Your membership site should be easy to navigate. As you design your site, keep it simple for members to use. Don’t add a lot of unnecessary bells and whistles. People don’t like them. They just want to get the information they need when they want it.

WordPress Wishlist Member is an easy place to start. This is great for beginners because it uses WordPress to manage your content. It also easily integrates with PayPal and 1ShoppingCart.

Create a professional-looking site. People join membership sites because they are looking to an “expert” to answer their most pressing questions or solve a problem. No one will listen to you if your website is sloppy and in disarray. Always present a professional appearance.

Most of us don’t have to spend money to hire a Web design expert. WordPress has made it easy for inexperienced Web masters to get a site up and rolling in no time. You can also use GoDaddy or Yahoo! or another hosting service that features web templates or “wizards.” The website wizards walk you through the process and allow you to type and publish a site in just a few minutes.

Make it easy for members to view videos and read online text. Again, keeping it easy to navigate and simple to use is key here. You want to reach everyone who is interested in your membership, so don’t make anything more difficult than it needs to be for your members or yourself.

Set a price that keeps them coming back each month. The jury is still out on the best price for a membership site. Some people price their sites at $9 a month and get a healthy number of members. Others swear by $27 a month and have similar success.

Don’t get greedy in the pricing process, especially when you’re new to membership sites. Once you’ve created an arsenal of great information, you may want to increase the membership cost to new members. Test different pricing plateaus to see what drives more traffic to your site and keeps more members month after month.

Stay the course. As you are building your lists, keep in mind that you probably won’t get wealthy overnight. After all, there is a degree of trial and error with your first membership site. Ask for feedback from your current members. When people cancel their membership, ask them why so you can improve the quality of your site.

Listbuilding with membership sites is a fun and effective way to build your business. You may want to join one or two successful membership sites before you begin to see what makes them so popular. That way, you’ll have a solid foundation from which to build your own site.

If you’re looking for ways to build your list and want to try a few new ideas, here are 10 ideas you can use to build your list for your affiliate marketing business.

1.    Hold a Contest. People love contests, and there’s no better way to build a list than to create a fun event that people can enter just by joining your list. You can ask them to name a new product, design a logo, or just enter a drawing to win a cash prize or free product. Contests are a great way to build a targeted list of subscribers.

2.    Offer a Discount. Everyone loves a bargain, so offer a deep discount on your product or service for opting in to your list. Make the offer substantial enough to get attention. It’s got to be a win-win exchange.

3.    Barter Friends for Free Products. In exchange for free products, ask the people on your list to refer a friend. Create high-quality products for those who refer other people to your list.

4.    Create a Conspicuous Display. Who says that advertising has to stay online? Make a deal with a local business to display some of your business cards or post cards to the public. Be sure that the business is compatible with what you are selling. Include your website address and a free gift for those who sign up. You may even want to ask them to type in a special code so you can track your success.

5.    Start Tweeting! If you haven’t jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, it’s time to get on board. Twitter is a great way to build your list because you can include links to your landing pages, blog posts, or any other special offer in your tweets.

6.    Create a Facebook Fan Page. Facebook is flooded with businesses that are using social marketing to build their lists…and for good reason. Business marketing and social marketing go hand in hand in today’s competitive marketplace. Create a buzz by telling people you’re trying to get a specific number of fans by a specific date. Promise a free gift to all fans who participate.

7.    Promote Other Blogs. Team up with other bloggers in your market and promote each others’ blogs on your blog sites.

8.    Never Waste a Signature Line. Add a link to your landing page in your signature line in e-mail and marketing forum posts.

9.    Blog Your Way to Profits. Blog often, and be sure to join Technorati to keep readers updated on your blog posts. Technorati is a search engine for blogs and will lead individuals directly to your blog site.

10.     Be inventive. Try new things. Don’t be afraid to take risks when building a list. Sometimes the simplest ideas yield the greatest results.

There is no magic formula for listbuilding that works 100 percent of the time. The best advice I can give is to brainstorm for ideas and see if they work. You never know what idea will take the Internet by storm and attract tons of traffic.

If you’ve never considered using video because you don’t know how to get started, check out the ways you can build a targeted list of prospects using video.

Offer Tutorials.
One of the most effective ways to build your list is to offer free tutorials that are targeted to your niche market. Build in the Law of Reciprocity in your video campaign. The more you give away to your prospects, the more likely they’ll return the favor by buying your products. Your tutorials should be niche-specific. Show viewers how to use one of your products or services, and they’ll appreciate the fact that you’ve gone the extra mile to help them.

Solve a Problem.
Tap into the pain of your prospects by showing them how to solve a problem. For instance, if you’re selling personal finance products, you may want to give some tips for getting out of debt or saving money. Include some tips that viewers may not be able to get easily on their own. If you can relate to their pain, tell your own story. Offer insights based on personal experience.

Answer Customer Questions.
Invite website visitors to submit questions to your website. Often, prospects hesitate to buy products because they have unanswered questions. This will help you handle any objections that many prospective customers have and will help them make a buying decision.

Entertain.
Every now and then, record a video for the sole purpose of entertaining your target market. You might want to create humorous skits of what NOT to do with your product. Show your personality. Potential customers like it when they see another side of your character other than the business side.

Establish Your Authority.
At times, you’ll want to use videos to establish your expertise in an area. One good angle to take is to create a series of videos and release them at scheduled dates. People want to buy from experts, so show them why you’re the go-to person if they want to buy a product in your niche.

Once you’ve created your video, upload it to YouTube, Facebook, or your website. Be sure to include your e-mail address somewhere in the video. If you’re uploading it on a site other than your own, include your web address. At the end of the video, encourage videos to subscribe to your list. In exchange for their names and e-mail addresses, offer to provide a link to another video—something more valuable than what you’re offering free.

Listbuilding with video is one of the quickest and easiest ways to build your list. All you need is a video camera or web cam to get started. Don’t worry about being perfect. You’ll perfect your technique over time. Your goal is to build a connection with video that you cannot do in print. Many affiliate marketers explode their businesses overnight with the use of video listbuilding strategies.

Many people don’t realize just how much you can do with Facebook. Social networking sites have many applications designed to help you promote your business. If you’re ready to jump on the social networking bandwagon, here are five ways you can use Facebook to build your lists:

1.    Add Friends. The more Facebook friends you have, the easier it will be to leverage your presence online. Find friends who have similar interests. Add experts in your niche market to your list of friends. You may even want to ask your friends to suggest that others add you as a friend. Use Facebook to leverage your business. Respond to friend requests, wall posts, and messages.

2.    Create a Fan Page. Once you create a Facebook fan page, announce it in your status update or in a note to your friends. You can also add a widget called a Fan Box to your blog so your readers can become fans with just a click of the mouse. Don’t forget to tweet about it. Be sure that you use each social networking site to promote the other.

3.    Add the Networked Blogs Application. This widget will connect your Facebook account to your blog. The first thing you’ll want to do is create a Facebook group. Then, go to the search box and type “Networked Blogs.” Click on the Networked Blogs application and add your blog. This will make your blog accessible to people on Facebook.

4.    Write Notes. If you’re using notes to position yourself as an expert, use notes to give tips and tricks to your Facebook friends. Be professional. Be positive. Be compelling. Don’t overwhelm readers with too many notes. Remember, timing is everything. Be very generous in what you give. That way, when you have a new promotion, readers will be more receptive to the news. Don’t bombard your friends with note after note promoting a product. Finding balance is crucial.

5.    Use your client e-mail list to find “friends.” Facebook can upload your e-mail contacts to add more friends or invite people to join Facebook. Use this feature to build your friends list on your Facebook page. As you build your list of friends, use your Facebook account to build credibility and to establish rapport with your target market. Stay active and answer messages from your friends.

If you’re not using Facebook to build your lists, you’re missing out on a golden opportunity to grab a share of the market that you may otherwise overlook. Because of the viral nature of social networking sites, your business could explode in popularity in a short amount of time.

When it comes to listbuilding, don’t ignore valuable social networking sites like Facebook. Facebook connects you to people across the globe and will attract individuals who are interested in your product or service.

1.    Do put listbuilding at the top of your list.

Listbuilding is the lifeblood of any affiliate marketer’s business. Your money lies in the list, so you want to tend to it in a way that fosters the growth of your business. Make listbuilding one of your top priorities. Study successful marketers and do what they do. Follow their leads, and their actions will pave the path for your success.

2.    Don’t focus on making money before you build customer relationships.

Build relationships first. Make money second.  If you’re a serious affiliate marketer, you know that making money over the long term is dependent on the quality of relationships you build with your prospects and current customers.

Too many newbies are laser focused on making money and, ironically, miss out on golden opportunities to build relationships with the people they depend upon to buy their products.

3.    Do stay consistent with your efforts.

Keep your listbuilding evergreen. The success of your list is directly related to the consistency of your efforts. Building a good quality list is not a one-shot deal. You’ll have to keep the ball rolling in order to create a targeted list of subscribers that become customers. There’s more than one way to build a list, so be creative in your efforts to attract people to your subscriber list.

4.    Don’t engage in spam.

No one likes to be spammed. Engage in it, and word will get around quickly and turn off potential customers. Operate your business with the utmost integrity, and you will build a solid foundation for long-term success. Invite people to subscribe to your list. Don’t show up unannounced in their e-mail accounts.

5.    Do make it easy to subscribe to your list.

Make it easy to opt-in to your list. Place your opt-in box conspicuously on the page. Avoid fancy graphics and animation that distract website visitors from your opt-in form.

6.    Don’t buy leads.

The problem with buying leads is that you end up contacting people who may not know who you are. They’ll likely perceive your e-mails as spam and perceive your marketing efforts as an intrusion.

People don’t want to be sold to, but they do like to buy products. You’ll have more success if customers feel as if they’ve made their own buying decisions, and this includes what e-mail marketing they subscribe to.

7.    Do compelling marketing.

In order to remain competitive, you’ve got to stand out for all the right reasons. Keep your marketing compelling. You don’t have to reinvent an existing product. Instead, create a unique marketing angle that grabs your target market’s attention and keeps it.

Listbuilding takes a little trial and error and a lot of consistency. The most important thing to remember is that there is more than one way to build a list, so get creative and focus on attracting the qualified leads that will sustain your business over the long run.

We all know that the majority of the people who land on websites are curiosity seekers or tire kickers. However, you don’t have to give into the majority rule. What if you could find a way to catch their attention, keep them on the page, and build your lists all at the same time?

If you’re looking for ways to super-charge your e-mail marketing, try using surveys to get website visitors to opt-in to your list:

Offer surveys that are relevant to your niche.

There’s something about a survey that piques an individual’s curiosity. This is evident in the number of “just for fun” surveys on sites like Facebook and MySpace. Using a survey is like checking the temperature of your target market. You may think your product or service is the next big thing, but consumers may be looking for something different. This is a great way to test the waters.

Develop surveys that will give you important feedback about your target market. Look for consumer needs and buying trends. Use them to develop new products or enhance existing ones. Most of all, have fun with this process. While some surveys may be serious and critical to the development of your business, try your hand at creating a few surveys just for entertainment value.

Offer a free “how-to” guide.

You should reward people for participating in your survey. Offer a “how-to” guide that solves a problem for them. If you start thinking of yourself as a problem solver instead of a marketer, you’ll find more ways to connect to your target market.

Whenever someone lands on your website, the first question that comes to mind is this one: “What’s in it for me?” Make their trek to your site worth their while. A “how-to” guide should solve an immediate problem.

For instance, if you’re selling diet products, your guide should offer some tips for kick-starting their weight-loss plans. If your customer base is focused on making money, offer a few of your tried and true nuggets of gold for building wealth. Give them just enough to want more information from you later.

Every transaction should be a mutually beneficial exchange between you and the prospect.

Keep in mind that listbuilding isn’t about tricking someone into signing up to your list. It’s about offering something valuable in exchange for someone’s name and e-mail address (and, hopefully, future sales transactions). Even before you make a single sale, your focus must be on making your subscribers happy. Satisfied subscribers to your list are more likely to turn into buying customers. Focus on the end result.

There’s no one-size-fits-all listbuilding strategy. Get creative and focus on the needs of your target market. A good rule of thumb is to make every exchange a mutually beneficial one for both you and the subscribers to your list.

Regardless of how enthusiastic you may be about building your business, don’t be tempted to skip steps. The road to success is one that is taken one footstep at a time. Here are a few ideas you can use to build your lists and be on your way to higher profits:

1.    Create an easy-to-remember domain name.

Forget cutesy domain names. If your prospects can’t remember them—or can’t spell them—no one will land on your website. Create names that will stick in the minds of prospects. That way, they’ll be more likely to remember it when they want to check out your website and, hopefully, subscribe to your list.

2.    Submit your information to specialist directories.

Specialist directories, also known as niche directories, are a great way to get your name out there, attract traffic to your website, and build your list. Site Build It! is a great place to start if you want to drive traffic to your website and build your list.

3.    Test your web page titles.

A word is just a word…or is it? Good marketers know that they must constantly test their headlines, subheads, titles, etc., to improve results.

For starters, go to your favorite search engine and type in relevant keywords for your niche market. Check out the top three sites in your niche to see what keywords, phrases, and headlines they use. Incorporate popular keywords into your web page titles to increase traffic. Be sure to put an opt-in form on each page.

4.    Submit to multiple directories.

If you have high-quality links, you’ll get more leads…and more leads is equivalent to building a bigger list. That’s why you’ll want to do research to find the best directories possible.

The Strongest Links is a great place to start. It will show you where you can advertise your business to strengthen your links. It’s worth the money to strengthen your link by advertising in main directories. Be sure that once individuals click on your link, they are directed to a page where they can opt-in to your list.

5.    Subscribe to niche-specific newsletters and write articles for them.

This is a great way to increase your profile among individuals who are interested in your niche. The biggest benefit of writing articles is that if you provide unique, high-quality content, people will naturally gravitate toward your site. Be sure to have something equally as valuable to give away to individuals who subscribe to your list.

Getting traffic to your website and listbuilding go hand in hand. The key is to attract people with just enough information that makes them want to know more about you and your products. Then, offer a high-quality giveaway to subscribers. Always remember that the Law of Reciprocity is the key to building lists: Give subscribers something they want, and many of them will reward you by becoming customers.

Here are the three L’s of listbuilding success:

Lead Generation – Attracting Attention to Your Website

Anything you do to generate leads for your business falls under the umbrella of lead generation. For instance, when you conduct research to find keywords or key phrases, you’re doing lead generation. When you optimize your website, you’re doing lead generation. Basically, the function of lead generation is to persuade people to visit your website.

Lead generation is an important component of the marketing process because this is where you’re creating the buzz around your product or service. Don’t focus on getting everyone to your website. Focus on getting qualified leads to your site. There’s no reason to attract prospects who will never buy your product. Your goal is to convert browsers into buyers.

Lead Capture – Getting Them to Hand over Their Contact Information

This is where you want to capture the contact details of your visitors. Also known as a landing page, this is where the customer enters your website after clicking on a web link.

Squeeze pages are the most popular way to capture leads. The goal is to create a way to communicate with your prospects, usually by asking for names and e-mail addresses. Once a website visitor types in his name and e-mail address and submits to you, he has given you permission to contact him via e-mail.

This is the first step toward building a relationship with your customers. Lead capture is the lifeblood of listbuilding. Once you capture leads, you can create rapport by sending automatically generated e-mails to your list.

Once you build a targeted list of interested prospects, you can begin positioning yourself as the “go-to” person in your niche. Here is where you’ll establish yourself as an expert in order to brand your name in the minds of your customers.

Lead Conversion – When Prospects Become Customers

This is the end result you’re striving for—when prospects turn into customers. The success of your lead conversion is dependent upon the frequency and consistency of your message. To convert leads, you must stay the course. It often takes at least seven contacts with the prospect to convert him into a customer, and that is why a consistent e-mail campaign is important.

One of the best strategies is to give away free products: reports, e-books, etc. Also, send free tips to your lists. The more you give away, the more prospects you’ll convert into cash-paying customers.

Listbuilding is a process that takes consistency and effort. The key is to test your efforts periodically to see what works and what doesn’t. With a little trial and error, you’ll discover the secrets to successful lead generation, lead capture, and lead conversion for your niche market.

You can use newsletters effectively to build lists and to keep subscribers coming back to your website. Here are five ways to use newsletters to build your lists:

Place your opt-in form above the fold.

You must make it easy to subscribe to your newsletter. Place it above the fold so that customers can see it as soon as they land on your website. In order to increase readership, place your opt-in form above the fold on each page. That way, as visitors review your site and gain interest in what you have to offer, they won’t click away and forget to subscribe.

Offer niche-specific information in your newsletter.

Publishing newsletters is a great way to build your reputation as an expert in your target market. Do a little research to offer up-to-date information to your subscribers. Your goal is to not only establish yourself as an expert but to be first in the minds of your subscribers when they need answers. People tend to gravitate toward experts, so take the time to really dig into the research and provide your subscribers with the information they want and need.

Use newsletters to provide free resources to your list.

The Law of Reciprocity is a powerful tool. Use it to provide free resources, and your subscribers will most likely respond by becoming cash-paying customers. Create a list of resources that will help your subscribers so they’ll read your newsletter, not delete it. If they know you’re looking out for their best interests, they’re more likely to become loyal customers.

Pack your newsletters with quality tips and tricks.

Keep in mind that the goal of your newsletter goes beyond providing information; you must also offer tips and tricks to make your subscribers’ lives easier. Study your niche to determine your subscribers’ needs and be generous in your suggestions.

Remember back to the time when you were new to the niche. What questions did you have? What problems did you need to solve? Take care of your subscribers, and they’ll take care of you by becoming customers.

Offer quality content in your newsletters.

If your newsletter is full of fluff, your subscribers will not open it each month. To build a connection, provide quality content – information they can actually use. End each newsletter with some “teaser” content to let readers know what they can expect in the next newsletter. That way, they’ll look forward to the next issue. You don’t want your subscriber list to become inactive due to disinterest.

The golden rule of listbuilding is to be generous. The more you give away, the more you’ll receive in return.  Newsletters are a fantastic avenue for providing an ongoing stream of the information your customers need, as well establishing you as an expert in your niche market.

Valuable content draws traffic to your website.

Keep your writing focused and valuable. Never lose sight of why you’ve created your website. If you offer compelling content, readers will keep coming back for more. Keep abreast of current trends and do your research. Most of all, focus on providing real value to your readers, not space-wasting fluff.

Ask yourself these questions: What is the know-how I want my readers to have? What can I offer from my own personal experience? What impact do I want to leave on readers? Have a goal-directed purpose for everything you do on your site. Give your content well-prepared thought before you write it and publish it. Otherwise, your site will just be a knock-off of someone else’s.

Authenticity draws traffic to your website.

Position yourself as an ally, standing side-by-side with your readers. Have you noticed how some marketers position themselves as the polar opposites of their audiences? In order to connect with your readers, they’ll need to see you as someone like them—someone they can relate to.

Share your personal stories with readers. Relate the low moments along with the high moments of your journey to success. Your website visitors must see themselves accomplishing a level of success, and that’s difficult to visualize if they see you as someone who is “different” from them. For best results, they’ve got to see you as one of them.

Enduring content keeps readers coming back for more.

Listen, there’s nothing wrong with writing about trends. Every now and then you’ll have to do that. However, if what you write is as valuable five years from now as it is today, you’ll be providing content that will be as helpful to next year’s visitors as it was to those who read it the day you published it.

If you focus on content that endures across the years, word of mouth will drive more and more traffic to your website. The more disposable content you provide to your readers, the more disposable you website will be to them. There’s a reason why people still read Ogilvy, Halbert, and Abraham; their insights remain timeless over the generations. Strive to provide timeless content, and your website content will grow.

There are many methods for driving traffic to your website such as search engine optimization, article marketing, and pay-per-click ads. However, don’t lose sight of the website management basics listed above to get traffic and keep those visitors coming back for more. Staying authentic with your readers and providing valuable content that endures across the years will not only attract traffic but will also keep your readers coming back for more.