Why "Opt-In" is really the only game in town!

This article helped me see why opt-ins help me find people that really want to work with me. Ezine marketing plays a crucial role in creating opt-ins.
Get your own Ezine Tool Kit here!


To your success!

Andy Uhlig


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WHY "OPT-IN" IS REALLY THE *ONLY* GAME IN TOWN!

by Michael Green


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So what’s all this fuss we keep hearing about "Opt-In" email
then?

Well to put it simply, unlike "Junk or Spam" email, "Opt-In"
means you’ve explicitly received the recipient’s permission to
send them your message. In other words your readers have
specifically signed themselves up to your publication, and the
difference can be like dynamite!


SINGLE AND DOUBLE "OPT-IN"

You may have come across these terms. So let’s clear them up once and for all.

Single "Opt-In" means that you invited someone to join your list, they provided their email address and opted themselves in to receiving your mailings.

Double "Opt-In" means that the same thing happened, and they
signed themselves up to your list, but then - just to make sure
they really meant it - they had to confirm their subscription by
clicking *Reply* to a confirmation email you sent them or by
clicking a web link to confirm their subscription.


SO WHICH IS BETTER? SINGLE OR DOUBLE "OPT-IN"

Well a Double "Opt-In" subscriber list is considered to be made
up of higher quality prospects.

Why?

Because by emailing the contact to ask if they definitely want
to receive your Ezine, you’re performing three important tasks:


DOUBLE "OPT-IN"

*1* You’re testing their commitment to receiving your
information at all. If they can’t be bothered to confirm the
subscription, then maybe they didn't want the information in
the first place!

*2* You are removing the element of doubt that someone else may have deliberately or inadvertently used their email address
to sign up with. Double "Opting-In" means that everything is
nicely confirmed.

*3* You’re removing any possibility (well almost any) of that
prospect complaining to your Internet Service Provider (ISP)
in the future. Or even if they did you’d have evidence that
they really had consented.

So Double "Opt-In" is a nice idea in theory, but sometimes it won't be all that practical.


SINGLE "OPT-IN"

One of the techniques frequently used to gather email addresses
is a Pop-Up box that you might place on your website. This will
invite the person browsing to enter their first name (so you can
personalize your message to them) and their email address. This
is usually done in return for a mini-series of tips and hints or
some kind of free report, frequently followed up by further Ezine Newsletter issues.

Under these circumstances, most marketers would agree that it
would get a little cumbersome to be asking people to reconfirm
their subscription over-again. After all, the average prospect
browsing wants to do things quickly, without being bothered by
additional email messages.

So there’s a balance to be struck between the advantages of
Double "Opt-In" and the speed and efficiency of Single "Opt-In".

Either way at least you will have explicitly received permission
to be marketing to your list, and this will put you miles ahead
of the brain-dead spammers!


AND SPAM EMAIL IS REALLY DEAD!

Let me save you some trouble. If you were ever tempted by an
offer of: "60 million email addresses on one CD for just $49" or
something similar....FORGET IT.

Here’s precisely what will happen to you if you get tempted to
send spam email:


*1* You’ll upset virtually everyone you send your email to and
most likely won’t make any sales.

*2* You’ll be the subject of some pretty vicious reprisals.
Nowadays this probably includes some very disgruntled
individual deliberately sending you a virus.

*3* You’ll find yourself excommunicated from your Internet
Service Provider and searching for a new host.


Oh, and if that doesn’t all sound bad enough, you will have
instantly established yourself with a very unenviable reputation. Your brief online business career will be over.


"OPT-IN" IS HARDER WORK

I often hear people grumble that "Opt-In" is terribly hard work.
And I can’t deny that it takes more time and effort than buying
a CD off-the-shelf with a million ‘unwilling’ recipients.

But done properly, a list of receptive "Opt-In" subscribers will
pay you back time and time again. In short - done right - the
effort will be well worth the return.

So don’t be tempted by "spam" short-cuts, do it properly and
build yourself a good "Opt-In" mailing list.

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The author, Ezine Guru Michael Green, has developed a toolkit
specifically for people looking to build themselves a successful
online businesses, based around the principles of "Opt-In"
marketing. He shows you how to easily attract subscribers
who will form the foundation of a very healthy and profitable online business. Pick up your copy now:
==>Click here now to get your own Ezine Tool Kit<===
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