Email marketing is important to the world of online business, and if you are looking to get started in permission-based email marketing you may be trying to figure out exactly what to do first.
First let’s talk about exactly what permission-based email marketing is:
It’s basically similar to any other kind of marketing. You are just sending emails out, but instead of buying lists or email addresses or stealing them, you are seeking out people who want to be put on your email list?
How do you find a list of people who want to be marketed to? Well, sometimes it’s that easy, and sometimes it’s not.
Some people do want to be put on certain lists that give information solely about new products in a certain field if interest, or niche.
Most people, however, want to have a stream of valuable, useful information about that field of interest, and they are willing to be sent advertisements occasionally in order to get it.
That is basically how all of information marketing developed. As the Internet grew, marketers realized that if you find people who are interested in any topic – there is always something they are going to need. And if you can be the one to figure out what they need and show it to them, well, you will make a sale or a commission.
So, permission-based email marketing is nothing more than sending valuable, useful emails to people who have requested to receive those emails. Some of these emails probably include recommendations for products or services.
So how to get started in permission-based email marketing?
The first thing you need is a email marketing service. Aweber is a good one. You can go over there and get set up within minutes.
You will need to pay for most email marketing services – it costs money to store email addresses and send email messages and provide statistical data for what happens with those addresses and emails.
There are some free services for under a certain amount of email addresses, but these services will probably attach an advertisement to your emails.
Once you are signed up with an email marketing service provider you will need to:
- input all your list information
- create your form
- put your form on your website
- create some autoresponder – also called followup – messages
- start convincing people to sign up, possibly with a sign up offer
You will probably need to choose whether to have people double opt-in to your email list or not. This just means that once they put their name and address into your form, they still will need to click on the confirmation link in the confirmation email.
All my lists are double opt-in. I think it’s safer. Then no one can accuse you of being a spammer because you have proof that someone with access to their email account clicked on the confirmation link.
Well, they can accuse you, but they can’t prosecute you.
That’s it!
It’s easy enough to set up in an afternoon, so get started now!
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