This content is provided by Carol Farbe. For more information, please visit my site for great tips.
It's true, having a list of potential buyers or existing customers means you've got people to market to who are interested in your products. The problem is how to increase your opt-ins so you have a lot more of those interested people. Obviously you need to get more traffic, but you also need to pay attention to your offer and how you extend the offer.
It's a fact that the more personal information you ask for on the form, the less likely you will be to capture that lead. Why? People are in a hurry and don't want to spend the time jumping through hoops. They're also leery of giving too many personal details online to someone they don't know.
For a long time the custom was to ask for their name and address. Now, after extensive testing, we are advised to ask only for a person's email address. Have you changed to the current practice? It's recommended that you test this "new" practice and see if it works better for you too.
Make the process easy. Since we use double opt-ins to comply with the CAN-SPAM, it means people have to click the link in the very next email they get from you. Let them know it's coming and don't confuse the process by asking them to go in different directions before they've clicked that all-important opt-in link.
Make your offer something they really really want. Treat your opt-in squeeze page as important as a sales page. These days you have to sell a person on why they should give you their email address. Again, they have to really think it could help them and is worth it. Always give the benefits - the What's In It For Me - information so they can't resist.
Don't forget the visual. If it's an ebook or report you're giving away, include an image of the ebook or report. Also use bright colors that stand out and bring the eye to your offer. A bright, bolded font in a color that doesn't otherwise match your page will stand out.
While it is important to get traffic to your offer, you also need to give your utmost attention to what you're offering and how you present it. Give them something that they desire, that will help them, and make it an easy process where they don't have to give too much information away or jump through several hoops. How are you increasing traffic to increae your opt-ins?