The cardinal rule of internet marketing is Do Not Spam. Don’t even think about it. This will instantly cause you to be banned by your internet service provider, receive hate mail, and even hate phone calls. It will also ruin the one thing you should value above all as an internet marketer, and that is your reputation. Without a good reputation, you may as well fold your tent. Never fear, though, because there are very effective ways to build your list. Most of these methods are completely free of any cost to you.
1. Squeeze Page. Let’s say you have your product and your website up and ready to go. There may be many people who visit your site who do not actually buy. What you want to do is capture their names, addresses, and email addresses so that you can build your list. Unless your web page has a method to accomplish this, you will be losing the 98% who visit but don’t actually buy. You want them to “opt-in” to your email list so that they are explicitly permitting you to send emails to them. Enter the squeeze page.
Using a squeeze page will convert every visitor to your e-list before leaving your website, even if they do not make a purchase. However, for them to opt into your email list, you may also want to offer something of value, such as a free online report, DVD, or video related to their area of interest.
This will begin building a good relationship with a targeted prospect and will lead to sales in the future through your email marketing. Another variation of the squeeze page is the opt-in pop-up. Just search the squeeze page or opt-in pop-up to find the one you prefer.
2. Article Marketing. If you love to write, this is natural for you. Even if you don’t think you can write, think again. Once you learn to write a few articles, it will come easily. The rewards in traffic are well worth the effort since submitting articles to article directories is one of the most effective (and free) ways to drive traffic to your website.
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There are many articles and forums online which will help you begin. Articles should be 400-600 words with short paragraphs. All the rules of sales websites will apply to writing articles: strong headline, benefits, and good copy. You may submit your articles free of charge to article directories, which will resubmit them to many other websites. Be sure to do your research regarding article writing. Remember to include your own information and website at the end of the article.
Learning to write articles will pay off in great dividends. You can use these same articles again and again. Rewrite the content or use it for inspiration for your blog or on a forum. Save your articles and turn them into a free e-book. Save enough of them, and you have a course, material for a DVD, a PowerPoint presentation, a video, or even a teleseminar. Work once, make it pay over and over again.
3. Press Release. There are specific guidelines required for writing press releases, which are considered news articles. Their purpose is to highlight something newsworthy or interesting about a company or product. Search for specific instructions on writing news releases. Like articles, these may be submitted to numerous news sites online.
Remember that press releases are equally important for offline advertising, which is often forgotten these days. Newspapers are eager for news. Your news will likely be published if properly formatted to meet the guidelines. News can be a new product, alliance, personnel changes, or a new or redesigned website. It can be a human interest solution, a seasonal event, a contest, or promotion. It cannot be a blatant advertisement.
The beauty of online press releases is that they may contain a URL that can easily be clicked to lead people to your site. Give some thought to your goal in writing the release, and make sure the URL leads them to the specific news you are telling about. An interesting and well-done press release will be far more effective than most paid advertising due to the eye of the beholder. People tend to look at an ad with a certain skepticism while looking at the news more receptive and will be more inclined to respond.
4. eBay. This site has more traffic than the search engines, making it one of the best places to build your list. Add to that the fact that buyers are coming for the express purpose of buying.
There is more than one way to use eBay as a lead generator. One method is to sell one of your own items, which costs very little to mail at a meager price. You can link the sales page to eBay’s About Me page, from which you can link to your sales website.
Another way is to create your listing of a free report in the classified ad section of eBay instead of in the auction section. Your classified ad can have a link directly to your website squeeze page, from which they can opt-in, get their free report, and collect the contact information. Not all of eBay’s categories support classified ads. Search and find a list of categories. Information products are a category that you can use in the classifieds. All you pay for is eBay’s meager cost for a classified ad.
5. Affiliate Programs and Joint Ventures. This is the very best way to build your email list and your business. Over 50% of all income made from internet marketing comes from this category. There are so many advantages to this way of doing business on the internet that it’s hard to know where to begin.
The first thing to point out is that it’s free. Everyone wants to be an affiliate or start their own affiliate program. Another advantage is that you have instant products available if you sign up as an affiliate. You will have great support if you do so in training, techniques, tools, and products. The affiliate manager wants you to succeed in selling products because it’s a win/win situation. You both succeed. This is a great way to learn internet marketing if you are a newbie.
At some point, you may want your own affiliate program once you have learned the ropes. You may want to joint venture with someone in the same market when your business can offer products, names, writing, or other advantages which a partner would be interested in. By exchanging each other’s assets, you achieve leverage, the key to boosting income. It is a powerful way to make money and to build your list on the internet.
