The value of a large opt-in list is usually grossly understated. It is never good enough to simply be making sales from your affiliate products. Failing to compile a fresh mailing list will result in lack luster or stagnant sales.

Having a list allows you to keep in touch with your site’s visitors and slowly build a relationship with them. If done properly, you can then convert a high percentage of otherwise lukewarm prospects into paying customers. So exactly what does it take to build a great opt-in list quickly and easily? Here are some useful tactics:

* Offer incentives when possible for people to leave their name and email address. Having an incentive program is an effective way to get people to opt into your list. Offering a special report or free e-book is a very effective and easy to implement. To get the best results, it is always helpful to give them something for signing into your list. This tip alone can easily double the number of sign ups you have.

I see many people trying to build a list without offering any kind of incentive for signing up which can be a huge mistake. Incentives are so easy to create that it only makes sense to offer one. Anything with a high-perceived value that you offer free will help boost signups significantly. I’ve test both ways of list building and I must say that offering incentives will give you far better results.

* Include a clearly written privacy policy. In all likely-hood, the main reason people refuse to leave their contact information is because they are afraid of being spammed. This has been a huge problem on the Internet for years. No one likes spam. If people have any reason to suspect that you will share their email address with others they will usually not let you have it. Give them a rock solid guarantee that you will not share their email address with anyone. This will put to rest the worries of people wanting to avoid spam. At one point I did not have a clearly defined privacy policy, however, after I added one I saw a 61% increase in the number of opt-ins I was receiving. Simple things like this can make a huge difference.

* Create several tightly targeted lists. Few people realize the power of a targeted list option. It depends on what you have to offer on your site, but this is something that if it can be used will greatly affect your opt-in rate. One of the lists options could be for periodic updates, another could include “how to” tips that your prospect would find helpful, while another could be for a newsletter with ongoing information. No matter which option they choose, you will still harvest their email address.

Think about what lists your market might be interested in, then offer those options on your site. A website visitor may have no interest in your generic mailing list but have a much greater interest in your newsletter. If you had not provided multiple options that person would have signed up for nothing. Usually three options are enough. If your visitors have not found something that interests them after three choices they are generally not worth going after.

* Be sure to make all your lists double opt-in. Double (or Verified) opt-in lists require people to first sign up on your site, and then activate their subscription by replying to a confirmation email. There are many good reasons to use the double opt-in format. First of all, it will take away any chance of being labeled a spammer. You can show definitive proof that people actually did requested your emails.

Also, a double opt-in list will generally have higher quality readers, rather than those from a singe opt-in list. The reason for this is because since these subscribers are interested in your messages enough to reply to the confirmation email, they are much more serious about what you offer. Therefore, they will be more responsive to what you have to offer when compared to those who half-heartedly sign up for your list without a lot of interest. Having a high quality list is absolutely critical to making substantial sales.

By putting the methods mentioned in this article into practice on your website, you will be able to build a huge, high quality list in a relatively short period. I have used all of the methods mentioned here and they work very well. If you use them, you will find they will work for you as well.

I don’t care what business you’re in - if you’re an internet marketer and you are not using email marketing, you’re missing the boat.

Here is why.

1. Through email marketing you’re in contact with your customer, often, and they never forget your name.

2. It also educates them about all of your products and services - not just the initial product they bought. Exposing them to your full catalog increases your chances of selling more goods to them, immensely. Finally, the task can be fully automated so that you do very little manual work.

So how do you grow an email marketing list?

1. Give the people on your list a great offer they can’t refuse! When they come to your web site, you should have a specific action for them to perform. And that action is to capture their email address for your email marketing list. You do this by offering a perceived high-value item…for free.

The key word here is offer. You simply tell them about the thing you will give them, and how they can get it. For instance, someone is searching the Net for ab exercises to improve their shape. They visit on your web site, and guess what?

2. You offer them a video and a report for free on turning your flab into a rock-hard six-pack in only 47 days! Tell them they can get the link of the download page if they sign up to your email list. Then make it as easy as possible for them to sign up for your list.

3. Once they have added themselves to your email marketing list, you must treat them right. Just like you wouldn’t walk up to a person you just met and kiss them, you must court your list first before trying to sell them something.

In other words, focus on building the relationship first, with your email marketing list, in order to profit from your association.