11 Steps to Catch More Opt-ins Than You’ve Ever Dreamt Of

11 Steps to Catch More Opt-ins Than You’ve Ever Dreamt Of
by Joyce Oladipo, "The Giftpreneur Queen"

The first thing you must know is that when you have new visitors at your website, your #1 goal is to get them on your ezine list! With that you have permission to contact them again and again, educating them about your services and products. A lot of people make the mistake of just putting up a link that says "free newsletter". Trust me, No one cares if it free or not. Your business is like fishing. To get their attention you need to carefully craft an opt-in box that works like a big net, catching the exact type of "fish" you want as your ideal prospects and customers.Your opt-in box must not be at the bottom of your web pages. I have notice that I get more subscriptions when I have an opt-in box on the very first page.Here are eleven simple things you can use for your opt-in that will help increase your signups than ever before.

1. Position Yourself

As a gift basket business owner with your business online, you are competing with a ravenous pack of other business competitors, who what your customers. You need to convince your customers that you deliver the best service and they need to do business with you. This is where positioning is crucial. Your uniqueness is the pivotal point of all your marketing. Always position your uniqueness. Convince your customers why you are better, unique, and can fill their needs, then your email subscription will increase.

2. Create A Great HEADLINE

Most subscribers SKIM the content of the subscription - they don't read it word for word. So the headline of your opt-in box may be the ONLY thing they read. This can determine whether they sign up or not. So don't waste this space saying something like "Free Newsletter" or even worse... "Sign up for our mailing list." Ugh! Instead, tell them the MOST exciting thing your ezine will give them!

Examples:

"FINALLY: Learn How to Keep Customers Coming Back for More"
"Are You Ready to Blast Off Your SALES This Year?"
"Insider Secrets to Getting More Booking and Referrals"

3. A Raving Description of Your Ezine

Get a description for your ezine that gets prospects excited to sign up! The description needs to describe what they would be getting from your ezine and how it’s going to help them. People are generally thinking about themselves. Most people are thinking of “what’s in it for me?” We are all tuned into “WIIFM” station. Tell them what your information is going to DO for them as well as everything they‘ll GET. Examples: How-to articles, quick and easy tips, free resources, insider secrets. Aim for your description to be between 15 and 30 words.

4. Offer Them Something

People don’t just give email address without a reason nowadays, unless you offer them something in return. You can offer them a free report or eBook.
By giving them something they need you can increase your subscription.

5. Ask For Their NAME

To create a relationship with your subscribers you need to get their names along with their e-mails. This allows you to personalize your ezine to them. For example, if I have subscribed to your list, your e-mail would come to me saying, "Dear Joyce..." The subject line could even say, "Joyce, here’s your free top tip". It has been proven that having the recipient's name in the subject line of your e-mails can increase your open rates by 60%!The problem is, many people value their privacy and are hesitant to give you their full name. For this reason, test both way of getting their names and see what works better for you.

6. Ask For Their Primary EMAIL ADDRESS

Many people have a separate email address they use just for receiving newsletters and promotions. The problem is that they often get this email address from free e-mail services like Yahoo or Hotmail. These services filter e-mails like crazy, and their mailbox gets filled up quickly, so there's a good chance your e-mails won't even reach these recipients.I would say by simply asking for their primary e-mail address can make a great difference. ASKING them to enter their primary e-mail will get more quality e-mails on your list! (You'll also get less bounce-backs from undeliverable e-mails)

7. A BUTTON That Says "Subscribe" or "Sign Me Up Now"

Make it very clear what you want them to click on to activate their subscription once they type in their name and email. Don't use something confusing like a link that says "submit form". You can even add a little twist to it like “Gimme That Report” or "Subscribe MEE”.

8. Assure Their Privacy, right then and there

When a person visits your web site, they are often hesitant to give their email address. Since they don’t know you, they often fear the worst: that you could be an unscrupulous email harvester, who will turn around and sell their information. So to overcome this natural hesitation, place a prominent privacy notice near or below stating “Your privacy is important to us”. Mine says " *Your information will never be sold or disclosed to anyone*. (Feel free to use that yourself.)

9. Pass It Round Syndrome

Asking others to pass your ezine along to those who might find it interesting can increase your subscription rate dramatically. Chances are those who like it enough would click on the “subscribe” link which is placed at the bottom of the ezine to subscribe. The internet is all about sharing information, and we love to let others know about good places to learn from. If you have a great ezine, you will start seeing people share your content with others and your web site URL will get seen by more people.

10. Use Your Signature EVERYWHERE

Whether you are sending an email to your Aunt, friend, or are participating in an online discussion list, always include your web site URL and email address in your signature. This is automatic advertising of your business, and is an effective method of letting people knows that you’re online, and ready to receive request from them.

11. Tell Us What Your Ezine is WORTH

Studies show that giving your ezine or report a dollar value will increase your signup! For example, at the very top of my web site I told them the value of the Gift Basket Business Report, $97. Feel confident about what you deliver in your ezine and report.