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.