Ottaway Communication, Inc.

Search Engine Marketing is becoming one of the most important ways to reach consumers; however, a good percentage of Internet users are browsers, revealing a special opportunity for marketers. According to Yahoo! Search Marketing, a critical way to change a “browser” into a “buyer” is by inviting visitors to opt in to an emailing list. In fact, according to a Forrester Research study, 94% of U.S. marketers use or planned to use email to contact customers and/or prospects in 2006.

Adding a “Subscribe Here” link will give marketers opt-in contacts to market to. There are three tips for building opt-in contact lists:

1. Add an email registration form to the homepage or other hight traffic landing pages, making the image bold, with a clear call to action.
2. Consumers want control over what they receive. So offering different opt-in forms for different product lines can help gather fields of data relevant to your business: like areas of interest or their favorite sport. The more you know about your consumer the better you can target them.
3. Clearly express the benefits of joining the mailing list. If subscribers believe they are privy to discounts or the “inside scoop”, they may be more likely to join a contact list. Once a consumer expresses an interest to be contacted about new products or services, there is the opportunity to transform that browser into a buyer.