Opt In Lists

What Are 'Opt In Lists?'

You have probably visited several web sites that have a small box on them that ask you to enter your name and email address.

Many of them will say:

Receive our FREE newsletter - Receive Our FREE eBook - Join our mailing list.......

When you take action and fill in this box, you’re adding your name and email to somebody’s 'opt-in list'. This is one of several ways to build your mailing list. These lists allow you to then market to members of the list via email marketing.

As I am sure you have guessed, it is called an 'Opt-In' list, simply because visitors to your web site have chose to 'Opt In' to receive information, offers and promotions from you.  This kind of list is a very strong and powerful tool for you as a business owner to have. Having a list of people whom have Opted-In to your list, means that the list is far more responsive to market your products and services to, than most other lists.

Email marketing is one of the most popular and cost effective ways to market your business.  Most people have an email address, which they check regularly.

Having your own 'Opt In' list

Having your own 'Opt In' list, is probably one of the most powerful assets you can own and it costs you nothing or very little to acquire.

Having your very own list of customers who have either previously bought from you or who have expressed an interest in your product/service and whom are potential future buyers, is a very desirable asset to have.  In fact, it is your very own goldmine.

Just imagine, a list of hungry customers who are actually wanting and waiting to hear from you and who are willing to spend money with you.  All you have to do, is supply them with the product or information they require.

Selling to your own 'Opt In' list, is far easier than selling to somebody elses list and it will boost your response rate and sales considerably.  When you are selling to your own 'Opt In' list, you are selling to people who trust you, your product and the information you provide.

Many people are afraid of making people angry by sending them newsletters. They are also afraid of being accused of sending spam.  This is where the “opt-in” list comes in. You are asking people for their permission to market to them by having them fill out the form. If they know that they will be receiving a monthly newsletter when they submit their information, then you are free to market and email to them. Now, you do need to be sure to include an unsubscribe option at the bottom of your newsletters in case people decide they don’t want to receive it anymore.

The great thing about Opt-In lists is that you know these people are interested in what you have to offer. They have been to your web site, they have seen what you are about and they have signed up to receive more information and updates. By utilising 'opt-in' lists, you are opening yourself up to a world of people who are potential customers and that is what it’s all about.

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First tip:

Content - Content - Content

Content is what makes the web-go-round so....

If you haven't done this already then it's time to create a content site (Watch the video). One that is on the same topic as the list that you are building or planning to build.

Include lots of keyword rich articles so that you get traffic from the search engines, then make sure you add an opt in email form on all of your pages, so that people that enjoyed your articles can sign up for your list.

Keep in mind that you don't have to write all for the content yourself. You can hire a ghostwriter to write the articles for you or you can purchase ready made articles and even ready made websites theses days.

2

Gift's - Everyone loves a free gift.

Offer a free gift as an incentive for people to sign up for your list. This is a tested and proven method to increase the number of people that subscribe to your list.

The gift that you offer doesn't have to be anything expensive but it should be something that is perceived as useful and valuable to the people that you want to subscribe to your list.

For instance, if your website is about dogs, then you could offer a free report on dog grooming. If you sell software you could offer a free trial download. Just make sure your gift is something of great value to your potential subscribers and you will have people eagerly joining your list.

3

Let's talk about creating a viral ebook.

Now this may sound like a huge task but really it doesn't have be that hard. You can easily create your own viral ebook with a text editor like MS Word and turn it into a downloadable PDF file using a free tool like pdf995 or Adobe Online

http://www.pdf995.com/
http://createpdf.adobe.com/

Creating an ebook specifically to give away filled with good information on your topic, plus links pointing back to website or blog where they are exposed to your opt-in list form is a great way to multiply the number of subscribers that you add to your list. Inside the ebook encourage your readers to share the ebook with their friends and subscribers.

Remember, people love getting things for free and they like sharing even more.

4

Let's talk about.......

Contests!

Contests are great because everyone likes to win!

Start a contest on your site. Give away something of real value to the winner of the contest. Of course they have to join the contest by signing up to your list. This will give you the privilege of contacting them in the future.

Make sure that whatever you are giving away is relevant to the topic of your site and that it is something that will encourage people to want to enter and win.

5

I want to share with you how you can quickly grow the number of subscribers on your list.

If you already have a list and you are looking to get more subscribers, then it's time to work a little trade (joint venture).

Do a search for lists or ezines that are similar to yours, then contact the owner of the list and see if you can arrange to recommend each other to your subscribers.

Let the owner know that you believe your readers would benefit greatly from the information that they have to offer and that their readers will benefit also.

If you keep in mind that most people sign up for more than one list, you will see how this can be a great arrangement for both of you. Make your offer as irresistible as possible to the other list owner.

6

Advertising.

Buying advertising space in other ezines that are of a similar topic (not competitive) to your own can be a great way to get more subscribers. Although it can be expensive, depending on the amount of subscribers that the list owner has.

Just keep in mind that the bigger the list, the more sign ups you are likely to get. Make sure you write your ad carefully; a well-written ad can make a lot of difference to the amount of sign ups you get.

It's a good idea to join the list you are thinking about advertising in, so that you can get a feel for the type of content that the publisher provides. This will help you write a more effective ad.

7

How you can use pay per click advertising like Google Adwords and Yahoo Search.

Pay per click advertising can be a great way to get new subscribers but first you have to work out whether or not it will pay for itself. You will also need to have some cash to use in your advertising budget to get started. With pay per click, you need to be very careful that it does not end up costing you more money than it makes.

The best advise that I can give you on using pay per click advertising to get new subscribers, is to make sure that you learn how to effectively use the program. If you take the time to do this, you will be able to build your list very quickly.

8

This works great if you sell a product or service. After your customer has paid and been directed to your download or thank you page, ask them if they would like to opt in to your list so that you can keep them informed of any future free upgrades to the product that they have bought.

If you sell a physical product that has to be shipped, you can also include a note that asks them to visit your site and join your list. Make sure to give them a good incentive to join and you will get a great response.

Remember, they have already purchased from you, so you know they are interested in what you have to offer.

9

I want to share with you another way that you can entice people to join your list.

Design a sign up or squeeze page on your website and offer a free multi-day course or a series of helpful tips like this one, that can be delivered by auto responder.

Keep the messages relevant to your topic and encourage them to sign up by letting them know that information is very useful and beneficial to them. Point out all of the ways that you can help them if they decide to join your list.

This works great because you will have multiple chances to present your sales message during the course. It is also a great way to increase the traffic to your website.

10

Sell your sign up form!

Don't just pop your sign up form on your website and tell people it's there. Sell it to them. The same way that you would sell them anything else. Make sure they know that when they join your list, they will receive helpful and useful information that will benefit them greatly. Pull out all of the punches. Point out every thing that you will do for them.

Make it irresistible for them and they will join. You can even add testimonials from other subscribers as you would with a sales page.

11

Let's talk about articles.

If you write helpful and informative articles on the topic of your product or service and submit them to article directories such as Ezine Articles, they can bee seen by hundreds if not thousands of people whom are all interested in what you have to say.

By doing this, you will see a definite increase in the number of subscribers that you receive. Simply because you have given them helpful information in you article.

Just make sure that you include the URL of your sign up page in the resource or bio box, so that they can click through to sign up to your list.

12

Do you have more than one list?

If you do have more than one list on related topics, then it is a great opportunity to cross promote. When people sign up for one list, put the links to sign up pages for your other lists on the thank you page. Make sure you explain the benefits of joining your other lists too.

Let them know that the information you provide on your other list is valuable to them and that it is not the same content as that which you provide in the list that they just joined.

13

List building programs.

There are specific programs just for list building. Some are pay-per subscriber programs and others are down line programs.

A pay-per subscriber program allows you to purchase a certain amount of subscribers at a set cost per subscriber. You are usually required to purchase a set amount of subscribers when you sign up.

Then there are down line programs that allow you to build a list of subscribers by recommending the program to others. In exchange, the option to join your list will be presented to other members.

There are many variations of these programs and they can be very effective if used properly.

The best advise that I can give you, is to make sure you examine any program that you are interested in trying carefully.

If it is free to join, then it may not need close scrutiny but if you are paying for subscribers, then you will want to know exactly where they are coming from before you add them to your list, simply to avoid and problems in the future.

14

Let's talk video!

These days, video is all over the web and you can use it to get more subscribers. There's no doubt that publicizing free content like articles and ebooks can drive traffic to your website and increase your subscribers.

But have you ever thought about using video to do the same thing?

All you have to do is create a short video introducing yourself and your business. You can provide tips or a short tutorial. Try to provide some helpful information and point out all of the ways that you can help them if they visit your website and join your list.

Don't worry if you aren't ready to be a film star. You can create videos from slide show presentations or from screen capture software like Camtasia. You can get a free trial at: http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp

In your video, make sure you point your viewers to a specific landing page (a squeeze page) with your sign up form on it. People will be eager to join your list because you've provided them with great information in a wildly popular format.

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3 Innovative Ways To Build An Optin Email List That Stands Above The Crowd


With so many Opt-In email lists out there, you really need to come up with a hook to attract subscribers. It needs to have something special or different. It could be something you offer inside every newsletter issue, like interviews with experts. Or the hook could be a unique incentive that web site visitors can take advantage of immediately when they sign up.

Here are 3 ideas you can use for your own web sites or use as inspiration to get you thinking a little outside of the box::

1. Build An Opt-In Email List By Creating A Private Members Only Site Or Section: Create a private web site and have people sign up to get free, immediate access. For example, you could say,

"Subscribe to our free e-zine/newsletter or mailing list and get free access to our private membership web site!"

You can choose to have them receive a username and password every time they want to login, or you can just provide a link to the site in your welcome email. Your private members only site can be as big or as small as you want. Some of the things you can include inside are: reports, software, articles, ebooks, etc. Inside the site, you can advertise your affiliate programmes as well and you can follow-up to let them know about updates, new products they might be interested in, the latest news in your industry, etc.......

Build An Opt-In Email List By Giving Subscribers A Free, Tangible Gift: Instead of offering a free ebook (or a whole package of them) like everybody else, promise to give your visitors something they can hold in their hands if they give you their contact information. For example, you could say:

"Subscribe today and get our new report mailed to you via First Class post."

You could print out your report on standard 8 x 11 sheets of paper, fold it, put it inside an envelope and mail it off.

Or you can offer a 'tips' booklet and mail it to new subscribers. You can create your own CD packed full of information targeted toward your market and mail that. If you have a a large supply of a product that would interest your subscribers, then you can send one to each new subscriber. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Follow-up possibilities include: Articles (your own or written by others), tips you pick up, news in your niche, reviews of products or other interests, related web sites, etc......

Build An Opt-In Email List Through A Contest Or Sweepstakes: Hold a free contest or sweepstake at your web site where they must give their contact information, including their email address, to enter. Make the prize something that your niche market will be interested in. Otherwise, they'll never want to enter. If you already have an ezine/newsletter up and running, you could offer free automatic entry for new subscribers.

For example, you could say:

"Subscribe to our free newsletter and get automatic entry into our contest."

You'll also want to retroactively include current subscribers. You can announce the winner(s) at the end and also send any new contest announcements or product announcements. You can make this an ongoing contest, where you give away the same thing to one (or more) lucky people every month. That way, you'll entice many subscribers to stay on your list. You can find niche products to give away through wholesalers or dropshippers or you can create it yourself.

One of my favourite ways to do this is create a CD-Rom with a guide or report (or sometimes several) that my niche market will find interesting. Once again, you can follow-up with tips, articles, news, new product announcements or just an announcement of each monthly winner(s).

Hopefully, I've inspired you to take some action or encouraged ideas of your own with these tips. Any idea, the more popular it gets, requires you to think outside the box every now and then in order to be effective. Building an Opt-In email list is no different and with newsletters and ezines saturating the Internet day by day, you need to offer something a little different to make them want to sign up to yours. Or you'll just end up getting left behind.

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