7 Strategies for Building Opt-In Email lists

Having a large opt-in email list of email subscribers is an extremely effective internet marketing strategy that allows you to communicate your products, special offers and priceless information to your list of subscribers on a regular basis.  

Before learning how to create successful opt-in email lists, let's first take a look at the email marketing facts:

• Fact: Online buyers are skeptical.
• Fact: Online buyers need to trust you before they buy from you.
• Fact: Online buyers require your product or service to be placed in front of them an average of 7 times before they actually buy from you.
• Fact: Buyers that buy from you once are likely to buy from you again.
• Fact: Your email subscribers need to be extremely targeted (interested) in what you have to offer.
• Fact: Most visitors leave your site and never return.

So what do these facts mean to you?  They mean your success as an internet marketer depends on creating, nurturing and communicating with visitors that come to your site.  If you don't, they will be lost forever never to return. By effectively creating an opt-in email list you now have the chance to encourage your site visitors to return to your site on a regular basis, help them develop a trust in you and keep them abreast of new products, specials, events, etc.

Now that you understand the importance of building our opt-in email list, here are 7 key strategies for creating your lists:

1) Publish A Newsletter. This is not as hard as it sounds. Start with a simple informational newsletter that you can send to your readers at a minimum of once a month, preferably once a week. Offer information relating to your products or services and sprinkle it with sales offers, product information, website updates, FAQ's, etc. Keep your newsletters fun and develop a writing style that has flair. You want your readers to look forward to hearing from you. Encourage feedback, respond quickly to inquiries and be helpful.

2) Invest In a Good Email Autoresponder. An autoresponder service or autoresponder software will automatically collect your email list information. It will also allow you to send emails automatically to your list. You can pre-write your emails and schedule them however you wish. It will also send auto replies for any email you receive. The options are tremendous, however the key is automation and we all need lots of that.

3) Set Up An Email Opt-in Form. Typically your autoresponder will help you create a form to put on your website. The key to setting up an opt-in form is to keep it simple. You only need to request a name and email address. Also be sure to state on your form that you will not sell or share email addresses with anyone.

4) Offer Free Incentives. As an incentive to getting your viewers to subscribe to your newsletter offer them something free. You can write a simple e-book and give it away, or find an e-book online that you can give away.

Remember that if you really want someone to do something, it helps if you can give them something in return for their patronage.

5) Write articles. Writing articles is an excellent way to get subscribers. It works by placing a link to your newsletter subscription in the byline of your article. If someone enjoys your article they're very likely to want to find out more and subscribe.

Not a writer? Not a problem. There are plenty of people out there willing to write articles for very reasonable fees. The amount of sign-ups you gain and the potential for sales can more than make of for the cost of the article.

6) Write an e-book. Did you ever write a term paper in school? Writing an e-book is not much different. If you are knowledgeable enough to have a product and a website, you are knowledgeable enough to write an informative and useful e-book on your topic. Think carefully about your products or services and list everything you know about it. You might be surprised at how much you really know.

An e-book will capture email addresses because your e-book should promote your newsletter link as well as your website link. Try giving away your e-book to other business owners to use as a free give away. Once your e-book gets into the hands of interested parties, you're email list will grow like wildfire.

7) Join and participate in online forums. Respond to comments, answer questions and give advice when you can. Most forums allow you to create a signature line which you can setup with the link to your newsletter opt-in form or the page of your website that has your form on it. Another excellent way to build trust, promote your expertise or simply make a few business acquaintances.

If you can offer valuable information for free, establish yourself as an expert and remind your viewers to come back to your site, you'll be well on your way to achieving increased traffic and in return, increased sales.