Subject:

List Profit Tip - Do You "Sell" the Opt-In Jim? From: "John Barbour -- The List Builder" Date: Sun, Jul 15, 2007 12:00 pm To: "Jim"

Subject: List Profit Tip - Do You "Sell" the Opt-In Jim? From: "John Barbour -- The List Builder" To: "Jim"

Hello Jim

Do you "sell" the opt-in on your subscription form?

How about on your thank you page? If you are using double opt-in, you also need to "sell" subscribers on what they will get if they open and follow the confirmation email instructions.

More and more junk is filling everybody's emailbox every day, and people are increasingly shy about filling in forms and signing up for more "junk".

It is getting harder and harder to get people onto your list, which is where you really need them to be, if your business is going to survive.

So you have to "sell" them on signing up for your list with an "ethical bribe". Make sure that you emphasize the *benefits* of being on your list.

Some people even go to the extent of putting a "mini sales letter" on the page that contains the opt-in form. They use red headlines, and yellow highlights, and a bullet pointed list of benefits to get people excited about joining their list.

They point out the link to their Privacy Policy and prominently announce that "we hate spam as much as you do".

Then, instead of using the drab page that most autoresponders deploy after someone submits their information, creative marketers also use a custom "thank you" page.

On the "thank you" page, they then "sell" the confirmation, if they are using double opt-in.

With confirmation rates hovering around 50%, smart marketers "sell" the confirmation, since they know that every subscriber they get onto their list is worth money in the bank, each and every month.

They remind subscribers of all the things they will be missing out on if they do not confirm their subscription. They remind them of the value and benefits of what they are about to recieve.

Finally, on the "thank you" page that follows the opt-in confirmation, smart marketers offer some sort of free gift or unexpected bonus.

They "reward" subscribers for having taken the suggested action. Then they "reward" them once more with *immediate* delivery of the first of the promised newsletter issues or mini-course lessons.

They give subscribers *immediate gratification*.

Then they follow up with several more issues that are full of high value, *high quality* information.

If you make your readers say "wow" to the first contacts they have with you, on the opt-in page, the thank you page, and those first few emails, there's a good chance you will have cemented a long-term relationship with them right from go.

Best Wishes for YOUR Success!

John

P.S. - Your list is THE most valuable asset that your business has. Some people will tell you to hurry up and "sell, sell, sell" to your brand new subcrbiers right away. Smart marketers know that the long term value of a loyal subscriber far outweighs the value of a quick sale.

Treat your subscribers like gold, and your list like a goldmine, because both are exactly that!