Building Email Marketing Lists
One of the strongest tools in an Internet marketer’s arsenal is email – and with good reason. Generating a long list of targeted prospects is a tremendous thing to have. Yet, many people stumble when looking to construct their lists because they don’t know the correct way to begin. Just how does one go about getting people to opt-in?
The first thing to keep in mind is that people are getting more and more used to marketers asking them to fill in their name and email address. In reality, it’s simply not enough to just put up your opt-in form and hope that people sign up. You really do need to “sell” the opt-in, and one of the most popular ways to do it is with a giveaway or ethical “bribe”. Put together a free downloadable report around your main subject and offer it for free to anyone that submits their name and email address. This is an effective way to convince them to take some time and fill out your subscription form.
Your bribe doesn’t have to be a report. It can be a video, an audio interview with someone respected in your industry, or maybe even exclusive access to some protected part of your website. Whatever it may be, the key is to make sure that your giveaway gives excellent value to the subscriber. This does two things:
1. The user will start to form trust with you, which means that promotions and recommendations are more likely to be accepted.
2. If the content is good enough, there’s a good chance that the user will help you spread the word by telling their friends about it.
In many cases, this giveaway constitutes a first impression of sorts, and as we all know, a first impression is critical. So, make sure that your giveaway is well done and provides real value to your subscribers.
The second point may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many people don’t do this. Be sure that your opt-in box is in a very visible place above the fold. Above the fold is the part of the screen that is visible before you have to scroll downwards. Studies show that people are more likely to notice your opt-in box if they don’t have to scroll down to see it. To make your opt-in box more visible, try a shade that stands out from the rest of your website. You can even try to add arrows or other graphics to draw attention to the opt-in box. Of course, be sure to show the visitor your fabulous giveaway for signing up.
Finally, in your subscription box, always remember to point to or summarize your privacy policy. SPAM (or junk email) is a huge issue, and many people are turned off from email marketing in fear of having their email addresses distributed or sold. In order to get people to opt-in, you need to be able to convince them that you are worthy of trust and that you will not share their email without express permission. By doing so, your opt-in rate will noticeably increase, so take the time to ease the minds of your visitors.
As long as email exists, email marketing is not going away. By putting these techniques to use, you can also start building a targeted list of subscribers that are responsive to your messages.
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