Don't make your website visitors search for the opt in form to your list. To make it super-simple for your visitors to sign up, do what I recommend to my clients - just a simple one-page website, that I call an Invite Site, where the only thing you're doing on the site is inviting your visitors to sign up for your list.
Then there's no confusion or question about what it is they should do. Once they sign up, you can redirect them to another page where they can gain access to more information from you.
2. Offer a Free Taste
Encourage people to sign up for your list by offering them something of value for free in exchange for their email address. Good choices are a mini-ecourse, a special report, a checklist, or a short audio program. Add some enticing copy describing the benefits your visitor will receive from your gift to increase your sign-ups.
3. Keep it Simple
If you only ask for your visitor's first name and email address, you'll get a higher response rate, meaning more people will sign up for you list.
Obviously, if you're offering a physical Free Taste (like a CD), you'll need to get your visitor's shipping address as well. Just try to limit the information you're asking for to increase the number of people who sign up.
4. Add Your Privacy Policy
Make your visitor feels comfortable giving you their email address by adding a short privacy policy right there with your opt in form. Something as simple as "We will never share your email address, period" should suffice.
5. Include Testimonials
Even adding two or three testimonials of people who've signed up for your list and received your Free Taste will increase your list numbers. If you currently don't have anyone on your list, send a copy of your Free Taste to a handful of colleagues and ask for testimonials in return (and offer to do the same for them).
6. Getting People to the Opt in Page for Your List
Once you optimize your opt in page, you need to get people to it. There are literally hundreds of ways that you can drive traffic to your web page where people sign up for your list (we cover 32 of them in my ListBuilding Program), but here are three of the best:
1. Utilize your email signature in every email you send out. Be sure you point people to your opt in page in your signature with some enticing copy as to why they should click on your link.
2. Write and submit articles, including the link to your opt in page in the author's resource box.
3. Do a simple pay-per-click campaign to drive targeted traffic to your opt-in page.
Follow these tips and you'll start increasing your email list subscribers today.
