Ways to Build Email Marketing Lists

If you've been trying to earn some extra cash or a living online you've probably seen the quote "the money is in the list". While this statement definitely stands true, building a list is not the easiest thing to do in the world. Not to worry here are some of the popular ways to build email marketing lists. First you will need some sort of e-mail auto responder that will help manage your e-mail list. These can range from $10.00 - $20.00 but are well worth the money. The auto responder will provide you with elegantly designed Opt-In forms that you can chose from to fit your needs. These are the forms you will place on your website asking your readers or potential customers for their name and email. The auto responder will automatically add the submitted information to your list. Note: Some people think they can skip out on this software and try to gather the e-mails themselves and add them to an address book. Not only can this be a lot of work but it also will cause you many problems and not give you the full benefits behind e-mail marketing. Once you've got your Opt-in form setup you are going to need to entice people to sign up to your email list. The key to getting people to opt in is to offer something of value. A lot of marketers offer free, rehashed content that really holds no value. Think of the Opt-in as your first contact with your customer, the last thing you want to do is give a bad first impression! By offering something of value you gain the respect and trust of your customer. Offering something of value is one of the best ways to build email marketing lists, don't skimp out here. There are two ways you can pitch the offer in return to add them to your email list. You can take a subtle method and have the opt-in form lingering somewhere around your content, giving your reader the choice to Opt-in. Alternately, you could "squeeze" your customer and force them to Opt-in to receive the content. Out of the two methods, squeezing is the best when done correctly. Don't give little to no information, create a lot of curiosity, and have them Opt-in to find out what the hype is about. I call this a "hard squeeze" and usually will get the Opt-in but destroy your relationship right off the bat. I recommend you "soft squeeze" and offer them a good overview of what you're offering, even a little sneak peak to get them interested. Your potential Opt-ins will feel better about having the ability to make a choice. Soft squeezing paired up with a product of value is another great way to build email marketing lists. An advanced way to building email marketing lists is for those involved in internet marketing. If you have an affiliate page pointing at a product then you can use this method. When you link to the vendors sales page, link to a page on your site with an Opt-in asking the customer to enter their e-mail and name to get access to the product. There is a lot of debate to whether it's a good method to build email marketing lists as you are practically forcing people to Opt-in and could deter them from buying the product. The reality is, it's MUCH easier to sell to a list and many times people visit the sales page and even the order page and change their minds. Now you have their e-mail and can slower build a relationship making this one of the powerful ways to build email marketing lists.