Before going into some of the secrets of e-mail marketing, let's explore and clear up some of the myths. These are common misconceptions and if gone unaddressed could pose some serious obstacles for your online business to truly flourish. So let us begin.

Myth #1:
Very few people use e-mail.

Fact:
E-mail marketing is one of the most effective marketing tools today because virtually everyone uses e-mail. A person without e-mail is equivalent to a person without a home address. In the world today e-mail keeps people in touch from across the street to around the globe.

Myth #2:
E-mail marketing campaigns are offensive to many people.

Fact:
Ask for permission. Verifying that your contact would like to receive your information takes all the guess work out of it. Not only will you not offend your contact list but they will be looking forward to your e-mails and sales promotions. (Side bar: It is important to always present a link for your contacts to opt-out of your list. If someone decides they no longer want your e-mails there is no point in wasting their time or yours.)

Myth #3:
It is pointless to send so many e-mails.

On the contrary. Studies have shown that most sales are made on or around the seventh contact with your client. Another important fact to realize here is to make sure you are getting targeted traffic to your site. For example if your website offers travel tips and information then make sure you are targeting the population that is interested in such a product. This way you will be sure that when a visitor opts-in to your list they will have some interest in what you will send them.

The Truth about Building Opt-in Lists

After clearing some of the misconceptions we can now look at some strategies of building an opt-in list and the power of e-mail marketing. However, building an opt-in list is not a walk in the park. It will take some due diligence on your behalf. Below are time tested tips to help you through this endeavor.

1. Strategic Collection of Data

We touched on this a little earlier. It is critical to your marketing (and business) success that you attract the right visitors to your site and thus to your opt-in list. Research research research. Be confident in the information you send your potential clients. The better the quality of your information/product the more positive response you will receive. This article is about building opt-in lists, however it is important to mention again: Always give a way to opt-out of your list. If someone no longer wants to receive your e-mails then there is no reason to continue to send them. You will just end up being put on a spam list. By the way, that is NOT a good thing.

The only information you will need to collect from your clients is there first name and there e-mail address. Yes this is all you need to build your list. The more information you ask for the less likely people are to give you any.

2. Good Implementation

To draw people to your opt-in list use a quality incentive. For example if you have an e-book or have written an article that is relevant to the subject matter of your site offer it as a free gift just for signing up. I know from experience people do not like advertising. As a matter of fact people despise advertising but also in my experience I have learned people love information. And the only thing better than relevant information is free relevant information. Your visitor receives some good quality information and you receive another person in your opt-in list. This brings up another good point. Always remember that when you send e-mails you are not sending your pitch to the e-mail address you are sending it to a person. A real living and breathing person. So treat your clients with respect. Do not send hard sale type e-mails just send information on how your product/service will take care of a situation or solve a problem.

Using a good auto-responder is a must. With a good auto-responder you can have all your e-mails set up in advance. Also your auto-responder will offer different ways of tracking your visitors as well. Plan to send about $20.00 a month for this service but it will be worth 10 times that amount to you. Do a Google or Yahoo search and check out different ones. A word of advice: Free auto-responders are not recommended. They do not offer all the services that you will need to implement your opt-in promotion properly.

Use these tips when starting to build your business with opt-in list and you will be well on your way to success in the world of e-mail and Internet marketing.

Good luck.