If you have been in the internet marketing game for a while, then you probably know what a safe list is. If not, that’s okay too. A safe list is a group of people who have agreed, or opted-in, to receive promotional emails and read them. These people get credits for every promotional email they read and for clicking on certain links within those emails. In exchange, they can spend those credits to send their own promotional emails to other people on the list who have opted-in. Sounds easy enough, right? Not really. The problem with safe lists is that everyone is selling, and nobody is buying. People who have opted-in to a safe list are typically trying to make money online, which is certainly okay, but they are not necessarily in the market for your product or service.

No matter what anyone tells you, these lists are not targeted, and they are not looking for what you have. They only time these lists may be of use is if your service is showing people how to make money online. The safe list is targeted for that service, but you still must build relationships and follow the correct processes to see any results. If you are studying up on the best internet marketing techniques, you can forget about safe lists. Not only are they outdated but they were never really effective to begin with. Here are some techniques that actually work.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a powerful tool with an incredible ROI because it costs virtually nothing to initiate and sustain. Like everything else, there is a process involved in doing it correctly. However, if you are willing to put in the work you will certainly reap the rewards. Email marketing is targeted and personal, which are two of the characteristics that make it so powerful. It involves emailing people who have opted-in and are truly interested in your brand, which is a major step towards conversion. People of all ages still email every day and more than half of them say they have made a purchase through email, if that tells you anything.

SEO

Search engine optimization encompasses a world of logistics and algorithms but if you can master it, you will see the returns. Luckily, if you don’t have time to do it yourself you can pay someone else to do it effectively. SEO encompasses everything from on-page content to mobile first indexing and it ensures that your site shows up in queries. This means you will actually get more targeted traffic from people actually searching for your product or service, so effective SEO can take your business to the next level. You are already putting in the time and the money to create content, so it is worth the extra investment to make sure that it is found.

Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms are another internet marketing technique that should not be overlooked. These platforms are buzzing with activity and they are fantastic marketing platforms. Not only do you want your brand found by the search engines, but you want it widely visible across multiple social media platforms. Create a Facebook page for the business, a Pinterest account, LinkedIn, Instagram and so on. You just want to ensure that your brand and your message is consistent across all platforms. Otherwise, your business looks unorganized.

These internet marketing techniques are sure to show returns. Put in the time and the work to utilize them properly and it will show in your bottom line. Forget about useless, outdated safe lists. They are not worth the trouble.