Monday, June 9, 2008

An Opt-in list - your secret weapon to Building Internet Wealth

By Simon Whincop

Ever heard this one before?

You read countless articles, seek endless expert advice and hear numerous success stories of people building massive wealth on the Internet with opt-in lists, and you finally decide to have one of your own. You think you know everything there is to know about opt-in lists and follow all the advice to the Tee. Yet you still haven't made a dime.

You may in fact, be losing money. Maybe you hired writers to help out with your articles, or you blew hundreds of dollars in fruitless advertising. Perhaps you even got as far as building a big list, only to find that a tiny percentage actually converts to sales.

However you look at it, your quest to make even a tiny profit, has failed. After a few months of scrutinising your statistics and sales figures, you come to the conclusion that your dreams of Internet wealthbuilding are doomed.

You ask yourself what could possibly have gone wrong. You wonder why others have succeeded where you have failed. You begin to think you were too hasty, diving straight in like that. You begin to doubt the validity of your product, or worse, your own ability.

Sound familiar?

Take heart, however - just because you emailed people on your list does not mean they'll buy instantly. Patience is the key!

If you've already started an opt-in list and think you failed, or even if you're just starting out, here are three quick and easy steps that you should try and follow:

1) Make sure you are selling product or service is one that people really need.

And learn all about your product. Many people forget this vital element of their affiliate business. Do they really think their subscribers are going to buy something they haven't bothered to learn about themselves? Not very likely. Your knowledge and belief about your product, or lack of it, is transferred onto your customers. Time spent researching your product thoroughly is time spent wisely.

2) Join forums, where you can provide expert advice and recommendations, allowing you to build an aura of trust around you. By doing this you can build a base around other forum users, inviting them to join your opt-in list. Because they know and trust you already, they will make good customers. Through your forum posts link to your site they will be able to see what your business is all about. They'll begin to believe in you and your products. You can increase your credibility even more by writing and submitting articles and posting blogs, which will also build more potential subscribers and customers.

3) Find a mentor. Make friends with other opt-in list users (forums are an invaluable tool here, too). If you can find someone who has already launched a successful opt-in list, they will be able to tell you what to do and what not to do, because they have gone through it themselves. There are many pitfalls and mistakes to avoid - these people will be able to point them out to you. Experience is the best teacher, and there is nothing like getting it first hand. Learn from the mistakes of others!

It takes great preparation and effort to build a profitable opt-in list - it doesn't happen overnight. Opt-in lists have to be built from scratch and, once built, take some maintenance. Always keep yours organized and manageable. But use it to Keep your subscribers happy and they'll be willing to buy from you time and time again. Build Your list, and you are on the road to building Internet wealth!

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