Copywrite 2006 Alicia M. Forest and ClientAbundance.com
When someone new comes to your website, your number one goal should be to get them to sign up for your email list. So, you can keep them up to date on what you're doing, and when they're ready to hire you or buy your product, you'll be right there in their inbox.
And giving them a way to sign up for your list that is both easy and effective will increase your list size and sales by a lot.
Here are three of the most common mistakes I see on business websites:
- The box to check is hidden. How can your visitor sign up if they can't find the form?
- Not having a way to keep people interested. Most people don't buy on the first try, and once they leave your site, they probably won't come back. Don't lose them by making it impossible for them to join your list.
TIP: Tests show that the best place for your opt-in box is still in the upper right corner of your page.
- The sign-up form says something boring like "click here for mailing list" - ugh!
So, here are 5 proven ways to increase your opt-in rates right away:
- Only give your visitor one option.
Some of you may have heard of a "1-banana" or "single action" website, which is the same thing. You only give your visitors one choice: to join your list by signing up for your free ezine, special report, checklist, ebook, etc. In exchange for the free thing, they give you their email address.
One of my coaching clients just recently used this idea in her business, which was a big leap of faith for her. I just got a happy email from her saying that her opt-ins have gone up by a lot since then!
Don't be afraid to try it because it works. Also, putting one or two testimonials on your 1-banana website doesn't hurt.
- Write copy that makes people want to read it.
People tend to skim what they read online, so make sure you have a catchy headline and a few short sentences that explain what your visitor will get out of signing up for your list. Always make sure it answers the question your visitors are most likely to ask: "What's in it for me?"
- Don't use more than two form fields: First Name and Email Address
If you get someone's name and email address, you can easily personalise any future communication with them. This has been shown to increase the number of people who open and respond to emails. In other words, if you address something to a specific person, they feel more connected to you and are more likely to respond well to your mailings.
If you ask for a Primary Email address, instead of a backup email address that people rarely check, many people will give you their Primary Email address. And if you ask them for their primary email address, you'll get better email addresses. This means you'll get fewer bounce-backs and your emails will actually get to the people who asked to get them.
Signing up is easy with just these two form fields, and you want to make it as easy as possible for your visitors to do so.
- Make the submit button easy to find.
Like a 1-banana website, you should make it clear to your visitors what you want them to do. Put something like "subscribe" or "sign me up now" or "send me the ecourse" next to your submit button.
- Give out your policy on privacy.
Keep your privacy policy simple and on the same page. Something like, "We will never give out your email address, ever," will do a lot to calm your visitors' fears that they will get a lot of spam.
If you use these 5 easy-to-implement strategies, the number of people who sign up for your list will go up dramatically.
