Building An Opt-In List - Building Relationships
Hello folks and today’s blog is Opt-In Lists.
This is because a newish member asked me the other day would it make any tangible difference to their success having one on their website as they already had an email list from another venture in marketing. That one hadn't brought the success they had hoped for and that was why they had signed up to WA..
All the members here within WA are here for one reason - to achieve success, and that’s ok because there’s no point in being here if you don’t want it.
Any entrepreneur, affiliate marketer or Internet Marketer whatever title prefer’s goal is SUCCESS!
If you aim for success, you must do everything within your means to achieve that. You just don’t go on sitting there in your house complaining about not getting as much profit as you expect. You have to keep moving. You have to pour in and invest enough time, money and effort to have profitable results.
In doing internet business, you must aim just the same. You should maximize all of your internet marketing strategies, given the wide market that your business will be exposed to. Imagine the whole online community as potential clients!
Now, one of the best marketing tools that you can use in your online business is building a list. An opt-in list is the best, most effective and smartest option that you can make to make it big. It is one thing to stay in business and it is another thing to have a profitable business. So if you will be allowed to choose, make use of the building list to ensure that profits will keep coming in.
Now that all-important question!
What Is An Opt-In List?
The opt-in list basically is just a list or a database of names and email ads of people who have visited your website or made a purchase through your website. The listing will allow the owner to send updates, emails or promotions to those who are subscribed.
It is like an ordinary membership or mailing list in an ordinary shop or club, only in this instance, the opt-in list is done online.
Why should I choose to put an opt-in list I hear you ask?
Every visitor that comes to your web site is a potential client. That potential client means there is a potential sale and that potential sale is a potential profit. Now, let’s say that you’ve made a good internet marketing strategy as a result all these potential things have been translated to actual clients, sales and profits.
The next prudent thing to do is to not let all these productive efforts be wasted. The next best thing to do is to get the email addresses and other contact details of your clients because your present buyers can still be your clients in the future.
Building a list will definitely work for your benefit. This will ensure that you can maintain close contact and a good relationship with your clients, especially the frequent visitors.
This will also save you money, time and effort because once you come up with a new product or new information, you know exactly who you will send updates to because you have a definite market. At the very least this is one aspect that you will have to maintain to have a steady source of income. Then the rest of your efforts will be to make the number of your regular clients grow.
Some pointers in building your opt-in list:
- You should put a ‘subscribe link’ or ‘subscribe box’ in your web site. It is advisable to put it on all the pages. Then make sure that it is strategically positioned, meaning it has to be easily located by the visitors. The upper right hand corner of the page would be a good position.
- Promote your website and promote it even more to make give it more exposure and to get more subscribers.
- Come up with contests or give away freebies and goodies that will require visitors to give out their email ads to be able to join.
- Give out information, articles and updates to your clients with your links in it. Make sure that the information will be relevant to the client.
- Offer free courses to your visitors. This will also help maintain a good relationship with your subscribers.
- Use your signature also to make your opt-in list expand. Every time you send out messages the link information should be included.
- Do some networking too. Join some forums or discussions and build relationships with the people there. This way will also be a good way for you to get more contacts and clients.
At the same time you should also know what you should avoid in building an opt-in list. There is one thing that you should keep in mind as the don't's of building a list.
Don't ever spam your subscribers. It is best that you get permission from your subscribers, or else you might end up with a bad reputation.
Avoid pop-ups too. They can sometimes annoy the visitors. There are also pop-up blockers now. Your efforts here might end up a waste of time.
You should also refrain from flooding your subscribers with information. You might end up as such an annoyance that you might not get a favorable result. There may be times that you'll give relevant information, but your clients may just dismiss it.
The benefits of having many regular subscribers are undeniable. They will definitely keep your business going and you will definitely enjoy the profits that will come in. Just remember that things don’t end there.
Once you’ve build up on a substantial opt-in list, make sure that you maintain it at an optimum level. Keep in contact with your subscribers. Send them updates. Give out special offers and helpful tips. Freebies will be helpful too.
Ok people there you have it and if you follow the information/tips and advice I’ve given you in this blog you’ll see, things can only get better.
If the urge comes upon you then please feel free to leave a comment.
Thank you for reading my blog and have an excellent day or evening wherever you are in the world.
Robert Allan
Recent Comments
50
Great advice. I haven't seen follow up email marketing with autoresponder in the first 3 lessons. Does it come later?
Hello Chuck. It was so long ago since I took the training I can't honestly say.
It is mentioned but I believe not in any great detail as its a personal choice whether you have one or not.
Why not ask this as a question in your top search box on any of your WA pages?
Thank you for your comment though and have a great day.
Robert
Great tips, thank you Robert, but I feel that it if it is a new site or not getting enough visitors, then may have to delay in building a list first, what do you think? :))
Hello Jewel and yes it is a good idea to have an optin list no matter if your site is new or not or not getting lots of visitors.
You can have the optin function right from the start and you never know who will sign up because your list has to begin sometime and it wont if you don't have one on your site.
Enjoy your evening over there in Singapore.
Robert
This was some excellent material Robert. The Opt-in lists are for sure a necessity. I will study what you have given here and put it to use.
Thanks Robert!
Linda
Forgot to ask - are you using an optin list program now?
If you are, are you having much success with it?
Robert
No I am not Robert as of yet. Thank you for asking.
Will probably be asking or having a few question when I do tho.
Thank you, and will be in touch!
Linda :))
Opt-in lists are a necessity online, I am currently working on some double opt-in features to ensure compliance for any future affiliate offerings. You brought out some very pertinent points to be addressed. Excellent blog!
Hello Rosie and thank you for your comment.
Glad to give a few pointers.
Have an excellent day.
Robert
Hi Robert(a)?
See what I did there ;-)
Anyway, a good reminder about how to expand our horizons and methods for building relationships with visitors and potential customers leading to (I would imagine) the biggest reason we are all here.....more sales/income/profit!!
Cheers Robbie
Mark
Glad you mentioned sales/income/profit.
Maybe I'm too altruistic to make much money lol
Anyway glad you took the time to read the blog and perhaps it gave you a few pointers in the direction of those profits.
Robert
Hi Robert
Thank you for this blog, I enjoyed reading it.
A few years ago I had an opt-in on one of my websites but I took it down after a while, for exactly what reason I can't say. Probably it was due to not feeling good enough! However, I have been contemplating putting an opt-in on that site again.
I am wondering what your thoughts are on autoresponders. I used Aweber on that site and they provide a very good service but I wonder if you can recommended any others. I have also used iContact and MailChimp in my secretarial business but they are not my choice for my affiliate marketing sites.
Thanks Robert, and enjoy your day.
Valerie
Thanks Allan for this post. I had a 'sign up' widget on my site but I got nothing from it. But I also had nothing offering. So I plan to do some short training ebooks that I can give away on sign up. Ill ned to figure out how to automate giveaway ebooks as well. Do you think this will help ?
Hi and thank you for your comment.
As I said to another member a freebie is a great promotional tool.
I have loads of eBooks/PDF's I could give away or sell and the best idea I've come up with so far is to put as many as I can on one page with a separate download link for each one.
Have a nice day.
Robert
You've given me some good food for thought. I have some very valuable things I can give away. I just have to figure out how to capitalize on this in my niche.
B....
A freebie is a great idea but you could still make money from anything that has some financial value to other people even if you believe its not worth anything.
And of course there's also knowledge and experience that you can capitalize on.
Take me for example all the blogs I publish within WA could earn me a nice little income if I was to sell them on article sites but then I couldn't help out my fellow WA members coz then it would be duplicate content.
I'm between a rock and a hard place sometimes.
I'm going to sign off now as its getting late.
Robert
Oh Robert, you know the greatest return for your blogs is not monetary in the bad world outside but for altruism in here!
Mark
You're right Robert, altruism is ok when you've paid all your bills but until then..........
Mark
Altruism is all well and good Mark but it don't pay the bills lol
Glad to help out and getting some feedback from members is always going to improve my writing which of course will lead to even more blogs and articles.
Have a nice day.
Robert
Tell you what - I'll send you my bills and I'll keep on being altruistic lol.
Ok time I was going out for the day.
Catch you later tonight if you're around.
Robert
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Hi Robert,
I totally agree that opt-in lists are essential to grow your business.
I created a 'subscribe to my newsletter form' from Aweber and wrote an ebook that I am giving away for free to every new subscriber.
I really hoped on getting results. I worked so hard on that and made an extra investment with Aweber ( above other investments already) but the truth is that I have put it online almost 1 month ago and that absolutely nobody has subscribed to my newsletter ! ( I have an average traffic of 50 a day), even with the free ebook.
I had a pop over that I deleted because I thought it scared ppl away, so now I just have it on my sidebar.
I really start to be desperate here, as my whole website is on 'stand by' as long as nobody subscribes...
Do you have an idea why this is happening or what I could do to fix this?
I am focusing on social marketing now to try to get more traffic and I am considering to 'pay' for services I heard about that sell you lists.
Do you have experience with this? I am already paying for publicity on fb but I don't really want to get in a circle where paying for services is the only option left ....
Thanks in advance!
Angélique
Will send you a PM.
Robert
Thanks Robert :)