7_Things_You_Can_Do_to_Build_an_Effective_and_Responsive_Opt-In_Mailing_List

7 Things You Can Do to Build an Effective and Responsive Opt-In Mailing List We're assuming that the primary goal of any Internet marketing effort is to earn money consistently over a long period of time. It doesn't serve us well to look only at short term goals. 'Flash-in-the-pan' success does happen for some people, but it's rare, and by far not the rule. That being the case, a list containing names and email addresses of interested prospects becomes an essential building block of success. A viable and workable opt-in mailing list is not an 'option' . . . it's a necessity. It goes without saying that we want our list to be as large as possible, but we're also seeking list quality as well. So, here are several techniques that we have used, and continue to use in our own list-building efforts. They will work IF you work them. 1. Place an invitation to join prominently on your site. Exposure is the operative word. Consider that your visitor is likely to be already interested in what you have to offer. Otherwise, she wouldn't be at your site in the first place. She will also be likely to join your list IF you give her an open invitation, and make it worth her time and effort. 2. Offer an incentive for joining your list. A majority of Internet users come online seeking information about whatever topic interests them at the moment. Take advantage of this human curiosity by offering an informative ebook, group of ebooks, or an educational report on a topic that surrounds your site's focus. This will further pique the interest of your prospect, giving her a reason to join your list. 3. Advertise your incentive offers to other lists. Paying for qualified leads is a reasonable and much used business practice. Advertising your new promotional ebook, report, or even a free service that you will provide can and typically will bring in a flood of new list members. Note however, that this technique involves a cash investment for the initial advertising. To use this method, you must also have a focused marketing plan in place, geared toward recouping your cost by immediately offering your new subscribers related products for purchase. 4. Promote your list in your signature box. Most email softwares will allow you to generate a signature file that will be appended automatically to every email message you send. Configure this file as an advertisement for your mailing list or newsletter. Stress the benefits of membership to your list, and feature your incentive items in this ad as well. Considering that a signature line is an important part of any solo sales letter that you may send, promote your list in that fashion as well. 5. Use pop-up windows on your site to promote your list. While you hear it said that pop-up windows aggravate many visitors, it seems to be primarily unrelated pop-ups from other sites that cause the most disdain. A small 400 X 400 pop-up window that promotes your list, your incentive items, or your newsletter will generally be well received by a visitor to your website. After all, she has already expressed an interest simply by visiting. Our own testing has proven that a tastefully done pop-up window with a sign-up box included will pull as much as 80% more response than a stationary sign-up box on any webpage. 6. Joint venture with other list owners. Subscribe to the lists of other marketer's who have a common business focus with you. Read the newsletters, the ads and the updates to decide which of the list owners you wish to become involved with. Then contact each one, offering to recommend their list to your list, in return for their doing the same for you. This technique is sometimes referred to as 'ad-swapping' and is a relatively common practice among newsletter and ezine publishers. However, we do recommend that you investigate the quality of material published by any list owner before you involve yourself. 7. Aggressively submit to list directories. This technique will not normally bring in floods of new subscribers, but it is a tried and true method of consistently increasing your list. Enter an online search in Yahoo or any major search engine using the search terms 'newsletter directory,' 'ezine directory,' and 'list directory.' Your search will return dozens of resource sites where you can promote your list for additional exposure. In most cases, your only investment will be your time. These are not the only workable techniques for building your own opt-in mailing list. Oftentimes, the new and innovative idea is the one that gains the most subscribers. So feel free to use your own imagination and ingenuity to augment these techniques or devise completely new ones. You will be rewarded handsomely in the long run. About the author: Dan B. Cauthron offers original marketing insights and a 7-Volume eMarketing Library to all new subscribers. Join his list by visiting http://www.Revenewer.com or by sending your name and email address to mailto:Dan@Revenewer.com with the words 'subscribe me' in the subject bar.