When it comes to building an opt-in list the crucial necessities are strategy and patience. There is not really a great deal of hard work required but the time you give to it must be focussed. It is time and effort very well spent as a well maintained opt-in list is your road to a successful business.
Opt-in marketing has also been called “permission marketing” because by subscribing to your list a potential customer has given you permission to email them with articles, newsletters and information related to the list niche as well as contacting them with sales offers. This effectively makes your subscribers I kind of captive audience of people interested in the topic on which you have built your business. Approaching them with a sales offer is far more likely to get a good response than simply blanket-bombing a cold market. It is rather an obvious thing to say, but if you want your list to be of value to your business it is necessary to keep them happy with the quality of the information you send out.
So, what are the best ways to build an opt-in list which can became the very core of your business, now and well into the future?
First of all it is essential to put up an eye-catching web form on every page of your website. Ideally, this should be obvious the moment a visitor arrives on your page. Do not position it at the bottom of the page where it is necessary to scroll down to find it or your visitor may never see it. The recommended place is in the top right hand corner of each page. It should also be an intrinsic part of the page, especially your home page. The opt-in form should be very simple with an attention-grabbing statement regarding your niche and an invitation to discover more by filling in the form. The offer of a free report or eBook will also give the visitor an incentive to sign up.
After receiving their free gift the subscribers should then receive a sequence of educational and informative emails programmed into an autoresponder. Every so often a niche related sales offer will be incorporated into the sequence.
Secondly, your home page should always look inviting, encouraging your visitors to stay to look around. The longer you can keep them on your website, the more likely they are to complete your opt-in form. It is worth spending a lot of time on your home page design as first impressions are so important. All copywriting should be of a high calibre with any articles and content well written. Make the website itself useful to visitors so they can immediately see you are someone who knows what they are talking about. Keep the site simple in layout with easy and quick navigation links if you have them. A few graphics can enhance a webpage but never, never overdo them! The words create interest and sell your products and/or services – not pretty pictures.
Thirdly, when dealing with your visitors, subscribers or customers (as with everything in the field of internet marketing) quality is the key. The better the quality; the better the business! Never cut corners; never settle for anything but the best and never ever short-change your customers or subscribers in any way. Always respect the privacy of the subscribers on your opt-in list too. Mistreat them or lose their trust and they will be gone in a flash! Your opt-in list is the backbone of any internet business so treat it well and it will reciprocate.
If you have found this article of help and would like to learn more about how to make money from a profitable online business, please visit www.internetmarketingmanual.com for more of my writing on the subject. Internet marketing is the business of today. Discover how you can become a part of it.