Anyone have any ideas/resources on how to build a membership list. I did take a look at Craig Perrine's stuff but it was simply out of my price range. A few other notes:

1. Our site is currently FREE to join
2. We offer no incentives (yet) - thinking about a golf tips guide or something else?
3. Currently have about 150 members in 2 months
4. We market very lightly through Adwords, forum presence, press release, blog, soon to be released newsletter.
5. Our 1 marketing or "splash page" is shown once every 24 hours to non-members (this seems wrong to me - it should be there all the time)
6. Site appeals to a BROAD audience
7. Site is the link below

thanks,

Doug

I don't know. I think 150 members in 2 months is pretty good. Especially if you're not hard hitting the adwords real hard.

maybe you're right! Perhaps in this age of hyperactivity 150 is pretty good. that is also with hardly no marketing. We just launched a blog and I am designing a newsletter now. We actually made our biggest hit (80 members signed up) when our software announced our site to it's membership - so certainly being endorsed by someoine can make a HUGE difference.

thanks.

doug

Doug,

You could try advertising in select e-zines. Some of them will cost you as little as $10.

John

John. hi.

How would I find these? Is there some type of directory (for golf)? Anyway to know the better versus the poorly performing ezines?

I have a bunch of directories (although it's on my office PC at the moment). I'll post them as soon as I can locate them. In the meantime, anyone else feel free to post their suggestions.

In what may be a timely post if you get this soon enough, there's a conference call this evening at 9 PM by Mike Filsaime and Craig Perrine on list building. You can find the dial-in details for the call at Mike's site here:

http://mikefilsaime.com/schedule.htm

Locate today's date on the calendar on that page and click the link to get the call details.

I don't know how much of a pitch-fest it's going to be, but I imagine as usual for these kinds of things, they'll be some pitching and some free good info.

John

Doug,

Without knowing more about your specific offer or situation, here's my feedback point by point (in parenthesis an italics) below for ya...

1. Our site is currently FREE to join (great, this will get you maximum number of people into your funnel... but how great depends on your plan for monetizing those members)
2. We offer no incentives (yet) - thinking about a golf tips guide or something else? (incentives to do what? become a member? or a paid member? Golf is a competitive, and lucrative, market. Come up with a specific info-freebie that solves a specific problem and you'll generate more interest than just regular 'tips' about Golf).
3. Currently have about 150 members in 2 months (not bad considering you aren't marketing much).
4. We market very lightly through Adwords, forum presence, press release, blog, soon to be released newsletter. (good grass roots stuff.)
5. Our 1 marketing or "splash page" is shown once every 24 hours to non-members (this seems wrong to me - it should be there all the time) (I agree, your splash page should offer a benefit they can only get by opting in if you want to build your list for follow up... may not be as necessary if you are simply going to offer them a free membership anyway because with a free membership you get their follow up info anyway).
6. Site appeals to a BROAD audience (this is a potential problem... you want to target some specific subset of golfers or a subset of the golfing skills to target or you are competing in too broad a field to have maximum conversion. You'll stand out and get more attention if you solve a specific problem).
7. Site is the link below (I looked at the site and I'd suggest creating a separate 'landing page' for the traffic you're buying or sending to optin at. there are too many other choices for what to do besides opt in if you send them to the home page there. they can browse without optin in. you may want to focus on generating traffic to the blog so they get personally connected to you and then refer them to resources, directories, etc. once you have their focus on 'who' you are and what you have to offer them.)

Hope that helps...

Craig Perrine

Craig,

Good tips. And a great call tonight! You definitely offered more nuggets of wisdom than pitch. I especially liked the advice on email address consistencies (the noreply reference that Mike used to do). I gotta fix mine...

John

Craig, hi.

Thanks for taking the time to give me some feedback. Some excellent insight. I guess, being new at this, everything is great insight that I don't know about. The only thing I can do is test different variables and simply see what happens. Of course this takes time.

Would love to purchase your course at some point (just currently out of my budget) - Do you have any "other" resources/books that might be applicable? Do you plan to continue your blog? Also, sorry I missed the call last nite - Was it recorded? Is there any way to access it?


Doug Farrick

Another point:

We ARE a web directory (we own no content) - So we have to appeal to the full spectrum of people who are touched by golf, otherwise we aren't in the web directory business. I mean in some senses we are like the Craig's List of Golf.

Bottom line we want to get free members then eventually upgrade them to premium membership (and offer targeted advertising when membership gets to some decent numbers) by offering them additional web tools, specific e-courses, functionality, etc.

Doug