Permission based opt-in lists are for subscribers that would like to know more about what you are offering. Such subscribers expect to be informed in whatever they are interested in. As an e-mail marketer, you need to establish a strong level of trust in order to benefit from any opt-in efforts.
Trust before loyalty
Without trust, customers will not reward you with loyalty. Many people using the internet today put in a lot of effort in order to protect their e-mail accounts from spam. Free e-mail providers and internet service providers have also gone to great lengths to protect their users from annoying spam e-mails.
Using an opt-in mailing list ensures that you only send e-mail to the customers/ subscribers requesting that you do so. This may not be as easy as it sounds, since many internet users are used to people/ companies that promise them that they are opting in to a spam free mailing list, and in turn end up being spammers just seeking information.
A few tips on growing your opt-in list:
- Achieving trust with your client base should not be impossible as long as you are operating a legitimate business. Your expertise should be obvious to every potential client and web visitor. Only offer products or services that you have knowledge and interest in.
- If your customers can see that you know exactly what you are talking about, you will gain credibility and trust will follow.
- Always do what you say you are going to do. Provide guarantees and follow through with your guarantees.
- If you have satisfied customers, the likelihood that they may tell others about your product or service is high. Make sure that your customers’ experience is a positive one.
- Always make sure that your customers do not feel trapped, make sure that they can also unsubscribe from your list any time they want; provide directions to doing so.
Once you establish trust with your customers, make sure to maintain that trust. Trust is a fragile concept that can easily be broken many ways.
