Email List Building Tips

Simply posting a "Subscribe" form on your website and forgetting about it isn't going to get you very far unless your site is already drawing a high volume of traffic. I highly recommend you use the eight strategies listed below to attract a steady stream of new subscribers...

1) Promote your website offline

This might sound deceptively simple (because it is!) but you need to tell as many people as possible about your website and opt-in offer!

Perhaps you regularly attend industry trade shows and events. If so, you'll want to make sure you're stocked up on business cards that advertise your website and opt-in offer.

Remember, even in the online world, traditional offline advertising tactics and the power of word-of-mouth marketing should never be underestimated!

2) Include your offer in your email and forum signatures

An electronic signature -- also referred to as a "sig file" -- is a three- to six-line footer that you can attach to the bottom of things like customer service emails, public forum postings, and any articles or press releases you write and distribute online. And it's a prime spot to advertise your opt-in offer.

Unlike a lot of other blatant ads, a sig file is universally accepted -- so take advantage of this perfect opportunity to plug your offer.

If your signature advertises your opt-in offer, make sure that any links in it direct readers straight to a page where they can immediately subscribe. If you send them to your product catalog instead, they may get lost or confused -- and you want to make it as easy as possible for them to subscribe to your list.

When posting in online forums, make sure your comments are relevant to the discussion, rather than just mini-ads for your site. People participate in these online communities because they want to share information -- not because they want to be sold something.

3) Blog your way to bigger opt-ins

A business blog can be a great place for you to create a reputation for yourself and build credibility through the quality of your posts and the information you provide. This is a perfect opportunity to "wow" potential customers with your authoritative comments and let them know about your compelling opt-in offer.

If you have a business blog, always be sure to include an opt-in form on the front page. If readers are coming to get valuable information from your blog, it will be easy to persuade them to sign up to receive additional valuable information through your opt-in offer.

It's also a great idea to search for other people's blogs on topics related to your industry and comment on their posts. Again, make sure your comments are relevant and informative -- and link back to your site using your signature file.

4) Advertise in e-zines and classified ads

If you are looking for a quick and easy way to build your list and don't mind spending a bit of money to do it, you might consider advertising your opt-in offer in e-zines or on classified ad sites.

This allows you to get your offer in front of a highly targeted group of potential customers, as you'll be able to hand-pick the e-zines and classified ad categories that you post your ad in. If you know that a certain e-zine caters to the exact market you are trying to reach, advertising with them will be an excellent source of leads.

If you have classified ads on your own site, or if you publish your own e-zine or newsletter, you might consider swapping ad space with other sites. This allows you to advertise on other sites or in other e-zines at no cost to you.

5) Give away free subscriptions to clubs and organizations

Offer a free subscription to members of clubs and organizations that are related to your industry. This is a great way to get large numbers of people to join your newsletter with very little work.

6) Collect opt-ins from your eBay auction listings

Another way to build your opt-in list is to capitalize on the phenomenal rise of the online auction site eBay, and target the more than 2 million shoppers that flock to it every day. You need to open an eBay account and then create auction listings for your products or services.

7) Drive opt-ins from pay-per-click ads

Pay-per-click ads are a great way to drive highly targeted traffic to your site in a matter of minutes. They are the ads that show up in search engines next to the regular -- or "organic" -- search results.

You can set up pay-per-click ads to direct people to a targeted landing page that gives them some valuable information related to the search query they entered before they clicked on your ad.

8) Promote your offer on your website

Although you may not be getting much traffic to your site just yet, you should still make sure everyone who does visit it is offered the opportunity at least once -- if not twice -- to join your opt-in list.

Be sure to include a short paragraph that describes exactly what your offer is about and how the reader will benefit from giving you their email address.

As well, you can strategically place a pop-up window that prompts your visitors to subscribe to your newsletter right when they arrive at your web site.

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