Build an Opt in Email List: Your Shortcut to Increased Sales and Profits

by Richard D. Bailey

Published on this site: April 6th, 2005 - See more articles from this month...

Having a mailing list is still one of the most effective forms of Marketing tools available. If you treat your list-members right, by not bombarding them with an onslaught of deceptive nonsense, you can actually create a push-button income stream with incredible long-term potential.

Just imagine sending out a single email recommending a product to 5000 receptive people. If only 1% respond, you will make 50 sales. If the product costs $50, you will have pocketed $2500 (minus expenses) with a single button push. This is entirely possible if you know how to build a quality list.

As an Internet business owner, speaker and EBook author, I wanted to share this simple yet effective method of building an email list and recommend that you...

GET SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT FOR YOU!

There are co-registration services out there that will actually promote your newsletter, mailing-list via a sign-up form and will also allow visitors to join your mailing-list. Some will even go the extra mile to ensure that your email lists are spam-accusation-free by requiring double or triple-opt-in for each new subscriber. There are usually single-opt-in options available, but I don’t recommend this form of list-building. You would be surprised at how many people forget that they signed up for a mailing list, only seconds after doing so. By requiring them to take the extra steps to confirm their subscription, you help to ensure your lists longevity and that it has truly active subscribers and not just hostages

You can literally request 1000 opt-in subscribers and get them in a few days or weeks. The 5000 number mentioned above in the second paragraph is entirely possible over a period of time, depending on the subject matter of your newsletter or mailing-list. Be sure to visit the link at the end of this article to see how this can be done in the shortest time possible.

CARE AND BE SURE THAT YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE:

Newsletter and email list subscribers still prefer good old-fashioned honesty and reliability. So be sure that you deliver exactly what you promise. If you promise to send out newsletters once a week, then try your best to do so, even if you have to send out a message stating that the next issue is going to be late. To avoid this and to ensure delivery, consider using an Auto-Responder email system that will deliver pre-loaded messages even in your absence.

Be careful to not bombard your readers with so many ads and promotional items that your newsletter for pet lovers suddenly becomes a sales flyer. Many readers will become weary and will start hitting their unsubscribe button soon after you have crossed their personal lines of tolerance. So try your best to stay on topic, but don’t be afraid to include products and recommendations when something important comes up.

GET YOUR MESSAGES DELIVERED:

Be sure to use an email distribution service (text/html) with proven industry relationships to ensure that your messages will get through. One such service provider, “Constant Contact has strong, long-standing relationships with all of the major ISPs. In today's email environment, these relationships are critical to your email delivery.” Constant Contact has “one of the highest delivery rates in the industry - a 3% block rate compared to the average industry block rate of 12%.” You can learn more about Constant Contact and get a free account by visiting the link at the end of this article.

I also highly recommend that you offer an RSS option to allow subscribers an alternative to unpredictable email issues. Just conduct a search for “Create RSS” on the web to learn more about RSS content management.

As you have learned, it is not impossible to build a real email-list of your own and you don’t have to be a Marketing guru to do it. You only need someone to help you. So, get started with building your list today. Remember, every day you delay can cost you thousands of dollars in potential sales profits.

Certified Guerilla Marketing Coach, Richard Bailey is an Internet entrepreneur with 9+ years of technology based marketing experience. Visit: http://www.clientbydesign.com/listoptions.html for more tools and info on building your profitable email-list.