Opt-in lists...they form the foundation of most profitable
internet businesses. So the building of a powerful opt-in list
should be the goal of every Internet marketer. Here you will
discover tips for building such a list, and new ideas for
optimizing it through marketing.
The term 'opt-in' should already be familiar. Briefly, it's when
an interested party exchanges his/her name and email address for
requested information (a free report, a free mini-course,
monthly ezine, etc.). By 'opting-in', or volunteering their
email address, a person has given you permission to send them
additional information and offers via email.
However, and this is key, to build a strong opt-in list, you
must offer your prospects something of value. People are too
busy these days, and they are being bombarded by information
constantly. To break through the clutter, your information must
be perceived as important and timely. Position your product or
service as a solution to a current problem, concern or pain, and
you have a much better chance of creating a life-long customer.
Spam - The 'Dark Side' of Internet Marketing
ONLY SEND EMAILS TO THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN YOU PERMISSION TO DO
SO, by responding to a legitimate opt-in offer! To not do so is
to spam, and risk the sudden suspension of your web site and ISP
account. In a word, don't.
That said, you must think creatively for ways to capture those
golden names and email addresses. Include fields for ezine
sign-ups on every page of your site, or add a simple form that
will automatically capture the name/email addresses. If you
offer free information in exchange, connect these sign-up
opportunities with an autoresponder (capturing the names into a
mailing list) and your prospect can be sent the requested
information instantaneously, saving a lot of time and hassle.
Here are some more ideas for building your opt-in list. In
exchange for prospects giving you a contact name and email
address, you could:
*Offer to notify them when updates happen on your website, or
when there are important changes in your industry or its
resources (becoming THE source of targeted information for your
clients)
*Offer to contact them when a special promotion runs on a
product or service
*Offer a daily tip/weekly/monthly or quarterly newsletter (this
is an extremely popular and effective, since you are providing
people with free and valuable information. It also establishes
your credibility as an expert in your chosen field)
*Provide a special report (or series of special reports or a
series of 'mini-courses') on a topic of interest
*Register your ezine with the ezine directories: manually, at
http://www.freezineweb.com/more-directories.html or with
automated ezine submission software at eZineAnnouncer
(http://wetrack.it/eza/af.citi?514)
To bring in off-site traffic to build your list, you could:
*Write a testimonial for your favorite product, in exchange for
your name and link to your website being noted at the bottom
*Write an article and submit it to other like-minded ezines to
publish, including a compelling 4-6 line resource box at the
bottom stating your name, credentials, and web site address
*After your list is large enough to calculate your conversion
rate/return on investment (ROI) - around the 500 mark - you
could purchase additional traffic at co-registration sites. Some
to investigate: http://www.list-builder.com,
http://www.zmedia.com and http://www.sparklist.com
Remember, The Gold Is In The List!
Once you have built a targeted, opt-in email list, you now have
a pool of prospects to market to. Always respect your list, and
treat it like the goldmine it is. Vow to only provide quality
and value, and you will be on your way towards building a
profitable business on the Internet!
=============================================== Paula Morrow is
president of Ideal Marketing Corporation. She specializes in
public relations, information marketing and creating cashflow
systems, plus coaching new webpreneurs on innovative ways to
promote online. Her newsletter, IDEALProfits, is read in over 12
countries. Subscribe, and receive the co-brandable 'How To Start
Your Own Traffic Virus' and 4 other ebooks FREE.
http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com/subscribe.html
===============================================
http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com
Opt-in lists...they form the foundation of most profitable
internet businesses. So the building of a powerful opt-in list
should be the goal of every internet marketer. Here you will
discover tips for building such a list, and new ideas for
optimizing it through marketing.
The term 'opt-in' should already be familar. Briefly, it's when
an interested party exchanges his/her name and email address for
requested information (a free report, a free mini-course,
monthly ezine, etc.). By 'opting-in', or volunteering their
email addrerss, a person has given you permission to send them
additional information and offers via email.
However, and this is key, to build a strong opt-in list, you
must offer your prospects something of value. People are too
busy these days, and they are being bombarded by information
constantly. To break through the clutter, your information must
be perceived as important and timely. Position your product or
service as a solution to a current problem, concern or pain, and
you have a much better chance of creating a life-long customer.
Spam - The 'Dark Side' of Internet Marketing
ONLY SEND EMAILS TO THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN YOU PERMISSION TO DO
SO, by responding to a legitimate opt-in offer! To not do so is
to spam, and risk the sudden suspension of your web site and ISP
account. In a word, don't.
That said, you must think creativily for ways to capture those
golden names and email addresses. Include fields for ezine
sign-ups on every page of your site, or add a simple form that
will automatically capture the name/email addresses. If you
offer free information in exchange, connect these sign-up
opportunities with an autoresponder (capturing the names into a
mailing list), and your prospect can be sent the requested
information instantaneously, saving you a lot of time and hassle.
Here are some more ideas for building your opt-in list. In
exchange for prospects giving you a contact name and email
address, you could:
*Offer to notify them when updates happen on your website, or
when there are important changes in your industry or its
resources (becoming THE source of targeted information for your
clients)
*Offer to contact them when a special promotion runs on a
product or service
*Offer a daily tip/weekly/monthly or quarterly newsletter (this
is an extremely popular and effective, since you are providing
people with free and valuable information. It also establishes
your credibility as an expert in your chosen field) *Provide a
special report (or series of special reports or a series of
'mini-courses') on a topic of interest
*Register your ezine with the ezine directories: manually, at
http://www.freezineweb.com/more-directories.html or with
automated ezine submission software at eZineAnnouncer
(http://wetrack.it/eza/af.citi?514)
To bring in off-site traffic to build your list, you could:
*Write a testimonial for your favorite product, in exchange for
your name and link to your website being noted at the bottom
*Write an article and submit it to other like-minded ezines to
publish, including a compelling 4-6 line resource box at the
bottom stating your name, credientials, and web site address
*After your list is large enough to calculate your conversion
rate/return on investment (ROI) - around the 500 point - you
could purchase additional traffic at co-registration sites. Some
to investigate: http://www.list-builder.com,
http://www.zmedia.com and http://www.sparklist.com
Remember, The Gold Is In The List!
Once you have built a targeted, opt-in email list, you now have
a pool of prospects to market to. Always respect your list, and
treat it like the goldmine it is. Vow to only provide quality
and value, and you will be on your way towards building a
profitable business on the Internet!
=============================================== Paula Morrow is
president of Ideal Marketing Corporation. She specializes in
public relations, information marketing and creating cashflow
systems. Her newsletter, IDEALProfits, is read in over 12
countries. Subscribe, and receive the co-brandable 'How To Start
Your Own Traffic Virus' and 4 other ebooks FREE.
http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com/subscribe.html
========================================
About the author:
Paula Morrow is webmaster of http://www.idealmarketingcorp.com
and has extensive marketing experience earned from 20 years in
the public relations, entertainment and advertising worlds. Now
applying this knowledge to the Internet, she enjoys creating
cash-generating systems and coaching marketers on innovative
ways to promote their businesses both online and off.
