One of the most effective ways to make money online is to build a good mailing list. Email marketing isn’t dead; in fact, there are a number of avenues available for email marketing. Building your mailing list can provide you with a built-in and interested audience for specials and affiliate programs that you have. Additionally, you can build a sense of community with your mailing list, and encourage continued loyalty from your readers. So lets look at how to build your mailing list.

Make it Easy to Sign Up To Your Mailing List

Your first order of business is to make it easy for others to sign up. Your signup placement should be someplace that catches the eye. You can put a box in the upper right sidebar, where it’s clear that visitors can enter their email address to receive updates from your blog.

There are other ways to make signup boxes very visible. You can use a pop-up so that visitors have to consider joining your list before they read the content on the site. Another option is to connect the signup to the scroll function. As the reader scrolls down (losing sight of the signup box) another signup box pops up in the lower right, drawing attention to the option to sign up for email updates.

Carefully consider your placement so that it is easy for interested readers to find your signup box and use it. Also, consider using a method that won’t continually bug those who have already signed up, or who are regular readers. There are some signup options that allow you to limit when the boxes appear.

Add Value To Your Newsletter

Another tactic is to add value to the signup. If a reader signs up for your mailing list, you want him or her to know that there is something “extra” that comes with the sign up. You can offer a free ebook as part of the signup, or a free mini-course. That way, when someone signs up for your mailing list, he or she knows that something of value will be delivered.

You can also participate in giveaways. One of the most popular methods of getting readers to complete certain action is to reward them with an extra giveaway entry. You can participate in a giveaway, and provide an extra entry or two for those who join your mailing list. A greater chance of winning a prize can be a motivator for many of your web site visitors.

You can also add value by making it clear that your newsletter provides extra content. If you can offer “exclusive” deals, or top-notch content that “regular” visitors don’t see, you might be able to encourage more signups. Think beyond just offering to send a summary of the week’s posts. Consider how you might add insider info that makes people feel special. Readers like to feel as though they are getting something others aren’t. Add content to your signup box letting your readers know that those getting the email newsletter will have special access.

Building your mailing list can be a daunting task. It can take months — or even years — to get it where you want it to be. With a little help from some carefully thought out strategies, you can build your mailing list a little faster.