Email marketing has been touted as one of the premier methods to making money online. Marketers swear that list building is one of their top streams of income and a source of long-term internet success.
Email marketing may be a great strategy, but here is the problem: Many webmasters do not know where to put the optin box on their website or how to increase optin rates.
If you aren’t getting any email subcribers, your efforts are futile at best.
Here are some tips to increasing your optin rate:
Prominence
Your optin must be displayed in a prominent place where your visitors can see it. Do not hide it off in the corner and blend it in with the rest of the site. The optin graphics should jump out at the visitor and compel them to join your list.
Locations
There are several locations to place the email optin box.
1. Header – The header is the top section of your website and one of the first elements a visitor sees. Marketers usually add the box to the right side away from the logo or contact information.
Beware of optin boxes cluttering the header. Even though the optin is front and center, the excess clutter can deter eyeballs. A better choice may be right under the header, but above the main content. This is a popular area to feature an optin and garner more subscribers.
2. Sidebar – The sidebar is another valuable location for most websites. It is also high-converting because visitors see the optin on every web page.
3. Below Blog Post – The footer location is perfect for blogs because it is natural for readers to finish the article and wonder what to do next. The only caveat is that you are adding more choices for your reader once they finish your article. They can either post a comment, share the article, or optin to your list. Chances are, they will only complete one item.
4. About Page – This one isn’t as popular, but it may work well for personal brands. If you are branding yourself, you will have a lot of visitors visit your “About” page. Try an optin on this page and measure the conversions. You just may be surprised.
Design
The colors and design of the optin box should stand out from the website background. Add professional graphics and TELL the potential subscriber what they can expect after opting in. Remember that people consider their names and email addresses as private information. You must give them a good reason to opt in and divulge their personal data.
List a privacy statement and assure your potential subscribers their email addresses will never be shared or sold. And do not request more information than a name and email address. Many internet users are not even comfortable offering those details.
Freebie
Incentives are crucial to attract people to sign up for your email list. Give away a free ebook, white paper, interview, or audio to entice your website visitors to subscribe. Consider it an exchange of value. You are offering your visitors a free gift in exchange for their email address which is very valuable to them because they are allowing you to invade their space and time with your email messages.
Test
If you don’t know where to begin, add your optin list to one of the above locations and test it. Change its location and see if you experience an increase or decrease in conversions.
Where is the optin on your website? Are there any other locations you would consider?
Jenna Scaglione is a content writer, internet marketer, and a lover of family, friends and life. Jenna enjoys learning, growing and discovering the newest and latest trends on the internet. Known as "Lady Content", she lives in sunny Socal where she helps her clients around the world increase brand awareness on the internet through content writing and social media.
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