WebMaster Solutions

Web Site Marketing

Email List Building 101

by Kenneth Catto

These days one of the most powerful ways to build your opt in list is to use co-registration and product giveaways. This is a great way to build your list fast and uses other leverage techniques that can save you time and money.

However, there are some disadvantages to using these techniques.

1 - The person signing up for your list is also signing up for someone else's who is most likely in direct competition with you. Keep in mind that when they are sending out information on products and services, you will probably be doing the same thing and giving your list member the same email twice and a reason to unsubscribe.

One way around this is to always send out unique emails so that they never get the same email twice. This is especially true in internet marketing.

2 - By promoting products as an affiliate you will more than likely be sending your members or site visitors to a squeeze page. This is where they will enter their email information and join the list of the person whose product you are promoting.

Now this is great if you get a commission, but even so, after you get this commission you will no longer have this person as a customer. However, the affiliate product owner now has this persons email to continue to promote to thanks to you.

A good way to avoid this is to offer your site visitors a free e-book or report in relation to the product you are promoting. This way they are sent to your squeeze page first and you get the email as well. Then you simply promote the affiliate link within the report you are giving away or in your auto responder.

Yes, you will have a similar situation as mentioned in the first scenario, but the email you obtain will be much more targeted and the member will now know you.

3 - The last item to mention is giveaway products. Many authors will allow you to give away their e-books freely to your website visitors and list members. The drawback here is the contents of the e-book.

There is nothing wrong with having the authors name, URL and company information within the e-book. After all they did write it. The thing is many authors now have complete opt in forms or require that you register to gain access to the complete e-book. This will also be redirecting possible subscribers to your list.

Try a variation of #2 and have them opt in to your list before giving them the download link. There are also programs available that allow you to giveaway the e-book with your product or opt in details as a back end offer.

You can also bundle several related e-books and offer them as a reward for signing up for your list.

Try to get resale rights as well. This may allow you to re-brand the e-book with your opt in information. This way the author gets credit and you can still get the subscriber.

Using co registration and product giveaways are a two way street. The key is to try and get the visitors email as well as give them a valuable tool or service.

List building is largely about building relationships. What better way to start than to give them something of value? Just make sure that you get something valuable in return. When it comes to marketing online, what's more valuable than your subscribers?

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