An opt-in form should be one of the first pieces you put into place whenever you set up a new website or blog. I know you're in a hurry to get that site up and start making sales. But consider this: It's been shown that the average online shopper will have to look at your product or website at least 5 to 7 times before they will actually buy something from you. An opt-in form will help you speed up that process and get you that sale that much faster.
Before I even start to set up a new site, I already know what I'm planning to sell. But I also keep in mind that it's going to take my visitors a few visits to make up their mind. So, while I'm setting up the site, I'm also thinking of some type of product that I can give them for free – a small guide or short report that tells them just enough to get them interested in the product, usually.
And as I'm setting up the site, I place an opt-in form in a prominent position, along with my free offer, so it can't be missed. I like to put it at the top of the page, above the fold and I've been known to move other items around on the page so I can get that opt-in form up to the top. It's just that important.
That opt-in form is my way of knowing who's visiting my site and it tells me that they're interested in my product. Not interested enough to buy it – yet – but interested enough that they were willing to part with their name and email address to get my free offer. You'd be surprised how many people don't like to part with that information. So, when they do, you know you have an interested potential buyer.
Now, instead of waiting and hoping that the potential buyer remembers to visit my site 5 or 6 more times, I have a way to contact him and give him a little nudge. But it's not time to start selling yet, so don't get in a hurry. You need to first establish a relationship with this person so he can learn to trust you. After all, he's only seen your website, he hasn't actually met you. He needs to know that you're a reliable sort if you expect him to part with his hard earned cash.
At the same time I set up my opt-in form, I also set up an autoresponder series to go along with it. Of course, the first message my visitor receives is the link to that free product. But then, usually 4 days later, I'll send him a little follow up message, thanking him for downloading my free gift and telling him that I hope he enjoyed it. And I always include a link back to my site with the promise of even more information.
The next few emails that I send include additional information about my niche, maybe something that's not included on the site. And the usual link back to the site. So it's 3 or 4 emails in before I start referencing the actual product. Now, you might think this isn't really helping you get that sale any faster at all. But what if you didn't have that opt-in form? And what if the visitor didn't bookmark your site? How would he know how to get back again for those 4 or 5 more visits? And say he did bookmark your site. Who knows how long it will be before he comes back again? If he ever does. By having that opt-in form up there, and giving him a free product to entice him to give you his contact information, you've established a connection to that visitor that will allow you to pull him back to your site whenever you want.
However, you need to be very careful with your email marketing campaigns. You need to concentrate on providing quality content in your emails just as much as you do on your site. And you should always concentrate more on establishing and maintaining a relationship than you do on sales. If you get too pushy, it only takes that subscriber one click of the button to leave your list for good. But, if you work carefully to establish a relationship of trust, and then mix in a selling email every now and then, you can develop a very loyal following.
Too many marketers rush to the sale and scare their subscribers away. Remember, online shoppers already have a built in distrust of Internet Marketers, simply because they can't look you in the eye to see if you're honest and trustworthy. And remember too, that you job is to eliminate all the obstacles between your visitor and the shopping cart button. You can use your emails to eliminate a lot of obstacles just by providing your subscribers with valuable information about your site.
A good Internet Marketer doesn't stop communicating with his list after they've purchased his product. You have a loyal follower there. Someone who trusts you now. As long as you treat this person honestly and fairly, you'll be able to continue selling other products to him. If he was interested enough, and trusted you enough, to purchase your ebook on Dog Training, maybe he'd also be interested on your book of Dog Food Recipes.
Make sure you've set up another autoresponder series to take up after each sale, too. Let your buyer know that you appreciate his business and ask him what he thinks of the product. If you're selling a software item, send him upgrades as you complete them or offer him a free guide to go along with it. Don't drown him in emails, but weekly or bi-monthly updates will keep him interested in your site.
I also use my list as a way to generate traffic to my blog. If I've just posted an article that I think everyone should read, (of course, I think everyone should read ALL of my posts!) I send a Broadcast message to my entire list and tell them there's something exciting on my blog that I think they'd really be interested in. And then I invite them to come have a look and tell me in the comments section what they think.
Not only am I generating traffic, but I'm creating activity and excitement on my blog. Something that the search engines love. And visitors love it, too. Who doesn't like to be asked for their opinion?!
So now that I've told you how important an opt-in box is, I should probably tell you how to install one on your blog or website. First, I recommend that you use Aweber. Their service is excellent and their their tracking and analytics are second to none. You can even find out which of your visitors is clicking on the links you send out in your emails! And if you CLICK HERE, you can see my article at eHow.com that tells you exactly how to set up and install that first opt-in box.
