How to Build your Opt-In List

Some companies decide to send customers a free newsletter to get an email list.  But there are other ways to collect email addresses.  Sometimes having a newsletter just doesn’t make any sense for your company.  For instance, if you happen to sell dishwashers, how much information could you send your customer, daily, on dishwashers. 

So, instead here are a few other options for increasing your email list.
You could run a contest.  The puzzle, game or task should be easy and straightforward so that you don’t frustrate the customer and you still get their email address in the end.

A great incentive to collect email addresses would be a free eBook.  People love getting free stuff, especially eBooks that interest them.  Remember, it doesn’t have to be 100 pages long; five to ten pages will work fine.Surveying the customer is a great way to collect email addresses. You can find out what the customer likes/dislikes, and what they have problems with or need solutions for.Advertise your opt-in offer in an e-zine or classified ad.  It actually doesn’t cost tons of money and if you find the right place to advertise, you could see dramatic results.Email signatures, or electronic signatures, also referred to as a, sig file is a three to six line footer that you can add to the bottom of each email message you send out with your name, company and a free report with a link attached.  You will be surprised how many visitors you get this way. 

IDEAS FOR VIRAL MARKETING

What really is viral marketing?
Viral marketing is a strategy by which a marketer creates a campaign focused around the goal of causing viewers of that promotion to spontaneously spread it by sending it to friends. 

Here are six ideas to help you start your viral marketing campaign:
1.    Purchase the branding rights to a viral E-book. Allow people to give away your free E-book to their visitors. Then, their visitors will also give it away. This will just continue to spread your ad all over the Internet.

2.    If you have the ability to set up a forum or other bulletin board, you really have a great tool. Allow people to use your online discussion board for their own website. Some people don't have one. Just include your banner ad at the top of the board.
3.    Do you have a knack for web design? Create some templates, graphics, etc. and upload them to your site. Then, allow people to give away your free web design graphics, fonts, templates, etc. Just include your ad on them or require people to link directly to your web site. Make sure that you include a link back to your site in the copyright notice and require them to keep your copyright notice in tact.

4.    Write an E-book. Allow people to place an advertisement in your free E-book if, in exchange, they give away the E-book to their web visitors or E-zine subscribers.

5.    Write articles that pertain to your product or service. Allow people to reprint your articles on their website, in their E-zine, newsletter, magazine or E-books. Include your resource box and the option for article reprints at the bottom of each article.

6.    You can easily find products on the Internet that will sell you a license allowing you to distribute the product free of charge to other people. Look for those products that provide "branding rights". That is where you can include your own name, website, and contact information.