Opt In Email Leads - A Great Focused Marketing Tool

Opt in email lets you to focus your marketing on the most receptive audience - leads that have already indicated an interest in your product or service. This is the biggest difference between opt in email advertising and newspaper or magazine advertising. Now that you have a list of opt in email leads, how do you gear your marketing to make the best of all that potential?

How can you make this work for you?

Marketing begins with finding the best way to reach your audience. By designing your opt in form properly your respondents will tell you exactly how to best reach them. So, along with general contact information, ask more specific questions to better define their preferences.

In the early stages of opt in email marketing, it was a tedious, if not impossible, job to individualize a program for different market segment requirements. However, with the marketing programs and services available today it has become a simple matter to really focus in on leads with specialized newsletters sent to respondents geared to their area of interest. This is especially important if your company offers a wide selection of product or services.

First, cover all the general bases. Name, contact information, and email address should be items at the top of the form.

Now you can begin to focus on differing contact interests by adding options designed to segment your respondents into categories that can be as different as your products. For instance, say you sell automobiles. Why not narrow the focus by including opt in selections for type of automobile? Does the lead want information on trucks, vans, and sedans or sports models? Since your well designed opt in form will receive a number of responses to each of the above categories, you will want to have an email that caters to each response. You know your leads are getting the right information because they have told you what they want.

Continue to refine and focus your emails by adding a new opt in category to each newsletter or brochure you email. The new category could narrow the size range of the vehicle. Does the lead need a full size van for deliveries, or a mini van for the family? This gradual selection process keeps the attention of your market while letting them know that you are interested in helping them optimize their search. However, keep in mind that interests can change so always include a short information blurb on an item from a different category and give the choice of changing preferences or opting into other newsletters and emails.

In some cases, as in the purchase of large cost items, you may want to know how soon respondents are planning a purchase. This will allow you to put those who have the most immediate requirement in a fast-track program designed to give them the most information in a shorter period of time. If this is the case, you will want a selection item on the opt in form pertaining to time frame such as, "How soon do you plan to purchase your next automobile?"� Follow this question with a selection of time ranges.

Keep refining and focusing your opt in questions. As each email you send narrows in a little more on the specific requirements of the lead, he is learning more about your company and becoming more comfortable in considering a purchase

You will want to alter your method of delivery with each email in the beginning to determine the method that works best to produce the highest return. Alternate newsletters with brochures, send out sales flyers and product specifications, and include links to reputable sources of information on your product outside your own web site and promotional material.



Using feedback from your opt in program or service you can determine which delivery methods works best to produce the highest number of clickthroughs. You can also add a delivery preference to the opt in selections.

Time of delivery is also a consideration. Some times of day, and even days of the week, may elicit a higher response than others so don't forget to check those stats and send future emails with delivery time in mind.

In summary, proper use of opt in forms allows you to focus your marketing in order to better target the right buyers for your product. As a result, with little expense, you can get your product information to a more focused market to optimize results. After all, sending concentrated information carefully geared to your audience is the best way to keep attention high and generate more interest. Remember, time is at a premium so only those emails with a high level of interest for the recipient will be opened.