“How Do I Build My Email Marketing List?”

The question is, unfortunately, much more simple than the question. How you go about building your email marketing lists will depend on a number of factors including the type of business you are involved with, your budget (if any), whether or not you have your own web site or blog, who your target market is, etc…

If You Have a Web Site or Blog:
The first thing you will want to do is be sure to add a capture form or capture page to your web site. This allows you to convert existing web traffic in to prospects by offering them an opportunity to join your list.

If You Do Not Have a Web Site or Blog:
You will want to take advantage of a capture page. There are a number of companies that offer capture pages (sometimes referred to as “squeeze pages”). TrafficWave.net users can take advantage of our Hosted Capture Pages which allow you to select a pre-formatted template, add your own headline and ad copy, and be up and running within a matter of minutes.

How you go about promoting the capture page, getting visitors to the forms on your own web site or blog, etc… will depend on what your goals are and how your particular business operates. Here are a few examples:

• Retail Businesses (brick and mortar): Offer existing customers an opportunity to join your mailing list. Offer them discounts, special offers, announcements, etc… Have them add their name to a list on a piece of paper at the counter, drop a business card in a bowl, subscribe at your retail web site or blog, etc…
• Entertainers: Offer your fans a chance to join your mailing list so they can see where you are performing next, order merchandise, buy tickets, etc… Make sure you have a way for them to fill out a form at any of your events and offer them a form on your web site, blog, e tc…
• Churches and Groups: Make sure your members know you have a mailing list by announcing it at your meetings. Let them know they can join your list online or by filing out a form, adding their info to a paper list, etc…
• Network Marketers: Maybe your web site or capture page can offer a free trial, free information, a free report. When you are talking with prospects in person, ask them if they would like to receive information or updates via email. Get their information and add them to your autoresponder in your back office.

The basic idea is to:

1. Give them a WAY to sign up. This is what your capture page or form is for.
2. Give them a REASON to sign up. You are asking people to give you their email address. What can they expect in return? A free report? Free details on your offer? An ebook? A free download? A coupon for a discount? Timely updates? Let them know what to expect (and be sure to deliver).

No matter what type of business or organization you are running, the two steps above are going to apply in virtually every situation.

Your next step is going to be to make people aware that you have the WAY and REASON to sign up and this is where your advertising comes in.

There are a number of ways to advertise. Your best options will depend on where your market is, what your budget is, and your goals.

A quick search on Google can display more free and paid advertising resources than you would be able to work through in the next decade.

Google itself offers a powerful advertising option known as AdWords. Used properly, AdWords can create a steady flow of targeted visitors to your web site, blog, or capture page. When visitors are looking for what you have to offer and they see a way to get free information in exchange for giving you their name and email address, your email marketing list should begin growing daily.

Of course, never pass up an opportunity to simply ask people that you are talking to if you can add them to your list. Let them know that you will send them free details, a link to a free gifts, (or whatever you are offering) in exchange and get their business card or write their info down for when you get back to your computer.

These are just a few basic steps to help you get started with building your email marketing lists.

As your lists grow, and you learn more about how to effectively build those lists, your business will grow.

• Building and managing a permission-based email marketing list.
• Following up with targeted prospects.
• Keeping your message in front of existing customers.
• Publishing a weekly or monthly ezine.
• Broadcasting special offers.
• Promoting special events.
• Training sales personnel.
• and more…

Of course, before your AutoResponder begins to demonstrate its true value, you absolutely must build the all-import list of subscribers so that your AutoResponder has someone to send your information to.

This article focuses on some of the techniques you can use to build your email marketing list.

Remember: The money is in the list. Build your list with targeted prospects and your sales can increase exponentially.

Some of the best ways to build your AutoResponder subscriber list include:

1. Adding a subscription form to your own web page. Frankly, having your own web page is an absolute must for online success. Adding a subscription form to your own web page allows you to control your content and your promotions. When visitors to your web site fill out your subscription form, you have just gathered yet another targeted and highly interested subscriber is entered in to your AutoResponder.
2. Creating and using Capture Pages. Capture pages are stand-alone web pages that can be used for targeted keyword promotion on search engines and specialized web sites such as blogs and forums. Capture pages allow you to test the effectiveness of various headlines and ad copy.
3. Adding links to your Capture Pages or your web site with your subscription forms to your Email Signature. Typically, your email signature contains your name, company name, and a link to your web site. Make sure the link goes to a page that has your subscription form.
4. Adding links to your Capture Pages or web site in appropriate discussion forums.
5. Offering free information to subscribers. People love information. Create articles or letters about subject matter related to your offer. When someone requests that information, you know you have another targeted and interested prospect for your AutoResponder to follow up with.
6. Asking for referrals. When you set up your AutoResponder letters, add a note asking readers to tell their friends. Include a link to your capture page or web site. People are much more likely to subscribe when they are referred by a friend or trusted associate. Referrals are the best type of subscriber for your AutoResponder.
7. Using Fish Bowl Marketing. Restaurants and offline stores can use “fishbowl marketing”. Just add a glass fishbowl by the cash register. You see these in restaurants all the time. Offer a drawing in exchange for them dropping a business card in to the bowl. Be sure to tell them that they are signing up to receive regular emails from you.
8. Sponsoring a drawing or contest on your web site. Be sure to include the subscription form and explain that each subscription enters them into a drawing to receive a free gift. The gift can be a discount card, a gift card from a retail outlet or restaurant, etc…
9. Adding a link to a capture page or your web site in any direct mail pieces such as postcards, invoices, or coupons.
10. Optimizing your capture page for search engines. By focusing on particular keywords in your capture pages, you can increase your search engine results allowing more people to find your capture page.

These are just a few ideas that can help you boost your AutoResponder subscriber lists. Over time, as your AutoResponder list grows with targeted prospects, you can consistently generate sales by broadcasting special offers and announcements to your lists.

Every where you look, potential advertising sites are enticing you to spend your precious advertising dollars with them. It can be confusing to know where to advertise, how much to spend, how long to run the ads. If the ad is a bust, that ad budget is gone and you’re the fall guy. But if the ad is successful, you’re the new company hero.

So how can you know where to spend that advertising money?

Remember these 2 things when it comes to creating successful advertising campaigns:

1. Start Small. Don’t be drawn in to the “best value” propositions where you pay for more advertising than you may be ready for. Your first goal is to start small, saving those ad dollars, until you KNOW what is working.
2. Test like crazy. This is absolutely critical. No doubt you will be running more than one ad campaign. You will NEED to know which campaigns are producing results so that you can tell which campaigns to continue and which campaigns to adjust or eliminate.

Testing will not only involve making sure you are advertising in the right place (If you are selling fishing gear, a needlepoint web site may not be your best place to advertise), but will also involve making sure you have the right headline/subject, the right ad copy, the right call-to-action.

Using AdTrackers from TrafficWave.net will help you track each of your online ad campaigns for click-throughs. By creating a unique AdTracker for each ad campaign (and each version of the ad) you can tell at a glance which campaign, which version, etc… are producing results.

And since you started small, you will still have some of that advertising money left when it’s time to ramp up and go big with a proven successful ad campaign.

To learn more about AdTrackers, AutoResponders, and how your business can boost profits in less time, request our free Email Marketing Report by filling out the form to the right.

Setting up these types of autoresponders is usually pretty straight forward. A quick glance through your email settings or your web hosting control panel are usually all that is required to activate them.

However, if your needs go beyond simply sending a one-time message, it may be time to look in to what is known as the Sequential Followup AutoResponder. This type of autoresponder is much more robust and includes a number of powerful features that are starting to be adopted by businesses and organizations from around the world.

Think of this type of autoresponder as an email-on-demand system. Any time your autoresponder receives a request via email or a form, it can automatically respond with whatever information you have loaded in to it.

There are a number of ways your business can benefit from autoresponders.

• You could set up a series of pre-written sales letters.
• You could create a mini-course that you schedule to go out every few days.
• You could create a price list that would automatically be sent out to anyone that requests it.
• You could create a newsletter or ezine that gets sent out to subscribers once a week.
• You can also set up special offers that your autoresponder can broadcast out to your subscriber lists whenever you like.

Autoresponders that send sequential follow-up messages are being used by more and more professional online marketers.

Some of the important features you should look for are:

• The ability to create, store, and send as many letters as you need.
• The ability to personalize each message by inserting the recipients’ name and other personalization features.
• The ability to send your messages in both plain text and html.
• The ability to track the response rate of your messages.

There are basically two options for getting an autoresponder. One option is to purchase autoresponder software that you would install or have someone install on your server. If you are technically adept, enjoy messing with software installation, and are prepared to spend time managing bounces, changing email protocols, and various technical issues that will inevitably arise, this can be a good option.

If, however, you prefer to focus on the actual job of marketing, creating messages, and running your business, you may be better served by using a hosted autoresponder service. When you go with a hosted autoresponder service, it is the job of the autoresponder company to make sure that hardware and software issues are kept up with, as well as manage the ever changing landscape of email marketing legislation. Most businesses prefer to pay a reasonable monthly fee so that the technical wizards can focus on the technical requirements while they focus on their business.

Once you’ve decided on an autoresponder service, your next step is to create the messages that your autoresponder will send out. I recommend creating 5 to 7 followup messages since marketing studies have shown that it can take up to 7 contacts before your customer decides to purchase from you.

Effective use of a followup autoresponder can help any business maximize their profits by capturing visitor information and then helping to convert those visitors in to customers.

Many businesses, after using autoresponders, quickly wonder how they ever got along without them.

Brian Rooney
TrafficWave.net LLC

AutoResponders are powerful tools. Successful online marketers use them to automate repetitive sales tasks, build and manage multiple prospect lists, and send out regular articles, updates, and announcements.

More than providing an automated response to an inquiry, AutoResponders can be your own automated sales force working online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Used properly, AutoResponders can automate the process of building your lists, following up with your prospects, and helping you close more sales.

Let’s look at how someone might use AutoResponders to help build a list of targeted prospects.

The first step is to create 5 to 7 messages about your offer and add them to your AutoResponder Campaign.

These messages can be set to go out every 2 days.. With 7 messages, your prospects would receive your sales messages over a 2 week period.

Here is a simple guideline you can use to create your own follow-up letters:

Message 1: Sent Out Immediately.

In this message you would thank them for requesting your information. Give them a brief history about yourself to build some credibility. They need to know you are qualified to share the information with them. Then give them an overview of the information you are offering.

Be sure to include a link to your web site so they can get further details, place an order, or contact you for more information.

It’s also a good idea to include your name and email address. Include a phone number if you want prospects to call you.

Message 2: Sent Out 2 Days Later.

In this message, you may want to give them a brief reminder of what you covered in your first message and focus on the benefits of your offer. What’s in it for them? How is your product, service, or opportunity different from others? Use this message to let them know.

And be sure to invite them to your web site, include the link to your site, and include your name and email address so they can contact you.

Message 3: Sent Out 2 Days Later.

This might be a good place to include some testimonials from your company or a little more of your own personal story. If you are new and haven’t quite created your own story yet, share success stories and testimonials from others that have used your products or services. Give an overview of how people are using your product or service. If you are promoting an affiliate plan, explain how others are building their income with your plan.

And, as always, be sure to invite them to your web site. Include the URL and include your name and email address so prospects can contact you.

Message 4: Sent Out 2 Days Later.

In this message, pick one feature in particular to focus on. Maybe it’s about how your offer can help them save money, be more productive, lose weight, make money, etc…

Remind them that you are available to answer questions and provide support.

And, as always, be sure to invite them to your web site. Include the URL and include your name and email address so prospects can contact you.

Message 5: Sent Out 2 Days Later.

Use this message to be a little more personal. Let your prospects know that you are available to help them in any way you can. This message could be used to simply thank them again for requesting your information and assuring them that you are a real human being and interested in helping them succeed.

And, as always, be sure to invite them to your web site. Include the URL and include your name and email address so prospects can contact you.

Message 6: Sent Out 2 Days Later.

Use this message to stress another set of features from your offer. Share a few more testimonials from others or from your own experiences with your product, service, or opportunity.

Briefly review some of the details you have shared from previous letters.

And, as always, be sure to invite them to your web site. Include the URL and include your name and email address so prospects can contact you.

Message 7: Sent Out 2 Days Later.

This message can be used to ask for some feedback from your prospects. Tell them you have enjoyed sending the information and you hope it was helpful to them. Ask them if they have any concerns or what might be preventing them from making the decision to purchase from you or join with you.

Sometimes, you will get some good feedback from folks. They may share some concerns they have or tell you why they feel your offer may not be for them at this time.

Thank them for agreeing to receive your information and let them know you are still available to answer any questions they may have.

And, as always, be sure to invite them to your web site. Include the URL and include your name and email address so prospects can contact you.

Now That Your Letters Are Created And Ready To Go:

Once the letters are loaded in to your AutoResponder Campaign, your next step is to begin getting prospects for your AutoResponder to follow up with.

The idea here is to begin advertising to attract prospects to your offer. Give people a compelling reason to request your information. This is where you want to start thinking like your prospects. You are asking them for at least a name and email address. What are you giving them in return?

Maybe your information shows them how to start and profit from their own home based business. Maybe you are offering tips on how to better protect their identity. Maybe you are offering weight loss tips or nutritional information. Maybe you are offering information on how to promote a web site.

Since I sell AutoResponders, I offer prospects free information to show them how AutoResponders can help boost their online sales.

I have added a subscription form to my web sites.

I use lead capture pages.

I include my email subscription address in my ads.

I include my email subscription address and/or my URL in discussion forum posts.

Then I focus all of my advertising on my lead capture pages so that people will request more information from me. I don’t try to sell them up front. I want to capture their information first. THEN I will focus on following up to close the sale.

As people request your information by filling out your subscription forms or emailing your AutoResponder, their information is captured in your database.

Now your AutoResponder goes to work sending out your sales message.

For the next two weeks, your prospects will be receiving your sales letters. You don’t have to remember to send them out. You don’t have to remember which prospect has received which letter. Your AutoResponder is working for you behind the scenes.

Now your focus should be on two things:

1. Continuing to advertise to get more prospects in to your AutoResponder
2. Using the feedback you get from prospects to adjust your letters.

You may need to make a few changes. Maybe you see a recurring question from prospects. That recurring question is letting you know that you may need to cover that information a little better or more in depth.

This is just a simple guideline you can use to create your own follow-up messages for your AutoResponder. You may use more letters or less. The average for successful marketers seems to be in the 5 to 9 range.

Notice that each letter ended with a “call to action” where you invite the prospect to your web site or to contact you for more information.

This “call to action” is a critical element to the success of your messages. You must let prospects know what to do next and how to do it.

Brian Rooney, Co-Founder
TrafficWave.net LLC

More and more marketers are starting to realize that it just doesn’t make sense to pay higher (and higher) prices when they can get outstanding (and in some cases, improved) deliverability for a low flat monthly rate.

When names like Jerry Reeder, Jon Olson, Tim Linden, and Jerry Ianucci start switching, people notice.

We’re honored to have these fine marketers on board with us here at TrafficWave.net and we look forward to a long and profitable future together.

Single optin simply means that someone can enter any information in to a capture form and they are automatically subscribed and/or given access to the free ebook, software, etc… that is being offered.

Double optin means that once the form is submitted, the person will receive an email asking them to confirm their request. Typically, the confirmation is accomplished by having the subscriber click a uniquely coded link.

The most common argument for using the single optin method is that some email marketingpractitioners believe it helps build a larger list.

The claim is that people are unlikely to take that extra step to click a confirmation link so you could end up losing out on potential prospects.

Read More …

I just wanted to send you a quick note about how some of our clients are using their TrafficWave.net AutoResponder system.

Restaurants use TrafficWave.net AutoResponders to:

• Increase repeat business.
• Reward customer loyalty.
• Announce special events.
• Broadcast live entertainment schedules.

Entertainers use TrafficWave.net AutoResponders to: * Support and communicate with their fan base.

• Broadcast performance schedules.
• Announce CD Release Dates.
• Increase ticket sales.
• Drive merchandise sales.

Real Estate Professionals use TrafficWave.net AutoResponders to:

• Update buyers on investment opportunities.
• Inform prospects about changing market conditions.
• Announce new listings.
• Promote special listing and sales opportunties.
• Train and support their team of agents.

Churches use TrafficWave.net AutoResponders to:

• Communicate with members.
• Promote special events.
• Broadcast important messages and updates.
• Distribute time-sensitive messages and requests.

Affiliate Marketers use TrafficWave.net AutoResponders to:

• Generate new targeted leads.
• Follow up with interested prospects.
• Convert leads in to customers.
• Drive add-on sales.
• Build brand recognition.
• Send links to downloads and updates.

Sports Clubs and Organizations use TrafficWave.net AutoResponders to:

• Send coupons and special offers.
• Provide relevant training tips.
• Broadcast Nutritional Newsletters.
• Send renewal reminders.

How do You Use your TrafficWave.net AutoResponder in your business?

A common mistake made by many email marketers is collecting nothing more than the email address of visitors or prospects.

At a minimum, your subscription form should collect your prospects’ name and email address.

Then be sure to personalize your messages by inserting the prospect’s name in to the subject line and appropriately throughout the messages you are sending them. Your AutoResponder service should allow for the use of a Token that will automatically insert the prospect’s name where ever the Token appears within your subject line and/or message body.

Successful Email Marketing professionals know that personalizing the subject line and messages will dramatically improve the open rate and response rate of your sales messages.

Will Your Email Marketing Message Get Through?

Any AutoResponder service can claim a high deliverability rating (and some do) but proving it is usually a different matter, altogether. The unfortunate reality is that there appears to be a lot of misinformation about deliverability and many email marketers often find out too late that their chosen AutoResponder service isn’t quite as reliable about getting their message delivered as they may have been told.

TrafficWave.net AutoResponders provide (and can verify) outstanding deliverability and “sender reputation” as demonstrated by Return Path , an independent company that also runs Spamcop.

Return Path rates all mail servers on the quality and overall reputation of the email they send based on a number of factors including deliverability, complaint rates, mail volume, etc…

Click Here To Read More About AutoResponder Deliverability