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SVA is your one-stop shop for all your back office needs. Our goal is to handle all your administrative and technical needs so you can get back to what you do best.   At SVA, our highly qualified, well educated and versatile team is always ready to meet your every outsourcing need.

Building Your List – Where to put your Opt-in Form?

Now that you have the actual writing elements down, and all the technical aspects are set up, it’s important to know exactly where you should put your opt-in form. This is how people will sign up to your list, so it needs to be compelling and easy to find. 

Make The Signup Form Clearly Visible 

Many people who are new to list building put their opt-in form on just one tiny area their webpage and wonder why no one is signing up. If your opt-in form is not clearly visible and without priority placement, you’re going to get very few sign-ups.

 It is a much better idea to make it very visible and “above the fold.” That means that as soon as someone lands on your webpage they should be able to see your opt-in form without having to scroll down at all.

 You should also make sure that your form is large enough to read and and uses contrasting colors from the rest of your site so that people’s eyes are drawn to it. Experiment with different priority placements to determine whether the form should be on the left side, right side, or front and center. 

Consider Using A Pop-Up or Pop-In 

There are a lot of differing opinions on using pop-ups or pop-ins with opt-in forms. If you have a pop-up on your webpage, a box will come onto the screen with your opt-in form when someone visits. Some of these even darken the rest of the webpage that the only thing people can really see is the opt-in form. 

Keep in mind that some potential customers will find this annoying and will simply leave your page. Still, many marketers have found that it greatly increased their opt-in rates. This is something you will have to test. 

Put An Opt-In Box On Every Page Of Your Site 

Many people also make the mistake of only including an opt-in box on one or two pages of their website. If list building is a large part of your business plan (and after reading this, it had better be), you need to make sure your optin form is on every single page of your site. 

If someone lands on a page of your website that does not contain an opt-in form, you’ve lost a potential lifetime customer. 

By placing an opt-in box on every page of your site you know that everyone that lands there will have a chance to sign up. Making this simple change can dramatically increase your signups! 

Put An Opt-In Box on Your Thank You Pages 

If you have an information product for sale, the chances are good that some people will buy your product even if they have not already signed up to your list. 

Since you don’t want to lose contact with these customers, you should make sure there is an opt-in box on your thank you (or product download) pages. 

Some people force their customers to opt-in before they get their product. This is not recommended most of the time as it can really irritate people who have bought your product and just want access to it. What you might do instead is include an extra bonus for signing up – make it an offer they cannot refuse. 

Offer Free Products and Put an Opt-In Box on Those Pages 

One method is to offer free products that people can download in exchange for opting in. Place your opt-in form on the download page itself, or even as a requirement before they get their free product. 

People absolutely love to get free items that are high quality. This will start your list out right as people will be interested in what you have to say since you gave them such great value for free. 

Participate in Giveaways 

There are many niches where marketers hold giveaway events. This is pretty much a one-stop shop where people in your niche can grab free offers that they are interested in. People will sign up for your list in return for getting your free product. 

Putting your opt-in box on one of these giveaway websites is another way to get increased exposure to those who might not have otherwise seen what you have to offer.

Advanced Copywriting Techniques

Now that you thought about the basics of creating autoresponder messages, building relationships, and making money, it’s time to consider advanced copywriting techniques. While you’re not writing full-length sales letters, a lot of the techniques still apply.

 Applying these time-proven methods can increase your profits substantially. These are very powerful, so make sure you always use these techniques ethically and responsible. 

Create Scarcity 

One of the ways to make money as quickly as possible is to create scarcity when you present an offer. People have very busy lives and will put off making a purchase until later — often forgetting in the process. If you create a sense of scarcity, they will be a lot more likely to make a purchase immediately rather than waiting. 

There are many different ways do this. 

Only allow a certain number of a product to be sold. 

If you’re an affiliate, you can limit the number of bonuses that you are presenting with that offer. 

Offer a product at a very low price to begin with, with the price rising at a point in the near future. 

People don’t like to feel like they are missing out, so scarcity tactics work very well. Be sure you are always truthful about this scarcity, though. If you aren’t, it can make you look dishonest. 

Give a Reason 

Studies show that responses increase if you give a reason for taking a certain action. It doesn’t matter whether the reason for buying is a good one or not, as long as you give a reason for people to do so. 

Psychology expert Cialdini notes a study where there was a line at an office where everyone was waiting for the copy machine. The researcher asked to cut ahead. The response was not very good. 

However, when the researcher asked to cut ahead “because I have to make a copy” response increased substantially, simply because a reason was given. 

The same thing can be applied to your copywriting. If you give a reason for people to make their purchase now, they will be a lot more likely to do so. 

Use Reciprocity 

If you do something nice for people, it is natural for them to want to do something nice back to you. This is one of the reasons why creating a relationship with your list can be very lucrative for you in the long run. 

If you give someone a gift, they feel a sense of obligation to help you out too. In this case, it might be buying a product. 

Offer Social Proof 

Social proof is another amazing way to boost your sales. Nobody really likes to make the first move, in case we make the wrong one. The same can be said when people are buying an offer. They don’t want to take the risk of it being a bad buying decision.

 If they see that other people have already purchased and have enjoyed the product, they will be a lot more likely to buy it themselves. 

Some ways to incorporate social proof are… 

• Include actual numbers when talking about results.
• Include case studies or before and after videos or pictures.
• Include some testimonials and even a picture of people who have used the product you are promoting.  

You don’t have to do this within the e-mail copy itself, but you want to do it in the copy that you link to. You can even give some sales figures if you think that will boost their confidence. 

Focus On Their Emotions 

Many people make their purchases based on their emotions. If you feel very strongly about something, the chances are that you’ll make a purchase, right? That is why niches based on hobbies, desperate situations, and passions are so easy to make money in. 

Step into your customer’s shoes to see what their emotions are, and how you can showcase your product so they feel that it will take care of their needs or fulfill their desires. 

Hitting those emotional hot buttons is often what makes people purchase quickly. If you can incorporate some honest and real emotions into your emails, you’ll stand apart from the competition. 

Use Contrasting Prices 

People are very cost-conscious. If you are able to show a contrast in price between your product and another you can often make yours seem far more appealing. 

For example, if you are selling a strategy used to eliminate stress from your life, you can compare the cost of your information product to going to a doctor to get expensive medicines. 

You often put things in a different (better) light when you present them in this way. 

Give People a Reason To Trust You 

On of the most important things you can do is make sure people know that they can trust you — and give them a reason why they should trust you. People are very skeptical so be sure to clearly spell out why they should listen to you by telling a compelling and true story.

How to Make Money With Your List

Your ultimate goal is to help people, but you also want to increase your bottom line. Learning how to make money with your list is essential — it’s also important that you don’t make mistakes that could cut into your profits. 

Promote Affiliate Products 

One way to make money with your list is to promote affiliate products. The chances are good that no matter which niche you’re in, you can find relevant products that people will respond to. These might be information products, physical products, or even services. The important thing is that you check the product yourself for quality to make sure it’s something that you will feel good about putting your stamp of approval on. 

Many list owners make the mistake of simply choosing offers based upon their commission without checking to make sure it’s something that their readers can actually use. By hand-selecting what you promote, you’ll gain the trust of your list members and they will be more likely to buy from you in the future. 

In doubt? Don’t promote. 

Promote Your Own Products 

What many list owners end up doing is creating their own products (if they don’t have them already). 

This gives you ultimate control over what you’re offering to your list, as you are the one who decides what goes into the product. This is amazing, because after a while you will have gotten a feel for what the members of your list really need. This allows you to zero in on their wishes and hand-deliver them a product you know they’ll be happy to pay for. 

It can also be more beneficial to promote your own products, since you don’t have to split the commission as an affiliate. This can be more lucrative in the end. Having your own product can also brand you as an expert. As soon as people see your name on a book or other product, they know that you are a serious person in your field. 

Presell The Product 

No matter whether you’re promoting an affiliate product or you’re providing your own, you need to make sure you presell the product. 

Preselling means to warm up your reader BEFORE he/she is sent to the sales page. 

That means using good copywriting skills right within your e-mail that will show people that the product that you’re recommending is one that they actually need. Empathize with the reader, and show that this is a product that can do exactly what they need it to do. 

That doesn’t mean you’re going to hype the product at all or lie. You can certainly make a lot of sales without making false claims about anything. It will be easier than you think to presell to your customers if you are promoting a product that you truly believe in. 

Create Special Offers 

Creating special incentives and offers can help you to make sales. Your list members will be thrilled to get discounts just by being a member of your list. This strategy also makes being a member of your list special and exclusive – something they can’t get from the competition. 

Here are some ideas… 

Negotiate a special discount with a product owner if you’re an affiliate. Ask the owner for a percentage off, a free trial, or even an added bonus – just for your readers. 

Create and offer an added bonus yourself. Provide it only to those readers who buy a product through your affiliate link. For instance, an extra report, audio, or maybe even your notes that you took when YOU went through the same course. 

Drop your price just for your list members on a product that you own. 

Offer Resale Rights or PLR rights to your own product – only to your list. 

Bundle up other people’s Resale Rights products into a package and offer it at a steal. 

Offer personal coaching only to your list members. 

No matter what you decide to do, keep in mind that you need to treat your list members like gold, which means giving them offers that nobody else has access to. 

If you make these offers truly special, you’ll get customers for life!

Don’t Be Afraid To Change Out Products Over Time 

It can be very tempting to just leave everything as it is after you’re done setting up different products to promote in your autoresponder series. The truth is that some offers may not convert as well as you thought they would. You need to check your stats and periodically clean things out. Test different offers to make sure the needs of your list members are being met — and that you’re earning as much money as possible. 

That may mean trying different affiliate offers or taking note of your list member’s feedback and creating products based around that. Even though your autoresponder series can be “set and forget,” that’s not always the best case scenario.