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Part Nine: Building
an Email List
Developing
your own list of targeted potential customers is the absolute most important
marketing strategy you can use.
No matter what strategies you're currently using, if you're not collecting
the email addresses of your potential customers, you're literally guaranteeing
your failure.
Email Lists
Email
lists provide you with the ability to create a targeted list of potential
customers in which you can advertise on a continual basis. You will have
a direct line of communication, which will increase your sales
considerably.
The key to creating an effective email list is to provide your subscribers
with quality information. The best way to do this is to provide them with
a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly ezine. An ezine is a newsletter or publication
that is sent to subscribers who have chosen to receive your publication.
For further information on creating an ezine, visit the following web address
to read the article titled, "How to Publish an Ezine."
http://www.web-source.net/ezine_publishing.htm
In order to build a database of potential customers and start collecting
email addresses, you will first need to set up a mailing list. This mailing
list must enable your visitors to submit their information and subscribe
them to your list.
There are free list services that will enable you to set up a mailing list.
However, they are not recommended, as they will not allow you to personalize
your messages with your subscriber's names and contain advertising for their
service.
Email List Management Scripts
An email
list management script is a software program that runs on your server and
will enable you to manage your lists through your web browser.
Here are two of the best:
1-2-All Broadcast
http://www.12all.com
A complete email list management system including HTML or plain text newsletters,
MySQL database, personalization features, automatic removal links and more.
AutoResponse Plus:
http://www.ecom24.com
Complete email list management including unlimited lists, HTML or plain text
mailings, MySQL database, customizable auto-personalization of messages,
automatic removal links, unlimited folow-up autoresponses and
more.
Email List Management Services
An email
list management service will handle all of your email list management duties
for you. They will host your email addresses, take care of your subscribes
and unsubscribes, bounced emails and more.
If you really don't want to hassle with managing your own email lists, this
option is for you. For a small monthly fee, these professional services will
take care of everything for you:
AWeber
http://www.aweber.com
GetResponse
http://www.getresponse.com
Building Your Subscriber Base
There
are many powerful ways to build your subscriber base. However, for this article,
we will only focus on the "best" ways.
Your Website
Place a subscription box on every page of your website. Make sure you don't
overlook this powerful means of gaining new subscribers. Your visitors will
enter your website from many other pages other than your main page. They
may never even visit your main page, so make sure your subscription box is
visible on every page of your website.
Incentive Subscriptions
This powerful means of obtaining subscribers entails offering your visitors
a free gift in return for their subscription. This free gift may be a free
ebook, software, or report. This method of obtaining new subscribers will
increase your subscription rate immensely.
Download free ebooks that you may use as incentives here:
http://www.web-source.net/free_ebooks.htm
Writing Articles
Write informative articles and allow them to be freely published. By writing
articles, you can significantly increase your subscriptions. The key to using
this method effectively is to include your subscription information within
your bylines.
For further information in regard to writing articles, read the article,
"Write For Publicity."
http://www.web-source.net/write.htm
Free Ebooks
Create a powerful free ebook and allow it to be freely distributed. Place
your subscription box on each page. Your ebook will have the potential to
be viewed by millions of Internet users.
For further information on creating an ebook, download the free ebook, "Ebooks:
A Complete Guide to Self Publishing."
http://www.web-source.net/cgi-bin/web/jump.cgi?ID=500
Creating and developing an email list is an absolute must. You must take
every opportunity to promote your publication and gain new subscribers. The
more subscribers you have, the more sales you'll make. Make sure you don't
overlook this powerful method of making
sales.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design
Mastery.
http://www.webdesignmastery.com
And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book.
http://www.ebookstarter.com
Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips
and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing
Strategies."
http://www.web-source.net
You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print,
in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author
bylines are included.
 Part
Eight
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