List Building Dominance
Damian Leon Reveals Insider Strategies From the Top List Builders In The World

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

There is no shortage of products and services which can teach you to market online, build your list for opt in marketing, and get traffic- and most have very compelling sales processes attached of course! Remember though what we need to ask ourselves, first every day, is what are our core activities that generate the most revenue?

It can really be summed up by: how many people you’re reaching, and the value you’re providing to those who you’re reaching. That’s leverage and value. What you earn is determined simply by those two things.

One observation I had early on, is to not let the buzz words suck you in, and away from your objective. For example, some may disagree, but to get bogged down in Facebook and Twitter- when you could be concentrating on drawing quality traffic to your opt in pages, would be a mistake.

I would rather be rich than cool, and I hope you would feel the same! Interestingly enough, it was Dr. Joe Vitale who said he attributed almost all his success in marketing to something as old fashioned as Article Marketing, which is a technique I love myself.

You see, what happens many times is that we are actually procrastinating when we are looking for the next new magic bullet that will solve our traffic and list building issues.

Again, usually it’s an avoidance of work, and secondarily an avoidance of the creativity and vision which is required to always improve and automate your processes for traffic and list building as you move forward.

Never forget this, to ask yourself is the activity you’re doing today help you to provide more value to an ever increasing number of people.

Here’s some concrete examples of exactly the RIGHT type of activities which will increase the two variables of leverage and value and make you more money:

1) Create a Squeeze Page (Opt-In Page) If you haven’t already done so! It should have a free gift on it, with nice images and short but effective benefit oriented copy. If you don’t have this, this is where to start. You can either make the gift (eg: write a report, record a video) or have it made for a low cost by an outsourcer. Alternatively you can join up to one of the many PLR sites on the Internet (just search Google) The one I prefer is in my Special Report below). Remember, you need to give something first to get.

2) Write articles about your niche, that help people and answer commonly asked questions and provide benefits they’re after. Remember, to you’re your top keyword in each article, which is anchor text (eg the link is behind the keyword- pointing to your squeeze page)

3) Remember, the articles will be  on the Internet nearly forever, so remember, quality counts. You can get these written inexpensively by many sources, just search online.  Either way, don’t be your own worst bottleneck in your business!

4) Distribute the articles using ArticleMarketer.com, MyArticleNetwork.com, and other tools like SeNuke. Remember, you need to Syndicate (which means broadcast them to multiple sources all in one go!)

5) Rework the content into other forms: PR Releases, Video, Audio, etc.- Remember, do the work once and leverage it over and over.

6) Get about 40 articles out there, by the above methods, all drawing traffic to your opt-in page. The great thing about articles is that everyone needs content, so they will soon post links to your articles on THEIR sites, pointing back to your Opt-In (Squeeze) Page.

7) Google will love this. Your Opt-In Page will start to rise in the ranks and you’ll see lots more traffic after a few weeks of consistent effort. The awesome thing is this traffic just keeps coming, and it’s pretty much free traffic, after that first investment of time and money to get things moving.

8) You become an authority on the subject at hand. The more articles you have out there of quality (like this one), the more respected your name or your organization’s name will be in the world.

9) People buy from people they know, like and trust, and from people they respect. As your name or organization name becomes more well known, sales will increase naturally.

Keep reading to get my specific step by step strategy in my free report below!

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

To early adopters of the Internet, selling pure information and tools was enough. These long sales letters with lots of text worked well, because again many these early adopters were detail-oriented and technical.

Internet marketing and opt-in email marketing today is a lot different. The change has been coming for a long time, but really accelerated after the premier of Youtube in 2006. Once video made it to the Internet in a large way, complex subjects could be conveyed to a mass audience in an effective way like never before.

Furthermore, as a result of the Internet becoming a richer environment, people started watching TV and other broadcast media less, and centering their experience on the computer.

Remember, even if your information is the best, in today’s market, you need to entertain and get the visual attention of your audience in as many encounters with them as possible, to build the bonds necessary for trust.

This is not meant to say compromise of the quality of information, not in the least. But couple it with visually interesting elements like graphics and video, and remember to entertain as well as to inform.

For example, stories are entertaining, and personal stories can be linked into your content where appropriate. This does a few things at once builds a bond, entertains, and informs.

Remember, customers like to buy, but they hate being sold. Information overload of features is a way of overselling.

Instead of creating this perception, why not create the perception of personal attention and warmth. Not just a perception to be clear, but be sincere in this aim.

People want to buy, they really do. In fact they are extremely eager to pay for things that they truly feel comfortable with and emotionally attached to, and that they feel can work for them.

How can you make them feel, that yes, this really can work for me?

Realistic and hopeful testimonials which convey the good feeling similar people had with your organization and solution, is the key. People are wary of overly-hyped claims but what they really do respond to 100% is the sincere appreciation others pass on about your organization.

This goes into referral and relationship marketing, which generates a lot of trust and creates buyers.

You don’t need to passively wish for this environment to come about. You can set it up to occur naturally and build on itself.

For example, why not setup a testimonials@yourcompany.com email box to always be there to collect testimonials. Another idea, why not collect a video testimonial of an especially happy customer, by mailing them a small inexpensive camera as a gift to capture it on (less than $100).

As the testimonials come in, note that conditions created them, and focus on how you can replicate them over and over. Then, continue to ever improve your opt-in pages and sales pages, by inserting these testimonials in strategic places they’ll look.

In the order of effectiveness of testimonials, video works best, followed by audio with picture of person, followed by text with picture, then followed by text alone (which is the least effective.)

Remember though, no matter what, NEVER make up any testimonials or names. This just isn’t right and will shatter any trust that you’ve built up in your business- which really is your number one asset!

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

Remember customers are looking to go through a process of micro-commitments throughout their relationship with you.

What’s the first psychological hurdle that they face in the beginning of your relationship? It’s the exchange of information and giving up a little bit of their privacy in exchange for some introductory value that you can provide for them.

What is the main question that is on the mind your potential customer base? Basically, is it simple, can I do it, and does it really work?

What’s the easiest way to answer these fundamental questions for your prospects in your email marketing opt in campaigns?

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression that it’s not what you say, it’s what they say that matters. And this applies directly to this situation. Nearly all potential opt-ins understand that there is a sales process involved somewhere down the line, so we want to build trust with them, even from the beginning.

So, of course, we want to provide them with a free gift of value at the beginning that solves an immediate problem they’re probably having.

But how you can disarm suspicions right up front, and build some real trust? Well as mentioned before it’s not what you say, it’s more what they (or their peers) say, that lends the most credibility.

Inserting short testimonial quotes into each stage of the process, is very effective. Not many people are teaching this at the moment, but why not insert a short warm testimonial right into your opt-in page? This will show that real people are having great results with this process, and it’s not just another place that wants to collect your information.

So, again what people want to know about any product, service, or even free information in exchange for their details, is that it’s simple, it works, and it can work for them.

So, in the documented results that you put in make sure to put specific numbers, amounts, and timeframes. For example don’t put that you can lose 20 pounds with this product.  Instead state something like the average customer has lost 18 pounds within 4 weeks on the program, and kept it off.

What is specific is powerful. Putting a first name of a real person on testimonials, makes it even that more specific and real.

Remember, what you are selling first of all, is hope. Hope that there is a way out there for them to move past their problem or achieve the result they’re looking for. Hope that it will really work for them, just as in the way they’ve been inspired by the stories or mini-testimonials you’ve exposed them to so far.

So, what makes a good testimonial. Well believe it or not, the best testimonials do not necessarily need to be huge results that blow people’s minds.

Think a bit deeper. How will people FEEL once they’ve had a result, whatever that means to them personally. At the core level, why do people buy in your niche, and for your particular product or service.

At the end of the day, the answer to that is probably similar no matter what you’re marketing. They are buying hope, the promise of a better and happier life, a chance at satisfaction, and the motivation to press through their problem toward what they want.

So, that goes back to why testimonials don’t have to overwhelm with a stellar result. What needs to be in there is the passion the person felt, the feeling they experienced with your organization. This will stoke the emotional buying response in your new customer, and build incredible bonds!

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

Any marketplace has a wide audience which can be reached, in theory. The question that’s posed is how to gain and retain a large share in your marketplace, even in a relatively mature market. However, you have some secret weapons at your disposal that you can be leveraged to assault your competition with a barrage of loyal fans to your cause.

In fact, in most marketplaces, it’s very easy to differentiate your presence through a few simple techniques involving opt in marketing. Opt in marketing, or when people choose to receive communications from your organization can be incredibly powerful if done right.

You see most organizations are quite immature when it comes to how to deal on the Internet and create fan bases. The first mistake they make is to create static and brochure-like websites, which allow the mind of the visitor to wander all over the place, and then worst of all, wander off anonymously.

Well, that causes huge amounts of revenue leakage and lost future business. Why even go there? Because most people are emulating large corporate websites when they get started online.

Little do they realize that they are emulating web presences which in many times were an afterthought in the mind of a large corporation. Because these large corporations already had established distribution channels, what they do doesn’t really apply to you as a small or medium size business.

You need to master what’s called direct response marketing. It’s a whole different animal, but something YOU MUST master 100% if you are to catapult to the top as a small or medium size business.

Direct response means you are communicating and interacting with your customer base, in a back-and-forth cycle which becomes more and more effective in each iteration.

In fact, you can quickly surpass other companies if you learn from your audience, and adapt your message and offerings to quickly solve their most pressing problems.

This is why the Internet has leveled the playing field, and those that conquer the direct response market will be able to quickly apply that to many niches all throughout the business world.  This is so cutting edge that it’s apparent that a few entrepreneurs that dive into this will soon assume leadership positions and equity in many businesses.

Here are a few ways to create massive buying lists that will become rabid consumers of any offering set you bring to your space.

1) Seek the Opt In and Relationship before seeking any sale. Direct all traffic to opt in pages. Offer a free gift of value that solves an immediate pain point, and do it attractively and with relationship creation in mind. Over-deliver something for free to your audience and build good will.

2) Communicate regularly (at least 2-3x a week, in the Internet Marketing space, even more) to keep your name, your expertise and your authority at the forefront of the attention of your customers’ minds.

3) Become an ultimate authority in your niche in the minds of your audience. Do this through getting the technical details and how-to’s right, and delivering it with entertainment and flair. Let your personality shine through and never be forgotten.

4) Engage your audience in an exposure and involvement process which is always leading them down a path to upgrading their commitment level within your offerings and content.

There is much more that can be said at this point but just applying these things to steamroll over your competition. Why not make your business leave your competition crying?

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

What you need to ensure is that you continue to maintain and build on that connections in your opt-in email marketing, as time goes on. Remember the core of opt-in email marketing success is the phrase expose, involve, and upgrade.

Remember that every time people interact with your marketing messages, that counts an exposure.  People may need a number of exposures to want to involve themselves more in the process.

Make sure your communications are quality content and offers, and are targeted to the shoes that the prospect is standing in, right now. Not necessarily where you are, and that’s so important.

Realize that there are hot topics floating around in your niche, and there are probably about 5 top questions or concerns that revolve in the minds of 80% your prospect base.

How can you find out what’s hot in the minds or your base? There are two main ways. First, poll them and ask them through surveys like Polldaddy.com or Surverymonkey.com.

Another great way is to create a personal and warm video which introduces yourself and provides the opportunity for them to communicate those top concerns to you, in exchange for a small bonus (which costs you little).

Get creative- just remember the overall aim is for you to provide rewards for people who do the actions you want to encourage, in this case providing information.

Now you have a solid base for knowing what content and related offers are going to hit the nail on the head for your customer base. Then, couple the power of this with selling via education- in these related sub-topics you’ve found through your research. Once you’ve found around 3 hot sub-topics for the month, do a bit of groundwork and network with peers to find highly converting offers of value around these sub-topics.

To increase the effectiveness of these mini-campaigns, remember to educated first which will need to many more sales. You can then tie in the resource in on the tail-end of the education.

Great ways to create this value fast is to record short instructional videos using screen recording software (just make sure to show yourself sometimes- you’re a real person!) and then put the relevant links at the bottom of the page.

Build trust at every opportunity and continue the dialogue, never wavering from the overall promise made when  they first initiated the relationship. This moves them ever closer to that place of trust, and is the essence of expose, involve and upgrade.

They will naturally upgrade their commitment level through the process and change from subscribers to buyers and then habitual buyers, as they upgrade themselves through the process. Apply these techniques and they’ll naturally upgrade themselves from subscribers through to buyers!

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

Remember that people are searching for the quick fix many times, and are looking for a one-stop shop for their needs and answers to their concerns. Moving them toward solutions should always be the direction of your email marketing opt in communications.

We live in an ADD (attention deficit disorder-like) society. This has been induced by the extreme amounts of media and stimulation that are coming in from media, telecommunications, and the general increasing speed of life.

What you need to do is to quickly and early on establish unique reasons why people would want to be associated with you and would want to continue to receive information. Some examples of what you can do to provide unique benefits for your subscribers include things like: putting a humorous spin on your niche content, inject your personality or a (short) personal narrative in, or put reassuring and realistic testimonials within your content. This will allow you to propel yourself past 90% of all marketers, and get your emails opened time and again.

What’s the number one reason why people leave lists in a short period of time? The primary reason according to studies is that they don’t feel like they are receiving content and offers which were in alignment with what was promised. They also feel that your content and offers are not unique or special. Thirdly, they feel like they haven’t bonded effectively with you as a person, so they feel no emotional bond.

How can we fix these things and create these bonds which keep them loyal and eager?

First, make sure that your communications are in line with the initial communication or opt-in page (reason they joined your list). You can add color and personality, and should of course do that, but ensure that you don’t deviate TOO far- and get into the area of them being able to say so what.  If in doubt, read a communication you’re considering sending out.

Ask yourself: are there any places where I can say or would say so what here? Now, imagine the public at large. Are there any places where they would say so what? Remember, stay on topic and color it with narratives and personality quirks from time to time.

Secondly, don’t just copy everything else people are sending out. Sometimes when when we are amongst a peer group, we start to copy too closely what these people are doing. This lessens our uniqueness.

This is not to say that you shouldn’t communicate on hot topics. You should 100%. But, what is the unique value or insight that you’re adding to that topic? It could be a review, a consumer warning to be their advocate, or some insider tips on the effective use of the product.

So, be unique, add personality and color and entertainment value, while always staying on the overall topic that they have signed up to hear from you concerning. You’ll ensure that your brand is unique in their minds and they eagerly await your communications!

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

The first thing that people see when they are looking to your emails is your name or company name. What perception is attached to your name? Do people see you as a trusted advisor or just another email marketer? This is pivotally important for your opt in marketing campaigns.

Remember, that perception is 90% of the battle, and it’s entirely possible to quickly have your name or company name associated with value. You do this by building up a consistent messaging that’s loaded with value, helpful advice, and that you can be seen as an impartial authority within your niche. Always make sure your audience is feeling INVOLVED in the process. Make sure you’re asking and polling  them on a regular basis, and providing small rewards for them participating, so they feel engaged in the process.

How can you see what’s hot and what people are going to be responsive to? For example, go to the top forums in your niche and see what topics are hot (those with most responses and comments). Take a list of the top 5 hot topics and then focus some content and offers on them. In the Internet marketing niche, that can be the Warrior Forum, or say Prevention.com within health and wellness. There are usually five or so such hot topics during each month or two that are in the forefront of people’s mind. Just remember, that for the long term success of your business and to really help people, remember to promote things that WORK as well as are hot.

You need both, to maintain a great relationship with your audience, because buying is always based on trust. Incorporate stories, both your personal story and experience with stumbling upon the product or service you’re recommending to your audience. Stories do indeed sell, and when you convey a small narrative experience which relates into the value you discovered, it will be a hit. This sort of communication is highly relateable.

Create random subject lines that create curiosity. Now remember NOT to put false or misleading subject lines: eg re: Acct, this sort of thing. That’s unethical and just dishonest. What you can do is to put subject lines which are creative and lead to fulfillment on the other side.

Remember to always incorporate scarcity and time limits and justify it with good solid reasons. Don’t just say that it’s offered for half price for 24 hours. Say why. Eg: it’s a pre-release to collect testimonials, etc.

As long as you have a good reason to justify your scarcity, this will be a great technique to help them avoid the pain of missing out on something valuable which really could solve their problems.So remember, communicate at all times with your audience in mind and ensure that you are relating to them emotionally and helping them justify it logically. This will ensure high response rates  are high and that the action you encourage is taken a profitable percentage of the time!

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

In the same way that you can fix up a home to increase it’s rental value, you can fix up your subscriber list on a regular basis, to ensure that it’s the most powerful asset you can make it. What separates those who build a opt-in email marketing list versus those who build a strong business asset? It’s the relationships built through providing high value on a regular basis and an interactive and responsive environment.

How can we create a responsive environment that creates recurring income? Here are a few top ways:

1) Create a community/family atmosphere in your business. You can still do this while remaining professional. For example a very effective exclusivity method, is to create the VIP group mentality in your business. Remember the value you provide should be friendly as well considered to be exclusive by your subscribers. They should feel like they can get something there that they can’t get anywhere else. That way, they’ll remain subscribers and even start referring friends as time goes by.

2) Incorporate all learning mediums for various types in your audience. Incorporate text, audio, video and graphics into your content distribution. Remember that people respond differently to different learning styles. So, to reach the maximum audience, ensure you’re hitting your audience on all of the areas that need to be covered.

3) Put your personality into the business and communications. Remember that people like to buy from people that they know, like and trust. So, it’s ok to put some personal observations and quirky content in from time to time, as long as the communication also covers useful content or offer that is logically tied in. Entertain, but don’t waste people’s time.

4) Incorporate stories and testimonials wherever possible into your content. Remember to ensure that you’ve considered the possible objections that your audience could have to your content and offers, and shortcut that thought process with a great testimonial that answers it.

5) Reward the behavior you want to continue, such as when polls are answered, referrals are made, and one-time purchases and repeat purchases are made. This is supremely important because it will train the customers to want to repeat the pleasant experiences that they had. Combining this pleasure with the avoidance of pain in the solutions to their problems you’re providing, will lead to a loyal base.

6) Be creative and surprise customers with unannounced bonuses or special insider tips. This will lead to anticipation of receiving further communications from you!

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide

This article will tell you the basics of how to move create impactful headlines and subheads, and increase your email marketing opt in rates. It will also show you how to appeal to ALL reader types.

Remember, the cardinal rule of copywriting for high email marketing opt in rates, is that the copy must be 100% customer focused. (In case you’re not sure, copywriting is just communication about products and services via text.)

There are a few elements of the page which are highly in your control and can make or break the attention level that you’ll achieve.

Firstly, remember that people make a decision as whether to engage with a page within 1-2 seconds. This means that you literally have to arrest their attention within this time, or they will be gone forever.

There are really only 3 ways to do this: A Compelling Headline, An Autoplay Video, or A Stunning Graphic. The graphic is much more subjective and the video a bit more work, so let’s start with the headline.

Bold fonts in black and or/red work very well for these type of headlines. A good way to find great headlines is to look throughout the Internet for very compelling pages (that would cause you to opt in), and create a swipe file of the best of the best on your bookmarks.

You may even want to print some out and some people go as far as writing them out longhand, to retrain the brain. Another great source of top headlines and sales letters can be found on the AWAI (American Writers and Artists) website, called the 50 best selling direct sales letters of all time.  It is part of their 6 Figure Accelerated Copywriting Course.

In any event, remember to model success when you want to be successful. There’s one example of a letter from American Express that has made over 1.5 Billion USD in sales. Good example to study. In any case, don’t re-invent the 100+ years of tested and proven types of wording that converts.

So out of your study, create perhaps 10-15 nice headlines that seem to convey a sense of urgency, exclusivity, and value that you’re looking for.

The second element you’ll need is a good sub-headline. The sub-headline is that text which is in a slightly smaller font that comes after the heading and frames it further for the reader. The main point of the sub-headline is to draw down the attention of the reader to the call to action.

The sub-headline brings the reader into an active reading state and draws the eye down the page. However if you imagine a newspaper, you’ll know that most people will only read what’s above the fold (the headline above where the paper is folded).

It’s the same when we talk about a web page. You need every element to draw attention, further draw in, give a top benefit or two, AND give them the chance to opt in- all above the fold.

Some people are impulsive in a way, and will quickly sign up while others will want to be more analytical and read the whole page. Some will scan portions and scroll all the way to the bottom. No matter what type of person has landed on your page, why not satisfy all of them? Give them multiple opportunities in their own process to take the action.

And, that means putting the opt-in form all over the page. At the top, in the middle, and at the bottom- so as to satisfy all personality types. This will increase your opt ins greatly, and build your list all that much faster! Cast the widest possible net (within your niche) to capture all learning styles involved.

Damian Leon, YOUR Internet Success Guide