not as clear as the “magic number” itself, running a mailing list allows you to keep your primary offer in front of perspective buyers until they purchase or they unsubscribe from your list.

Of course, a mailing list that is sent to potential consumers that is blatantly sales-focused will undoubtedly suffer from a high unsubscribe rate. Giving your potential customers value amongst subtle recommendations is a much better practice than blasting advertisements with no real value to their email inbox every other day. Get to know your subscribers and know what kind of questions that they are asking; if you cater to their needs with free information or free resources, over time they will learn to trust your insight and will be more likely to act (purchase a product or service) based on your recommendation alone.

Running an email list can increase website traffic

This fact is directly related to what we shared above; giving your email list subscribers value. You don’t have to give away the farm, so to speak, in order to give value to your email list, simply by knowing they type of information that your subscribers are looking for and providing the answers to their questions without coming across as trying to get into their wallets will undoubtedly help to increase trust in your relationship.

As your mailing list grows, you’ll see the positive effects of your relationship with your mailing list. Not only will this help to increase sales for your personal products and products or services that you are promoting as an affiliate, you’ll notice that your subscribers will frequent your website more often, undoubtedly looking for more insight that you’ve proven that you can give.

Creating a profitable mailing list

People who initially subscribe to your email list do so with the assumption that you have something valuable to provide them. They are looking for answers, and they think that you have the solution. By catering to the needs of your mailing list subscribers, you are establishing a name for yourself where you are seen as helpful and trustworthy. When you’ve established yourself as a helpful and trustworthy individual, people will naturally pay close attention to what you have to say. When people are listening closely, they’ll receive your suggestions for a certain product or service as advice given from a trusted friend, thus much more likely to buy a product or service than if they’re casually browsing a website.

Running an email list is really like starting a relationship with somebody. Successful relationships are not all about giving advice; they’re about listening to what your friend has to say. Undoubtedly, if you take the time to listen to what your subscribers are asking, you’ll build a solid relationship with them, and at that point you will be able to say from firsthand knowledge that the money is, in fact, in the list.