6 Steps for Successful Online Marketing for Your Business - Step 2

Step 2: Give people something for free to get them into your database

This step is easy to do…and one of the most challenging for any business or professional who wants to leverage the Internet to get more clients. You must build up a list of email addresses of people who want to hear from you, who might want your products and services.

The easy part: Use KickStartCart or one of the private label versions of 1ShoppingCart.com. You can create the sign up form in the system; it also will automatically deliver a confirmation message with the link to download the free product, will track where the visitor came from, and will keep the names and email addresses in a segmented list so you know who was interested in that specific offer.

This means you can follow up with that list and offer them other related information, products, and services.

The hard part: Developing or creating something free that your targeted readers perceive as so interesting and valuable they can’t wait to get it, and will tell all their friends and colleagues to do the same.

It used to be anyone could offer a free newsletter and people would sign up. In today’s world of spam-infested inboxes, people are more cautious about handing over their email address.

Successful Internet marketers use contests and free prizes to create word-of-mouth publicity to build their brand online and harness the power of viral marketing.

Once the reward is delivered, it is understood they will get follow-up emails and marketing messages from you This is what Seth Godin wrote about in his book Permission Marketing.

Here are some ideas to get people into your database:

1. Offer a free report with a compelling title (and content!). Example: What the Stock Brokers Don’t Want You to Know About Online Trading. (Or, the government,
etc.)
2. Stage a contest. Example: Ask readers how they think the future of XXX will evolve. People love to contribute their creative ideas.
3. Give a free prize. This can be something popular like an iPod, or a book, or anything related to your subject matter. If the prize isn’t related to your industry make sure it is something people will exchange their email for.
4. Create a poll. Example: ask visitors their opinion about a controversial issue in your industry. Asking them to vote on your new logo can also work, but you’ll need to have people who care, so this might not work for a new site.
5. Present free teleseminars that provide valuable information. Example: The Blog Squad interviewed experts weekly for nearly two years to build up our list.
6. Combine a contest with a free report, ebook, or teleseminar and ask people to refer a friend. A prize is given to the person who refers the most people to the event or ebook.

The key is to make sure the contest or your report has something to do with your niche and with the products and services you are selling. Otherwise the people on your list won’t be interested in what you have to offer.

Start thinking about ways to attract the largest number of people who want and need your services. What would your ideal client really want?