Sending messages and information to people who have given you permission to contact them is a great way to build the kind of relationships that will encourage a steady flow of traffic to your website... and greatly increase your online sales!
All online businesses can benefit from having an opt-in mailing list of some kind! Opt-in email lists generally fall into 4 categories?.
New Content Notification - You've probably seen sites that offer to notify you whenever they have new information, products, or content. To tell you the truth, this is probably the least effective kind of opt-in list, simply because most people won't sign-up. Instead, they'll bookmark your site thinking they'll just come back from time to time - but don't count it! Of course, there are certain kinds of sites that CAN benefit from this form of opt-in list. For example, if you have a site that runs contests, you can offer to notify people whenever a new contest begins.
Free Report - Another kind of opt-in list involves the offer of a free report, or series of reports. However, be careful with this! By offering a free report, you are restricting the number of times you can mail to your list ? it's not a good idea to capture the names and then bombard them with a continual stream of sales material when they were only expecting one or two reports. This would be considered spamming! If you offer a free report, it should contain "real" information and a reason for them to visit your website again.
Resource Updates - You can offer to update subscribers on various issues or resources. For example, if you are in the real estate business you could send people a list of current mortgage rates for the top 10 or 20 financial institutions. You could send this out once a week, once a month, or whenever there are significant changes in the rates.
Free eZine/Newsletter - A great way to build an opt-in list is by offering a free subscription to an electronic newsletter or ezine. Newsletters are a really good way of regularly reminding your subscribers about your website and products. By writing a newsletter that contains copy which is both informative and compelling, you draw subscribers back to your website again and again! I have a huge newsletters devoted specifically to explaining how you can develop a fantastic newsletter and get thousands of people to subscribe to it! Having an ezine/Newsletter is one of the best ways to build credibility and rapport with your readers and customers. If you understand the value of a "Lifetime Customer", then you know exactly how powerful an ezine or newsletter can be!
Once you determine the kind of opt-in list you are going to have, you need to automate it. Why? Because one of the secrets to running a successful online business is to automate as much of the routine work as you can!
At your site, put up a simple CGI script designed to capture people's names and email addresses. This information will be sent to your email address so that you can add it to your database.
You can get great CGI scripts for free! Simply go to resourceindex and look up "Mail List Management" to find dozens of free scripts.
When people sign-up, you should immediately send them a confirmation email using an autoresponder. In this email, you should remind them that they have signed up and have asked to be on your list. Let them know how to unsubscribe (this information should also be in every email you send them). Restate the benefits they will experience by participating in your opt-in list. Let them know how often they will hear from you - will it be once a day, once a month, or only when there is something new to report? You should also confirm that you will not sell or let anyone else use their email address.
Good software will subscribe and unsubscribe people from your list automatically. It will take the information sent to your email box by the CGI script and add or delete it from your database. Doing this manually can quickly become overwhelming - particularly when your subscriber list begins to grow! These are the kind of tasks that you want to be automated - your time will be better spent on other things, like promoting your business!
Sending email to your list should be an easy process. You should be able to simply merge your message with your address list, click a button, and send them off! We recommend 1shoppingcart because, in addition to automatically subscribing and unsubscribing, it makes the task of merging and sending personalised Email messages very easy. It also allows you to set-up an unlimited number of autoresponders... plus a whole pile of other things I do not have room to list here.
Once you have your list set-up and automated, you can concentrate on WHAT you are sending your subscribers. They have subscribed for a reason. You made them promises, now it is time to follow through!
Your message, your report, or your eZine/Newsletter should be content rich. It should relate closely to the theme of your website and to what your audience is interested in. It should help them in some way! The information must be timely and relevant. And? it should draw people back to your website, as I do on my web site http://www.my-mortgage-loans.co.uk!!!!
By building an opt-in list, you are building the future of your business. People have invited you to send them information. They have invited you into their homes or offices! Your messages are a constant reminder for people to come back to your website and visit again and again. When they come back, you have another opportunity to build rapport with your visitors. You also have another opportunity to sell them your main or backend products!
Now, I'm not going to try and tell you that building an opt-in list doesn't require a whole lot of work. It does! But it is an important step in building a successful, long-term business. It is definitely worth the work! Add an opt-in list to your website and you will be well on your way to building a very valuable asset - a customer list that you can sell to again and again, year after year!
Brians William, Editor
http://www.my-mortgage-loans.co.uk
http://www.my-casino-gambling.com
Why you need new website content.Finding or creating good content... Read More
The internet seems to be full of hyped up business... Read More
First things first, I'm not a legal expert and so... Read More
What is an Opt-in List and what is its significance... Read More
Signature files have been around since, well, before most current... Read More
Too often, people forget they're anonymous in the internet world.... Read More
In this article I'm going to talk strictly from a... Read More
1) Website FocusMake sure your site is focused on a... Read More
My first email address was with compuserve.com back when you... Read More
If there's one thing I've learnt in over 3 years... Read More
Delivering email newsletters and sales messages to opt-in subscribers and... Read More
If you've written numerous articles, you can use them to... Read More
When I was first introduced to an autoresponder I thought... Read More
Are you dead sure about receiving of all the important... Read More
Developing and executing a successful e-mail marketing campaign is becoming... Read More
When I coach my clients on how to... Read More
Do you give web site visitors the opportunity to download... Read More
What? You are not using a Follow up Autoresponder? Then... Read More
Email marketing is undergoing rapid changes. Now, more than ever,... Read More
I have a special new email address. It's in addition... Read More
According to a study by the Winterberry Group, email marketing... Read More
I had great feedback from my last article, and was... Read More
If you are active on the web promoting your products,... Read More
1. Write Your Objective - Before you write your sales... Read More
What if you could send out all the information that... Read More
The consumer of today is increasingly bombarded by marketing messages... Read More
Does it seem to you that when you view "openings"... Read More
Out of all the possible approaches to affiliate marketing, lead... Read More
I bet you want to know what that one great... Read More
This interview is with Michael Murray, the author of a... Read More
In the business world, "You've Got Mail" has turned into... Read More
Need for PrivacyPeople have become hypersensitive about their privacy during... Read More
One major asset that every internet or affiliate marketer needs... Read More
We all know that spammers are looking for your email-address.... Read More
One of the most effective methods of advertising your e-zine... Read More
Don't overlook your current customers. After all, they're the ones... Read More
No doubt one of the overriding concerns you have is... Read More
One of the best and newest tools out there for... Read More
If you've reached the point of exhaustion trying to keep... Read More
What is an Opt-in List and what is its significance... Read More
Sound familiar? Ever wondered what happens to those unopened emails... Read More
Many companies begin their online sales ventures with the wrong... Read More
Here are the ten most important tips to ensure you're... Read More
If you're in business on the Internet to make a... Read More
As you read every word of this article, you'll be... Read More
So, autoresponders allow you to automate the process of instantly... Read More
In this article I'm going to talk strictly from a... Read More
For the sake of your long term survival and your... Read More
You're probably familiar with e-mail signature (or "sig") files --... Read More
If you design kitchens, is another kitchen designer your competition?... Read More
Perhaps you, like me, have web hosting that includes, free... Read More
1. Create a unique selling proposition (USP).Developing a USP for... Read More
At the recent Online Marketing Show, Adestra ran an email... Read More
Just in case you don't know, your 'LIST' ? is... Read More
Email is still the King in Internet marketing. Many people... Read More
Have You Considered The Power Of Email MarketingOld vs. NewIf... Read More
Everyone is talking about RSS. Blogs, newsites and the like... Read More
1. When you make your first sale, you need to... Read More
If you are serious about adding email to your marketing... Read More
Too often, people forget they're anonymous in the internet world.... Read More
Here are 11 ways to expand your subscriber list: 1.... Read More
When I coach my clients on how to... Read More
Given the inherent problems with traditional marketing techniques, it`s important... Read More
One of the things that the introduction of blogs has... Read More
In the business world, "You've Got Mail" has turned into... Read More
Just about every successful Internet Marketer will tell you that,... Read More
Email Marketing |