How To Make Email Marketing Work For You
One of the most powerful tools in an Internet marketer’s arsenal is email – and it’s easy to see why. Getting a large list of targeted prospects is a valuable thing to have. Yet, many people stumble when trying to put together their lists because they don’t know the right way to get started. Just how does one go about getting people to opt-in?
The first thing to keep in mind is that people are getting more and more used to marketers asking them to fill in their name and email address. In the end, it’s simply not enough to just put up your opt-in form and hope for the best. You really do need to “sell” the opt-in, and one of the best ways to do it is with an ethical “bribe” or giveaway. Write a free downloadable report around your main subject and offer it for free to anyone that fills in their email address and name. This is a great way to persuade them to take the time to fill in your opt-in form.
Your giveaway doesn’t absolutely have to be a report. It can be a video, an audio interview with someone respected in your industry, or maybe even exclusive access to some protected part of your website. Whatever it is, the key is to ensure that your giveaway brings value to the user. This does two things:
- The user will start to form trust with you, which means that promotions and recommendations are more likely to be accepted.
- If the content is good enough, there’s a good chance that the user will help you spread the word by telling their friends about it.
In many cases, this giveaway constitutes a first impression of sorts, and as we all know, a first impression is critical. So, make sure that your giveaway is quality and offers true value to your subscribers.
The second item may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many folks don’t do this. Be sure that your opt-in box is in a highly visible place above the fold. Above the fold means the part of the screen that is visible before you have to scroll downwards. Studies show that people are more likely to notice your opt-in box if they don’t have to scroll down to see it. To make your opt-in box more visible, try a color that stands out from the rest of your website. You can also try to add arrows or other graphics to draw eyeballs to the subscription box. Of course, be sure to show the visitor your fabulous giveaway for signing up.
Finally, in your opt-in box, always remember to summarize or point to your privacy policy. SPAM (or junk email) is a huge issue, and many people are turned off from email marketing in fear of having their email addresses distributed or sold. In order to get people to opt-in, you need to be able to convince them that you are worthy of trust and that you will not share their email without express permission. By doing so, your opt-in rate will noticeably increase, so take the time to alleviate the minds of your users.
As long as email exists, email marketing is not going away. By putting these techniques to use, you too can start building a targeted list of subscribers that are responsive to your own promotions.
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