Internet and Businesses Articles

If a visitor comes to your web site looking for information and doesn't sign up to receive your e-mails, you have missed an opportunity to turn that browser into a customer. This month we will be concentrating on how to build your subscriber list using the tips and techniques below. Increasing your newsletter subscription list with new subscribers will therefore increase your potential new customer database.

More detailed information about how to establish yourself and your business as an expert in your field, including how to set up and maintain an electronic newsletter, can be found in our downloadable guide “Building Online Relationships” which can be found here: http://www.enable-uk.co.uk/html/book_4.html

If you would like help with how to write content for your newsletter, why not read last months article on “Newsletters – Keeping Your Customers Informed” which can be found in our newsletter archives here: http://www.enable-uk.co.uk/html/internet_marketing_newsletter_.html

For more detailed information on how to write an effective sales proposition you need a copy of our guide “Writing Text That Sells” available for download here: http://www.enable-uk.co.uk/html/book_3.html

1. Streamline subscriber registration. Streamline the sign up process by asking for as little information upfront as possible. You can always give customers an incentive to provide more information after they have experienced your newsletter. A simple sign up box that requests only an email address works best as it’s quick and not off putting to potential subscribers who often have the perception that companies are just trying to extract personal information from them.

For a simple sign up process, I would recommend Vertical Response whom we have used for several years to manage our lists. They can be found here: http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=EavljUFQjXk&offerid=52409.10000007&type=1&subid=0

2. Giveaways. Put together a genuinely useful giveaway item that you know your audience wants and needs. For instance, you could give away discount vouchers for your products or services or you could offer a free downloadable report or guide related to the products or services you offer. Downloadable information products like these work very well for most businesses, as once written, delivery costs are minimal. The practical freebie really works for your potential customers too, provided that it is relevant and useful to them.

3. Put a subscribe box on every page of the site. If possible add a simple sign up box in the top left hand corner of every page of your web site, as that's where the eye naturally travels first. Don't bury the registration form on a page deep within your site and make it is as obvious and easy as possible for your potential customers to see it and sign up. Don’t forget to mention the giveaway you are offering here too.

4. Advert swaps. Exchange adverts for your newsletter with other newsletter writers and web site owners and run them in each other’s newsletters and on your web sites. Don’t forget to mention those free giveaways! Doing this on a regular basis with a wide selection of web partners will keep your subscription page busy.

5. Cross-registration. Subscribers can also be found by having an advert for my newsletter on the thank you page of a comparable (but not directly competitive) website. This offer is made to subscribers who have just signed up for another newsletter and are therefore deemed 'in the mood for more.' Offer a swap with an advert on your sites thank you page, but try not to list no more than one or two other newsletters and make sure they are quality, reliable publications that interest your target market.

Keep the copy brief and simple, i.e.: "If you like our newsletter, you may be interested in one on a similar topic provided by our partner...."

6. Create a bonus product for other web sites to use. Similar to the giveaway point above, why not put together a selection of your previous newsletter articles and package them as a free ebook. Let other web sites give this ebook away as a bonus with sales of their products or services. Make sure you include sensational descriptive copy about your newsletter, and a subscribe link at the end of your ebook.

7. Allow reprints. Allow any newsletter that wants to reprint your articles do so. You can end each article with the line: You may reprint this article in your own magazine or website provided that it is reproduced in its entirety and all links are left intact. You may want to keep track of who is reproducing your newsletter so that you can email them future issues for publication. In this case, simply ask them to email you for permission. Alternatively, you can submit your newsletters to syndication agents and let anyone who wants to use it pick it up from there.

8. Add a registration button or link to all e-mail correspondence. Make sure you add an advert for your newsletter to your email signature. Don’t forget to include it on all responses to enquiries, customer service correspondence, confirmations, and invoices, etc. More broadly, request e-mail addresses at every customer touch point. The aim is to broaden customers' view of your firm. Integrating e-mail addresses acquired offline may be a manual process, but research shows customer purchases increase with the number of channels used.

9. Include a "forward to a friend" button. Put a forward option on every newsletter. This way your current subscribers, often trusted sources that wouldn't steer friends wrong, act as your spokespeople.

10. Add a registration box or link to all e-newsletters. Add the box or link to the top and bottom of the newsletter. Although this may sound redundant as the recipient is already receiving your e-mail, consider the pass-along effect.

Building an e-mail list is an ongoing process and the possibilities for expansion are endless. Always try new initiatives to improve results, and if you try even half of these techniques on a regular basis you should find your subscriber rates improve dramatically.

Don’t forget, as your list grows you will find it easier to outsource the management of it. I would recommend Vertical Response whom we have used for several years to manage our lists. Using your browser you can build your opt-in mailing lists, publish your online newsletters and manage your direct email advertising campaigns.

Click the link for a free trail: http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=EavljUFQjXk&offerid=52409.10000007&type=1&subid=0

For a complete guide to marketing on the Internet, including:

· The General Principles of Internet Marketing

· Start at the Beginning

· Writing Text that Sells

· Building Online Relationships

· Maximising Your Pay Per Click Campaign

· Measuring Success

Why not purchase the whole series of downloadable guides for the discounted price of £64.95. Click for more information:
http://www.enable-uk.co.uk/html/promo_ebooks.html

To catch up with previous issues of this newsletter, visit: http://www.enable-uk.co.uk/html/internet_marketing_newsletter_.html

Coming up next month, “How to Write Your Newsletter”.

If you have any questions about any of the topics raised or any other Internet Marketing issues, feel free to email me at Justine@enable-uk.co.uk. I do my best to answer all emails or to cover the issues in future editions of this newsletter.

Justine Curtis
Enable UK
Internet Marketing Information and Resources
Make your web site work smarter!
Web: http://www.enable-uk.co.uk
Email: info@enable-uk.co.uk

Feel free to forward this newsletter provided that it is sent in its entirety with all links intact. To use this newsletter in any other format, please email for permission to Justine@enable-uk.co.uk

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