Top 5 Ways to collect names for a Mailing List

Do not underestimate having a mailing list. It is one of the most powerful marketing tools you’ll ever have in your arsenal. I run quite a large mailing list on a few of my sites & they’ve always been very successful at:

1. Generating quick revenue bursts
2. Getting lapsed members & readers to become active again

Collecting a mailing list can be a daunting task, especially when you’ve never had any experience with it. But don’t be alarmed it’s not as difficult as you might think.
Firstly you need the software to collect the names & put them in a database. I use Aweber (19.99/month, you can try it free for 30 days) for this but if you don’t want to pay a $19.99/month you can use PHPlist or Zoodoka.
Once you’ve created a form for the user to submit the data you need to make sure your mailing lists are targeted. There’s no point collecting data from all your websites & putting it into one big database if the websites are about different subjects.
Keep each list as targeted as possible, that way you don’t scare subscribers off by sending them information they didn’t sign up for.
So what are my top ways of gathering list subscribers:
Create a Forum: When someone signs up to your forum they’re already subscribed to your forum mailing list, unless they choose “not to receive email from administrators.” A monthly newsletter is a great way to keep forums active & to also generate sales by endorsing products. You can also find decent sponsors for your newsletter if you’ve got more than 10,000 members.
Unique Content: Offer unique content that is only available in your newsletter. Simple yet really effective way to “encourage” list signups. It could be a book you’ve written or tips on a particular subject. Be Creative
Use an Floating Opt-in Box: DHTML opt-in boxes allow you to float in an unkillable popup. This can be used in conjunction with the previous point to help offer unique content that’s only available on the mailing list. You need to be wary on using this technique on blogs as it can scare potential subscribers away.
Set up an Autoresponder: If you’re ever selling items on ebay, craigslist or even getting personal emails it’s often good to set up an Autoresponder. Aweber can do this, you can also do it with thunderbird or outlook if you leave your computer on 24 hours a day. Simply include a link to your opt-in list in your email signature that fires off whenever an email is recieved saying “I have recieved your mail & will respond as soon as possible, in the meantime why not sign up to my mailing list for blah blah blah……” Bingo.
Write Ebooks: Naturally you’ll want to look further afield to get opt-in list subscribers than just from your main site. Spread your reach by turning your website into seperate PDF documents with Go2PDF (Freeware). Make sure to include your opt-in box at the bottom of each article. Then start sharing these documents on File Sharing networks & giving them away free in Ebay Auctions. Giving the books resale rights is often a great way to get exposure, include a condition that in order to resell this book you must keep the opt-in box intact.
I plan on including more posts about building lists & managing lists but hopefully this should get your started with some ideas.