by Daniel Hatcher
The value of a large opt-in list is usually grossly understated. It is never good enough to simply be making sales from your affiliate products. Failing to compile a fresh mailing list will result in lack luster or stagnant sales.
The purpose of building a list of your website visitors is to help you maintain contact with them and develop a relationship with them. Your mission in doing this is to turn as many as you possibly can into your customers. It has been said, and rightly so, that your list is the most valuable asset in your online business. With your list being that important, here are some tips that will make building a quality list possible.
* Offer an incentive, when possible, for people to leave their email address. This is one of the best ways to get people to sign into your list. I like to offer a special report or free Internet marketing training. For optimum results, it is essential to give them something for signing into your list. This tip alone can easily double the number of sign-ups you have.
I see many people trying to build a list without offering any kind of incentive for signing up which can be a huge mistake. Incentives are so easy to create that it only makes sense to offer one. Anything with a high-perceived value that you offer free will help boost signups significantly. I’ve test both ways of list building and I must say that offering incentives will give you far better results.
* Include a privacy policy. One of the main reasons people do not opt-in is because they are afraid they will be spammed. This has been a major problem on the Internet for years. Everyone abhors spam. If a prospect has any reason to suspect that you will sell their email address to others they will simply not sign in. Give them a guarantee that you will not share their email address with anyone whatsoever. This will end the worries of people who are concerned about that. After I added one I saw over a 60% increase in the number of sign-ups I was receiving. It’s amazing that a simple thing like this can make that much difference.
* Create several tightly targeted lists. Few people realize the power of a targeted list option. It depends on what you have to offer on your site, but this is something that if it can be used will greatly affect your opt-in rate. One of the lists options could be for periodic updates, another could include “how to” tips that your prospect would find helpful, while another could be for a newsletter with ongoing information. No matter which option they choose, you will still harvest their email address.
Think about what lists your market might be interested in, then offer those options on your site. A website visitor may have no interest in your generic mailing list but have a much greater interest in your newsletter. If you had not provided multiple options that person would have signed up for nothing. Usually three options are enough. If your visitors have not found something that interests them after three choices they are generally not worth going after.
* Make all your lists double opt-in. Providing for a double opt-in requires that people first sign up on your site, and then activate their subscription via a confirmation email. Doing this will take away any chance of being labeled a spammer and you will be able to show proof that people actually did requested your emailed information.
Additionally, double opt-in will give your a significantly higher quality list of readers, as opposed to those from the singe opt-in method. The reason is because since these people are interested in your offer enough to verify with the confirmation email, they tend to be much more serious about what you offer. If that is the case, they will be much more responsive to your offers compared to those who sign up for your list on a whim. A high quality list is critical to making sales.
By putting the methods mentioned in this article into practice on your website, you will be able to build a huge, high quality list in a relatively short period. I have used all of the methods mentioned here and they work very well. If you use them, you will find they will work for you as well.
About the Author:
You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to
build a massive list. Having an offer that a great majority of people will want also increases your click through rate. Go to
The People’s Program to see how it can help you compile your list fast.
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