How To Create a Targeted Email List

Creating a targeted email list means finding the people searching with a purpose.  So it’s not really about the number of people on your list, this is about finding the people most interested in what you have to offer.

I’d much rather build an email list of 50 targeted subscribers than a list of 1000 subscribers that aren’t quite sure what they’re looking.

Here’s how to create a targeted email list that contains subscribers that are targeted specifically to what you’re about.

1.  Be Niche Focused Yourself

If your business or topic is too broad you’ll be covering such a broad range of things that it will be hard for you to appeal to all your readers.

I have a skin care website that covers about 7 topics of skincare.  The person with acne that subscribes to my newsletter will probably opt-out once I start sending information on anti-aging skincare.  Yep, it’s one of my earlier sites where I made the mistake most newbie marketers make :-\

If I”m not focused and my reader’s not targeted, I’m out a subscriber.

2. Know Who Your Audience Is and what they are looking for

You have to know who your audience is and get in front of them in their Environment.

So let’s start with who your audience is?

Before you can attract the people you want to attract you have to know who they are, right?

Who is the perfect customer to buy your product?  What is their age, sex, income, etc.?  What problems do people have that your service or product can solve, and finally what is your target customer looking for from your product or service.

For example,  if I’m selling strollers, who’s likely to buy them?  Moms right?  Specifically moms in their 20′s and early 30′s.

So how do you talk to a 20 year old mom?  How do you appeal to her, what does she like, dislike and need?  Those are questions you need to answer in order to connect with her so she’ll buy.

Answer these questions and you will know how to appeal to your audience in a way they’ll be compelled to buy.

If you’re not clear on how to really know who your target market is here’s a target market free guide that will clear it all up for you.

3. Create a free offer that compels visitors to subscribe

People aren’t simply going to sign up for your newsletter or opt-in just because they see a sign up box on your site.  They’re going to need a good reason to give up their name and email address to you.

That’s where a compelling offer can make all the difference.  Most compelling offers comes in the form of a free ‘how to’ guide, a free tips resource, e-course or creating a special report.   Once you’ve created your free offer, boost your opt-ins and create a squeeze page that will highlight your free offer and add a few more compelling reasons to opt in.

4. Next, Get in front of your target market in their environment

I have two favorite ways of getting in front of my target market that helps build my email list:

- Do an email list exchange with other sites in your niche.

For example, let’s say you had a free guide on how to market articles.  Start by researching the web for other internet marketing sites and ask them if they’d be interested in offering your free guide to their email list.  In return you can offer a valued resource that they have to your list.

Don’t look for sites that are in direct competition with you, instead look for sites in your general niche that would have subscribers that may be interested in your free resource.

Not every webmaster will take you up on your offer, so don’t let that discourage you, but those that are interested will help you expand your reach considerably.

- Do Guest Blogging

Guest posting on blogs is another one of my favorite ways to create as well as expand my email list.

Most bloggers love getting good guest posts.  It saves them from writing a post themselves and it gives their blog a little different flavor having someone else write for them from time to time.

If I can get just one guest blogging opportunity a week I can expand my reach considerably for the month.  Especially if the blog owner does a good job of social networking their blog posts.

In the byline of your guest post don’t include a link to your home page, instead write a resource box that encourages the reader to sign up for your email list, so refer the reader to your opt-in or email sign-up page.

Here are some article resource box examples that will double as guest posts resource boxes.

As I mentioned before,  getting subscribers on your list isn’t the tough part, it’s getting the most qualified subscribers, the ones directly targeted to what you have to offer.

That means being niche focused yourself, knowing who your audience really is and then getting in front of them in their environment.