5 Ways To Build Your List Fast
Monday, March 2nd, 2009
You may have heard that “the money is in the list”. Most successful marketers have an email opt-in list with thousands of contacts. Your “list” is a database of people and contact information usually including name and email address, but often, more detailed information is collected. The people on your list have given you permission to send them information, hence the term “opt-in”. No one likes spam, so having permission to contact people is the only sensible way to do business.
If you spend a lot of time and money getting visitors to your websites, you want to make the most of your efforts. If you are not building a list, when a potential customer visits your site and does not make a purchase, you have lost this customer forever. If, however, you offer an incentive for them to join your list, you have an opportunity to reach them in the future. You can build a relationship with your potential customers, and have a built-in market for new products or ideas.
When you decide to start building your own opt-in list, there are a few proven methods that can help you succeed.
1. You need an opt-in form on your website (connected to your autoresponder) to make it easy for visitors to subscribe to your list. The easier it is for visitors to opt-in, the more people will do so. Locate the form on your website so it is easy to see, and make sure visitors know what they need to do to sign-up.
2. Offer an incentive for visitors to subscribe to your list. Give out relevant information, articles or updates to entice visitors to subscribe. Free courses, software, or other freebies are also in high demand. A contest, quiz or giveaway can also be used effectively.
3. You can try offering a free trial of your product or service. If people like the sample, they will be inclined to buy your full product. Set up your autoresponder to give instructions on how to obtain the free trial. Be sure to follow-up with customers to close the sale.
4. Of course, you must promote your website to reach as many visitors as possible and get the most exposure. Getting traffic to a website is one of the biggest challenges in marketing. Try to master several techniques for traffic generation including search engine optimization, pay per click advertising, blogging and social networking.
5. While building your list, remember that each contact is also a real person. Avoid flooding people with constant emails. You don’t want to become an annoyance to your subscribers. Be sure to offer good content in addition to new offers you may present. Give out new information, special offers and helpful tips.
The benefits of having a large opt-in list are undeniable. The sooner you start, the better off you will be in the long run. Follow these guidelines, and use your creativity to start collecting your own opt-ins. Soon you’ll find out why “the money is in the list”.
Wishing You Online Success,
