Last time, we discussed the basics of list-building as a starting point for your casino website’s marketing program. Today, we’re going to look at some more advanced concepts:
Sign-up forms and fields: Obviously, the more info you get from your prospects, the better you’ll be able to market to them. At the same time, however, if you ask your prospects to fill out too many fields, they may not bother filling out any. What exactly the right balance is for you depends on what kind of traffic you get; some niches inspire greater patience (and can accommodate more fields on a sign-up form).
Single or double opt-in: On your sign-up form, a single opt-in refers to a one-step process, and a double opt-in involves an additional second step, such as clicking on a designated URL in a confirmation email. With double opt-ins, your list will grow more slowly, but you’ll get much better prospects, since they’ve actually made the choice to join your list twice.
Autoresponders: For the ambitious casino website marketer, autoresponders — specially created automatic messages to your list members — can be essential. Get a background on how to best use autoresponders here.
5 positive list-managing elements
Of course, once you’ve actually got a prospect on your list, you’ll want to make sure he or she stays there.
And, since we’ve focused on the past on what not to do if you want to keep your email list healthy, today we’ll look at six crucial positive steps to building and maintaining a healthy, interactive email list.
These are the crucial elements to keep in mind as you work to keep in contact with your prospects n your list — and earn new ones:
1. Target. Go after the subscribers who are specifically interested in your niche. The more you specialize your opt-in techniques, the more your subscribers will be in tune with what you’re selling.
2. Communicate. This one’s a bit trickier: It’s important to communicate, and communicate well, but you don’t want to over-communicate.
Still, you have to keep the lines of communication open, though, or your prospects will likely lose interest or even forget they’re on your list — meaning they’ll likely hit “unsubscribe” if your messages start coming so late they’ve forgotten their purpose.
3. Personalize. Email marketing technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years; it’s now a simple matter to personalize your emails by including each subscriber’s name, and even using some other details.
In the past, trying this was either time-consuming or, if automated, awkward-sounding. But today, it’s a simple matter — and one that shouldn’t be ignored. If your prospects feel a personal connection with you, they’ll be much more likely to want to do business with you.
This is an important thing to remember when you’re creating your opt-in strategy, as discussed above. After all, you can’t call someone by name if you don’t know what his or her name is.
4. Professionalize. You may know how to write well. You may be a great communicator. But it’s just as important to appear professional to keep your prospects on your list.
So, proofread your message before you send it! Typos may not bother everyone, but for a certain type of person, they’re guaranteed deal breakers.
Also, check your links to make sure they’re working. After all, why would do business with an email marketer who can’t even get the basics right?
5. Inspire. This is where your call to action comes into play. It’s the most important element of each email you write, but sometimes the most difficult to grasp.
After all, if you go too hard with your selling approach, that’ll turn people off. But if you softball it, people may not even understand what you want them to do.
So, as you’re constructing your message, keep the excitement factor in mind: What about this would make your friends interested? Give them a unique reason to click your links, and they’ll be more likely to do so.
Questions? Comments?
Taken together, you should now have the tools and info you need to build an effective email list to support your casino marketing program. If you’ve thought of something we’ve left out, we’d love to hear it: Sound off in the comments below and let us know your thoughts or share any experience you may have.