Looking for more leads? Sometimes you need to switch sources in order to increase your leads and discover new potential customers. It’s not enough just to optimize existing channels or increase budgets. A new year calls for new lead sources, and opt-in advertising is one of the best ways to add new email addresses to your database.
The traditional lead generation method can leave a lot to be desired. All too often we see the bulk of a lead generation budget being blown on wasted website traffic. The idea is that a visit to your site is worth more than an email address gathered off-site. But in fact, we’ve proven the reverse to be true time and time again. Think you know where your leads are coming from? Here are a few likely sources.
The unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season happens earlier and earlier every year. Black Friday sales and Cyber Monday deals used to come on the heels of Thanksgiving; now, retailers are offering preview sales days and even weeks in advance. But Cyber Monday is still predicted to be one of the biggest shopping days of the year. And that’s good news for businesses in any industry.
Large companies frequently use opt-in advertising as a key tool in their overall marketing efforts. What could be better than presenting a seamless way for an interested user to subscribe to your brand’s newsletter without interrupting their internet experience? But large companies are not the only businesses that can use opt-in advertising to maximum effect. In fact, opt-in advertising can be both productive and cost-effective for small businesses as well. Here are the top reasons opt-in advertising is a great fit for small businesses.
We’re big proponents of double opt-in email marketing, which requires an initial welcome email to validate a user’s email address and allow them a second chance to “opt out.” New subscribers to your email marketing list need to click the link in this welcome email to confirm they would like to join the list. After that, your email marketing efforts continue as usual.
If you’re sending emails to customers or leads, you’ve probably heard of MailChimp. They’re a well-known email service provider that facilitates email campaigns for businesses of all sizes. They offer helpful email marketing tips and a wide array of service levels to fit just about every business owner’s needs. Some might even say they are the “gold standard” of Email Service Providers. Another claim to fame? Double opt-in.
In advertising, nothing is ever a sure thing. But opt-in advertising comes close. When it comes to building your email list, opt-in advertising gives you reliable scalability that is unmatched by any other advertising type. Simple, interactive lead forms are served right where your target audience is already browsing. There’s no need to click over to your website, where you run the risk of losing them to technical error, slow internet speeds or browser issues. There are no wasted clicks without a lead to go along with them. And you get those leads immediately, so you can follow up with lead nurturing emails, retargeting ads or any other conversion campaigns to turn those leads into customers.
Sound like a dream come true? Here are a few reasons opt-in advertising is the best way to grow your email list.
When it comes to lead generation and opt-in advertising, email reigns supreme. In fact, sometimes it seems that’s all we talk about. And while we still think email is one of the most valuable pieces of customer data out there, it’s not the only thing worth capturing. So here’s a quick look at a few other data points worth considering for your opt-in advertising campaign, based on your industry and business offering.
As a consumer interacts with a brand online, they are faced with a number of places and ways to join their email list. Some may overtly opt-in through a subscribe button on site; others complete a transaction and enter a separate database. Still more may take advantage of co-registration, where they join one list and are given the opportunity to quickly sign on with other like-minded companies. But should all these emails be treated the same way? Some imply more permission than others.
Marketers can reduce confusion and weed out any less-than-qualified prospects by using double opt-in. This requires the consumer to confirm they wish to join the email list by clicking an initial opt-in email. Now that they’ve subscribed and confirmed, they are much more likely to continue to open emails and convert. This extra step takes a little more time, but can go along way to reducing cost per lead, and cost to conversion.
Opt-in advertising allows users to quickly join your email list, or “opt-in” to email marketing from you. It’s a great way to build a lead funnel. And the best part is you can gather leads without landing pages using either single or double opt-in advertising. Ad units display on the websites your potential customers are already browsing and allow them to submit their email address, phone number or other contact information right within the ad. They don’t have to navigate away from the site they wanted to view, so you’re not paying for costly web traffic or landing page development.
You specify the form fields available to the user to provide contact information, choosing what’s most important for your lead generation campaign. You can also choose single opt-in, where their email is subscribed immediately, or double opt-in, where an initial confirmation email ensures they meant to sign up and safeguards the quality of your list. So which is right for you? Read on to find out!