Email Marketing is no longer a misperceived or taken for granted strategy. In fact, it is now recognized as a result-oriented Internet Marketing strategy for online businesses. Some of the common aims and objectives for a comprehensive Email Marketing campaign are:

 

• Generate Sales Leads
• Boost Sales
• Enhance Brand Awareness
• Build and Maintain Customer Relationships
• Reinforce Brand Image

 

Home based business owners, all over the world, prefer Email Marketing to serve as their main marketing and communication channel. Not only does it realize extraordinary company objectives for home based business models, but it also offers the following benefits:

 

• Low-Cost Promotion
• Simple & Easy Process
• Quantifiable Results
• Direct Marketing
• Rapid Communication

 

Opt-In Forms and Email Marketing Campaigns

 

The picture is indeed as rosy as it seems, because of these advantages of introducing an Email Marketing campaign. But remember, the rewards of Email Marketing efforts will only come your way when they are developed with attention to detail. It is certainly not as simple as erratically sending out emails. An ideal approach is to request, potential customers visiting your blog or website, to subscribe for receiving company emails. This approach is known as Opt-In or permission marketing. It allows online and Internet Marketing businesses to build an Opt-In list which records the email addresses of potential customers who subscribe to receive company emails.

 

Incidentally, interested customers fill out an Opt-In Form on the company website. As a result, an Opt-In Form is only filled out by individuals who truly qualify as potential customers for the company. Their email subscription through the Opt-In Form is an expression of their interest in what the company has to offer. However, the interest of these potential customers can only translate into subscriptions when the Opt-In Form created with the intention of grabbing their attention.

 

Why Your Business Need an Opt-In Form?

 

Online businesses do their utmost to use every opportunity to exhibit their brand values to actual and potential customers. An Opt-In Form does just this by showing website visitors that the business respects their decision enough to request for permission. With increasing awareness among customers, any sort of forced sign-ups can drive traffic away from the website. By integrating an Opt-In Form, businesses also gain the benefit of making their email campaign more meaningful. This is because unsolicited emails are perceived as spam mail.

 

So, an Opt-In Form saves the image of your Email Marketing campaign from gaining undesirable and negative publicity among the target audience. It enables an online business to extend its reach to prospective customers who are likely to generate a favorable response to its Email Marketing and promotions.  Remember, an Opt-In Form directly connects you with the target audience of your Email Marketing campaign which is an essential element of the overall Internet Marketing strategy.

 

How Can You Make the Best Use of Opt-In Forms?

 

Website visitors do not always have an inherent interest in signing up for the company’s email promotions. More often than not, they begin with building interest in the company’s products, services, or website content. After this stage, there are two possible outcomes. One possibility is that interested individuals would themselves feel the need to be updated with upcoming deals or newsletters on a regular basis. Or, the Opt-In Form would catch their eye and prompt them to sign up for future emails. Considering the second scenario, an Opt-In Form should be noticeable and innovative because creativity is important for all forms of Internet Marketing tactics. The following ideas discuss effective ways to place an Opt-In Form as part of your company’s Internet Marketing or Content Marketing strategy:

 

Include it on the Landing Page

 

Search Engine Optimization is being widely used by online businesses as part of their Internet Marketing campaign. Subsequently, these companies appear in the search results of potential customers. If these prospects choose to click on this search result, they are directed to the company’s landing page and not the home page. The content of the landing page aims at converting the potential customers into actual ones. Basically, it is the first step to success when potential customers reach a company’s landing page. This is why the landing page is a great place for the Opt-In Form.

 

Make Use of a Squeeze Page

 

A squeeze page is a type of landing page, except it is created specifically to place the Opt-In Form and acquire more email subscribers. However, the likelihood of people opting to sign up greatly depends on the effectiveness of the overall squeeze page. Therefore, online businesses should incorporate the following ideas on their squeeze page to attract and convert a larger number of potential customers:

 

• Use catchy headlines
• Format content to grab attention through subtitles and bullets
• Add sharing options for social media networks
• Follow attractive font and color themes
• Insert relevant images

 

Make Enticing Sidebars

 

The sidebar is one of the significant parts of any blog or website, whether for direct retailing, affiliate marketing, or a home based business. Sidebars are not meant for the primary content of any website but are used to include advertisements, promotional offers, social media links, and of course Opt-In Forms. However, Opt-In Forms on sidebars are mostly visible when placed above all other content. Secondly, its entire theme or design plays an important role in getting people to observe it which in turn entices them to fill out the Opt-In Form.

 

Content-Wise Email Marketing Permission

 

The effectiveness of Content Marketing is directly related to content quality. Once an online business accomplishes its goals of effective Content Marketing, it should consider linking it with its Email Marketing ideas. In short, if a single piece of content retains the attention of a visitor all the way through to the end, then it means that he or she was fully engrossed in what the website has to offer. Such high level of attention should be utilized in favor for the company by placing a sign up form right at the end of every page of content on the website.

 

According to the popular best practices of Internet Marketing, an Opt-In Form should be strategically placed at different spots on the website so as to ensure that all Email Marketing endeavors reach a wide range of prospects.