Opt Email Lists: Tips and Strategies

I have an internet marketing friend told me some time ago, "The money is in the opt email lists." I didn't know what the devil he was talking about. If I'd wanted to build something, I would have gone into the construction business. "Dude, LISTEN TO ME, build your list. It's an absolute must-a-rino. Opt email lists. You build them with an auto-responder."

I still didn't care about trying to build opt email lists, but my friend doesn't give up. A few weeks later he said, "Dude, do you know how much time you're wasting, reinventing the wheel? You do all this stuff to get customers to your website. They buy from you and they leave! Poof, they disappear! That means you have to start all over again and work like a dog to get another customer. But if you're building your opt email lists, you can send emails to the customer again and again. With, like, other offers and stuff."

No thanks, I wasn't having any of it. But my friend mentioned it for the third and final time some weeks later. "Dude, let me quote you a statistic." Oh-oh, he was getting serious on me. "Most of the time, customers don't buy right away. They need to see what you're selling on average 7 times before they're ready to buy. Once a potential customer leaves your website without buying, they're not likely to come back. Even if they like what you're selling and just want to take a little time to think about it, they'll probably get busy and forget your website's URL. Got it?"

His point was that you can stay in contact with your potential customers if they're on your opt email lists. So I started building them. And it wasn't as bad as I imagined, not by a long shot. But if my friend had given me some specific tips for building opt email lists, I wouldn't have had to go through so much trial and error. So subscribe to an affordable auto-responder service like GetResponse (I like them because they're affordable), and try a few of these suggestions.

*Don't Make People Work To Sign Up To Your Opt Email Lists

No one wants to have to work to get what you're giving away. They don't want to be confused and have to hunt for what you're giving away. The easier, the better. If you have a newsletter, a blog, a website, give your visitors a break. Don't make them hunt for your opt email sign-up form. Put it close to content, above the fold. Then talk about the benefits of signing up. Make it alluring, something like "secrets and tips you wont find elsewhere!"

*Give Away A Report Or An eBook for Joining Your Opt Email Lists

You don't have to write a stinkin' novel, you can write as little as 5 pages if you write report. What you're going to do is give this report away on your website or landing page in exchange for your potential customer's email address. For such a little bit of work, this strategy can have a big pay off in the form of a river of new email addresses flowing to you. Same with an eBook – it doesn't need to be lengthy. However long it is, don't use some free report or eBook that's already been all over the web. Giving away junky recycled stuff will make people unsubscribe from your list. If you're tempted to give away junk you picked up somewhere, just write your own stuff or pay someone.

*Get Active in Forums Can Help Build Your Opt Email Lists

Many forums let you post a signature link when you participate by asking or answering a question. If not, some of these forums will allow you to post a ink in your user profile. Find a forum related to what you're selling. If you post a good answer, a lot of people will come to your profile to check you out. Once they see your URL in your profile or in your signature, maybe they'll follow it to your landing page or website where they can sign up for your opt email lists.

*Article Marketing Brands You As An Expert

It's not hard to write an article. How many of them have you read? Probably a lot. Take 30 minutes or so to read a couple on your favorite article site and you'll get the hang of it. And if your article happens to be useful, the result will bet a steady stream of new subscribers. Another benefit of article marketing is that you'll establish yourself as something of an expert. That means people will trust you. Which means they'll look to you for more information. If people trust you, they'll want to sign up for your opt email lists.

*Publishing An Electronic Newsletter Will Help Build Your Opt Email Lists

If you decide to publish an electronic newsletter, don't turn it into a time-sucking venture. You can get away with publishing your newsletter twice a month, even once a month. If you join an auto-responder service like Get Response, you'll be provided with a sign-up form and your opt-in email chores will be handled for you. You can just focus on banging out your newsletter and hitting that publish button.

Heck, you can even buy a list if you can afford it. Do your homework – don't end up buying opt email lists from some spammer. If you go this route, beware of spending a lot of money; I warn you, some lists are quite expensive. If you buy a list, make sure that it's opt-in or even double opt-in.

You don't have to follow all the tips above, you can just try one or two. So stop dreading it and start building your opt email lists!