Article - Converting Visitors into Subscribers

Converting Visitors into Subscribers

Visitor conversion is a challenge faced by every marketer.

If you're spending money to generate traffic, you want to
do everything possible to ensure that traffic isn't wasted.
This means getting more bang for your buck by convincing
more visitors to subscribe to your list.

In other words, conversion improves your return on
investment and limits the temptation of spending more money
on more traffic.

If your opt-in list isn't converting as well you expected,
there are several target elements you can experiment with
to improve your opt-in rates:

1. Web Copy

Is the copy on your site effective? Poorly written copy is
one of the first culprits to investigate. Start by
evaluating your headline. Is it enticing? Does it pull the
reader in? A boring headline can cause people to click away
without even reading the rest of the page. Check your main
copy as well.

Do you explain the benefits of list membership? People
always want to know what's in it for them. Make sure you
offer them plenty of reasons to sign up.

2. Incentives

Incentives provide additional benefits and additional
reasons to join your list. If you aren't doing so already,
offer a unique course, e-book or piece of software for free
as a bonus to subscribers. Many times this will convert
hesitant visitors into subscribers.

People love freebies and they also can't resist satisfying
their curiosity.

3. Make it easy to join

Have you placed your subscription box in a prominent place
on the page? Some list owners always place their
subscription box at the top of the page, while others place
it at the very bottom. Either position can work well, but
if you have a lot of copy to wade through, you might
consider placing the box within the body copy at logical
points. Remind your readers why they are there and what
action you want them to take.

4.Watch out for 'bugs'

Sometimes software can fail for no apparent reason. Your
server might be experiencing a database issue, your site
might be temporarily unreachable or your autoresponder
script may be malfunctioning.

It's always a good idea to do periodic tests by subscribing
to your own list to check that everything still runs
smoothly.

Ultimately, conversion comes down to offering prospects
enough benefits to make joining your list an obvious
choice. Your copy should get them excited, motivated and
curious. Make it as clear as possible that you are offering
them valuable information for free.

If your copy is too much of a sales pitch and short on
benefits, the visitor will have a hard time finding a
compelling reason to subscribe. People are wary of hype
these days and too much focus on the "buy my product!"
mindset raises a lot of suspicion. Most prospects see that
and immediately think "this site will spam me with a bunch
of offers I don't want", and quickly click off the page.

Treat your opt-in page as an honest invitation to start a
mutually beneficial relationship, and you'll see your
conversion rates soar.

Javier Salces is an experienced online marketer who runs a
successful viral marketing web site with thousands of
members. Feel free to submit your own articles at:
http://opt-inleads.com/cgi-bin/vp/articles.cgi

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