Opt-In Marketing

One of the most valuable assets an online business can have is an opt-in list.  What’s this and how does it work?  We’re here to help!

An opt-in marketing list is where a customer (or potential customer, but it’s most often somebody who has purchased something from your site) gets an option to include themselves in on an email list that your company sends out. 

This is very different from spam, which is where unscrupulous business owners go “phishing” for random email addresses that they find on the Internet and relentlessly bombard these poor souls with emails.  Spam does nobody any good and basically ends up costing a business a lot of money and ends up irritating people.

Opt-In Lists

An opt-in list, though, is a brilliant for business because the people who receive your emails are actually interested in receiving them.  You can send to this list of people whoare interested in keeping in touch with your business by sending occasional emails and only when you have something of worth to say or offer – which can detail everything from the current goings-on of your business to deals and offers and promotions.  Many companies offer special promotions to those who join their opt-in list as an incentive to, well, opt in.

Opt-in lists give customers who are interested in you your attention.  Even better, the effect of an opt-in list is entirely traceable, as if you start offering promotions through your list you’ll be able to tell how many of them get redeemed.  Opt-in lists are also another great way to get out more of that free expert content you offer, specially designed for those who wish to follow you.  Many smaller businesses offer Q and A sessions through their opt-in list, where followers can ask specific questions that can be answered through the general forum of your email.

Promotions

These lists are also the digitalequivalent to having “regulars” at a store and engaging them in casual chat.  Through an email list you can develop more intimate relationships with customers as compared to the normal “anonymous buyer” that hops into your site to pick up a few items, and then hops out without you knowing anything more about them other than what they bought. Close relationships with customers generate brand loyalty, which is a hot commodity.

Want another bonus?  Email marketing can also be entirely free if you manage it yourself.  Even if you choose to outsource your email marketing or leave it to an employee to handle, it is much cheaper than print advertising because of how targeted it is.  Individual customers make specific requests, and you fill them by sending out the information direct to those who asked for it.  It’s a very simple, yet incredibly effective method of advertising that is guaranteed to optimize conversions and get people talking about you, particularly if you make your opt-in list a desirable deal to join.

About Wanda Baader

Wanda Baader is a online marketing and business strategist, speaker and consultant. She is the owner and founder of Strategize Your Success, a full service marketing agency. She enjoys working with entrepreneurs, non-profits and small business owners who need help with their online marketing, social media and Wordpress website development.