EMAIL MARKETING AND TEN VITAL STEPS TO A TARGETED OPT-IN LISTIt is now common knowledge that, no online business without an email marketing function can prosper consistently. Consequently, in order to stay in business online, you need to build a Targeted 'Opt-In' list. Without any doubt, the Opt-In List is where you'll always have a consistent source of FREE Targeted-traffic (also referred to as 'Sticky Traffic'), to promote your offers, and their related articles and information. Email marketing is where the $MONEY$ is truly made, when it comes to marketing your business online. This is truly so because, it gives you the ability to Follow-Up your potential customers, until they decide to buy from You. But, the problem that usually takes place is that, people don't know where to start when it comes to building there own targeted Opt-In list. Now, for those of you that are new to Internet marketing and don't know what a 'Opt-In' list is, here's a quick definition: An 'Opt-In' list is simply a database of peoples Names and Email Addresses that have subscribed to an email list via a web form giving that list owner permission to send them periodic emails on the topic they are interested in. This is that priceless function of email marketing. Notice how I said, "giving that list owner permission to send them email". When they subscribe to your Opt-In list they are giving You permission to send them offers or related information on the topic they are interested in, this is known as 'Permission Email Marketing'. This is the ABSOLUTE safest form of email marketing where You won't get accused of 'SPAM'. This is very important that You understand this from the beginning. So, now that you have a clear idea in your mind of what an Opt-In list is and how it will benefit You and your business, I guess it's time to share with you the simple 'Ten Step Process' that I have put together for you on How-To build your own targeted Opt-In list that you can email your offers to at any given time for $Profit$.
Step #1. Pick your Target market or Niche. This is a very important step because this is where you need to figure out who your target-market is going to be, for the Product or Service your going to offer. So, for example, if I was interested in selling a book related to Email Marketing, well then, my target market would be Email Marketing related. Step #2. Can your Target market or Niche be reached online? This step is where you need to do a little research on whether or not your particular target market can be reached online. In order to do this you need to do some keyword research, using keywords related to your target-market. You can do this by using the Overture keyword research tool located at the URL I've provided below. http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/ Simply type-in the keywords related to your target-market in the form provided. This will give you a detailed history of how many searches have been made in the last 30 days on the keywords related to your target market. Step #3. Are they making money in this Niche? This is where you need to do some research on your competition, to see if people are spending any money in this Niche. You can do this by going to Google at http://www.google.com and type in your targeted keywords related to your Niche in the form provided. This will give you a list of search results. Those results are your competition, but even more important, to the right you'll notice little ads. These are paid-ads offered through Google Adwords. This means that somebody is willing to pay to advertise and is paying attention to this particular Niche and must be making money if they're willing to pay for advertising. That's good news for you. Step #4. Use Forums to find your Target-markets problems. Forums are a great place to find out exactly what your potential customers TOP problems are, by simply scanning their posts and looking for the most common threads. By so doing, you'll be able to know right away what your target-market's TOP problems are, and how you can help solve their problem. To find Forums related to your Niche, simply visit Google http://www.google.com and type in your targeted-keywords with '+ forums' after your keyword.(ex. internet marketing + forums) Step #5. What's keeping them from getting what they want? This is where you have to figure out what's keeping them from getting what they want, in order to fix the problems they are dealing with. This is where you need to work with them to find a solution to their problems. Whether it's a Product they need or a Service of some sort. Step #6. What can you offer them to solve their problems? This is where the money is being spent. Now, the only thing you need, in order to receive your share of the revenue, is a Product or Service that will solve your potential customer's problem. This will become the central point for your email marketing program. If you don't have a Product or Service of your own, don't get discouraged. I'm going to give you two resources where you can find products or services for which you can become an affiliate. These are products or services that are related to any Niche that will pay you a commission for every sale you make, by simply referring your traffic to there website. The two websites to visit are http://www.clickbank.com and http://www.associateprograms.com Step #7. Set-Up a simple direct response mini-site. Here is where you Set-Up your lead-generating website, with a Follow-Up System that your potential customers will come to, and Opt-In to your list. In this way, your customers can start receiving offers or related information on the topic or problem they are having. This is a very simple process to do, and you can view my website as an example of how one would look. If you don't know how to build your own website, you can always hire someone to do it for you by going to... http://www.elance.com Step #8. Get an Auto-Responder account. This is where you'll be laying the foundation down for your list. You MUST have an Auto-Responder account Set-Up, before you make your mini-site go live. This is where your potential customers are going to come and submit there Names and Email Addresses, so that, you can start building a list to send your offers or related information to. So, do not miss this important step in email marketing. Step #9. You need to figure out what 'Bait' to use. What I mean by 'Bait' is... what are you going to offer them for FREE to get them to subscribe to your Opt-In list. Here are some examples of what you can use as 'Bait': ebooks, special reports, mini-courses, coupons, etc. These are the most common. It really depends on who you are targeting; so, be creative. Step #10. Reach out to your target-market. This is the part where you send traffic to your website in order to get subscribers. I'm going to mention only two methods. These methods are the most POWERFUL and for good reason, they provide an outstanding back-up for your email marketing function. The first method is Writing Articles. By Writing Articles, you are showing your target-market that you are someone who knows how to help solve there problems, and may have a possible solution for them. This is the quickest way to build INSTANT credibility in your Niche. The second method is to send targeted-traffic to your mini-site through Pay-Per-Click search-engines. Pay-Per-Click search-engines are where you bid on the keywords-terms related to your target-market, and are listed according to the highest bid for that keyword-term. By using PPC search engines, it will get you in front of your target-market Instantly. Writing articles gives you INSTANT credibility and will put you in front of thousands of readers, while Pay-Per-Click search-engines send you HIGHLY targeted-traffic to your website, within minutes, depending on which PPC search engine you are using. The More traffic you send to your website, the more subscribers you are likely to receive into your email marketing program. It's simply a numbers game. Well... there you have it, "10 Quick and Easy Steps To Building A HIGHLY Targeted And Responsive Opt-In List". Now... it's up to you to take the necessary Action in order to get started with your own targeted Opt-In list. If you already have an existing business online, simply implement the steps outlined above on your existing website. These are the 10 basic steps required in order to get your Opt-In list-building started, in the right direction. Simply following these 10 steps of the email marketing process, you should well be on your way to receiving your first subscribers, in no time.
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