5 Steps to Building an Opt In List for Affiliate Marketers

Everyone selling a product online knows that one of the best marketing tools available to them is a large, responsive list.

But did you know that a list can be just as valuable (or more so) if you have nothing of your own to sell?

In other words if you are an Affiliate Marketer.

Why Affiliate Marketers Need to Build Lists

An opt-in list is the most effective marketing tool you can use to make it big online.

Sure you can make money, maybe loads of it, by continually finding and sending customers to compelling offers.  But what happens the next time you find a compelling offer? 

You search for more customers. 

Wouldn't it be better to save the visitors you contact as YOUR customers first, then send them on to the affiliate offer.  That way the next time you find a good offer you can send them to that offer too.  And so on and so on.

And each new product can add customers to your growing list, making it even more valuable.

5 Tips to Building an Opt in List

1. Put a ‘subscribe link’ or ‘subscribe box’ on every page of your website.  Make sure that it is visible when the page first opens ("above the fold" as it's called) and clearly marked for what it is.  You want everyone to see it.

2. Come up with a few give away freebies and goodies to trade for the email addresses.  Customers are often reluctant to just give up their emails, but a good freebie can often do the trick.

3. Once you have the customer on your list, promote your affiliate products to him or her.  But not everytime you write.  Give out information, articles, free ebooks and updates to your clients, too, to build trust and respect. Make sure that the information is relevant to the client and to your site.

4. Offer free courses or ebooks to your list that they can get by coming back to the site.  When they download you can present an offer to them.  

5. Now PROMOTE your site.  Get the word out.  Write an article with a link to your site.  Join some forums or discussions and build relationships with the people there.  Explore PPC and banners as you grow. 

Make every visitor into a friend first -- them recommend a product to your new "friend."