Bob's Home Business Blog

If you’re just starting out online with your home based business the key to long term success is building a targeted responsive email list. As any Internet marketer worth his salt will tell you: “The money is in the list”, and this whole list building process begins with your squeeze page also known as your landing page or your opt-in form.

In order to convince people to provide their contact information via their name and their email address you need a landing page that will persuade them to do just that. There are 5 elements every opt-in form must have in order to convert your visitors into subscribers and this article describes how to create a page that builds a targeted email list that will make you money for years to come:

1. As with most pages online you must have an attention getting headline to capture your visitor’s attention. You have a very short period of time to peak their interest so having a title that jumps out at your guests is a must. This caption should reinforce the strongest benefit of your product or service in order to be effective.

Your headline should be tailored toward your target audience so as to entice them to read more about your offer. One of the most successful approaches is to appeal to your audience’s emotions. For example, if your target group is home business owners your title could state: “95% of new home businesses online fail. This free report outlines how to avoid becoming a statistic.” Tell them in a short and to the point fashion what they’ll be receiving.

2. Your opt-in box should stand out on your page and should be very easy to identify in terms of what its objective is and what your visitor is supposed to do. People have to be told what to do next and how to do it and a well defined opt-in box will make this process very easy. Make it the center of attention on your page with 2 separate sections for your guest’s name and email address.

3. Outline in a bullet list type format what the benefits are for anyone who joins your list. Once again these advantages should be clear and concise and to the point so the reader understands immediately what they’ll be getting in return for their name and email address. Some of these people are bombarded with offers on a daily basis so it’s sometimes difficult to convince them to join yet another list; and for this reason try to make your benefits as attractive as possible.

4. Always provide a statement outlining the privacy and security measures you have taken to safe guard your visitor’s personal information. During these times of identity theft and fraudulent activity people are very conscious of the importance of protecting their vital information and if you fail to recognize this you may be losing subscribers you would have otherwise had opt-in.

5. Always provide your name and your contact information so people can get in touch with you if they have any questions or concerns. If you want them to give up their name and email address the least you can do is to provide yours. This is also a great way to begin the relationship building process and establish the trust which is so necessary throughout the sales process.

Having an effective, highly converting squeeze page doesn’t happen by accident. You have to construct an opt-in page that will build the targeted email list so coveted by home business owners and Internet marketers on the web today.

Bob Withers

Back to top of page

After creating your online home based business your next focus should be building a highly targeted and responsive email list. I’m sure you’ve all probably heard the old Internet marketing adage “the money is in the list”. This axiom still rings true today and maybe even more so than it did ten years ago.

If there’s one thing all of the millionaire gurus online have in common is they all have very large email lists. In this case size does matter because with the push of a button, if you own a sizable list, you can generate thousands of dollars from a single offer.

The best way to build your directory of names and email addresses is to capture your visitor’s contact information when they visit your web page. Here are 5 strategies for persuading these individuals to give you their contact information before leaving your website:

1. People will only part with their contact information if they receive something of value in return. Therefore a very effective tactic would be to offer your guests a freebie related to your particular niche. For example, if your target market is home business opportunities you could give them a free report outlining the top home based business money making ideas online today if they provide their name and email address.

2. Your landing page should be simple in design, straight forward and to the point. It shouldn’t contain any other links other than your opt-in form.

3. Your squeeze page must look professional and be professionally written. Its sole purpose, after all, is to persuade people to leave their contact information so you should treat it as a sales letter while remembering you aren’t trying to sell the person on their first visit. You may turn off your visitors if you indulge in a hard sales approach and no matter what you’re offering as a freebie they may decide to leave your website.

4. Concentrate on high lighting the benefits of your free offer. Remind your potential customers they are receiving more than a free subscription to your newsletter by outlining the benefits your gift can provide and the problems it may be able to solve for them.

If possible include a dollar value for your freebie to illustrate the value they are receiving for nothing. People love to receive something for nothing and if they see a monetary value associated with their gift they are more likely to sign-up.

5. Building a targeted, responsive email list isn’t just about capturing your visitor’s name and email address, it also involves relationship building. Therefore placing a picture of you with your name underneath on your landing page may help start this process.

If people can associate a face with a website or a particular offer they may begin to feel as though they know you. People are more likely to do business with someone they feel they know and trust rather than with a perfect stranger.

An effective list building strategy is a vital component of the overall Internet marketing plan for any home based business or any other venture, for that matter, online today. Once you’ve created a directory of hungry buyers who are interested in your niche you will virtually guarantee the long term success of your enterprise on the web.      

Bob Withers

Back to top of page

If you’re creating a home based business online a squeeze page, an opt-in page or a landing page on your website is an absolute must for any long term success on the web, because as the old Internet marketing adage says “the money is in the list.” In order to build your list of potential customers you need a squeeze page or whatever you prefer to call it to capture your visitors contact information in your auto responder so you can follow up with future offers.

Having people sign-up and leave their email address is the main purpose of your squeeze page however a truly effective opt-in will turn your visitors into customers or at the very least newsletter subscribers and here are 5 tactics you can employ to help increase your existing client base via your landing page:

1. First of all your opt-in must load into your visitor’s browser very quickly because you have a very limited time to attract their attention and get them to leave their vital information. A slow loading page will deter people from your offer because they value their time online and don’t like waiting for their information. A couple of things to avoid are overloading your page with graphics which slows download time and a server which is sluggish and reacts slowly to requests.

2. The popularity of video on the web has home business owners and Internet marketers using it as an advertising technique and adding a video to your page can only increase your conversion rate. By taping a message from you, personally, you will have taken a major step in the relationship building process with your potential customer and if they feel a trusting bond developing they are more likely to subscribe or to become a paying client.

Video also adds a professional touch to your home business and people see you’re willing to go the extra mile to obtain their patronage. When creating your message make it short and to the point. Cover all the information people are looking for in a concise point by point format while adding a little personality to help create that feeling of trust.

3. Colorful and professional looking graphics are a must on your squeeze page. As mentioned, you only have a short time to capture people’s information and they aren’t going to be attracted to a bland and amateurish looking opt-in which gives the impression it was slapped together with no thought or imagination involved. The graphics you choose should also reflect the overall theme of your home business website and help to deliver the information people are seeking.

4. Your text message on the landing page is another important component of your conversion rate. Once again because of the limited time and, in this case, the limited space involved you must keep your message short and to the point while highlighting the benefits to your potential customers.

Telling someone how you’re going to solve a problem for them is a tremendous enticement to buy now rather than later. You must remember however this isn’t your sales page so you have to resist the temptation to overwhelm your visitors with information. Too much too soon can have a negative impact on your guests and deter them from subscribing.

5. The size of your opt-in page also has an impact on your conversion rate. Your visitor’s shouldn’t have to scroll through the page to get the entire message. It should be presented to them head on with instructions telling them what they need to do to continue and how they will benefit by proceeding via leaving their name and email address.

These are five very effective tactics you can use to create the conversion producing squeeze page which yields the revenue generating email list you need to serve as the foundation of your home based online business for many years to come.        

Bob Withers

Back to top of page

After you’ve created your home business website, you’ve decided which merchandise you’re going to promote and you’ve created your Internet marketing plan your next step is to start building your email list. I’m sure many of you have already heard the old Internet marketing adage “the money is in the list” and while there are many effective techniques you can use for list building one of the most successful is using a squeeze page or landing page to capture your visitors contact information.

A squeeze page prompts your website guest to enter their name and email address in order to gain access to your home page. Some webmasters offer a free gift in return for this information which your visitor is given access to upon entering their email address.

Your autoresponder service will compile a list of these addresses and notify you each time someone signs up to your home business website. Here are 5 strategies to use in order to create effective squeeze pages which will help grow your email list exponentially.

1. Keep your squeeze page short and to the point. Don’t include too much text or turn it into a sales page because this will turn off your guests and odds are they won’t provide the information you need. Just tell them what you want and outline how they will benefit by providing their name and email address. The entire landing page should be in view when your visitors are directed there so they shouldn’t have to scroll to add their opt-in information.

2. Give your squeeze page a professional look by including an image of the gift your guests are going to receive for signing up to your home business website. If necessary hire an expert to create your graphic and whatever you do don’t attempt to create the image yourself using a free software package.

People want to associate with and do business with professional entrepreneurs online so it’s important to provide a professional appearance and to offer something of value to your potential customers to attract them to your list.

3. Create a squeeze page which loads quickly because your visitor’s time is limited and they won’t wait for any longer than a few seconds for your page to download. Therefore, it’s important not to use large images which will slow down your page’s load time which will prompt people to visit someone else’s website and you will lose a potential customer. An image or photo size of 150 to 200 pixels is usually acceptable however you can use your own judgment as to how your image relates to the size of your page.

4. The text on your landing page is vitally important because it will probably be the deciding factor as to whether or not your visitor provides the information you need and signs up to your website. Keep your script brief and be sure to outline the benefits for your guest or how their life will be some how made easier by providing their name and email address in order to receive their gift or to gain access to your home business information.

5. Pay particular attention to the headline on your page. You only have a limited time to attract your visitor’s attention and to entice them to read your text. Use words which will jump out at your guests such as “free”, “for a limited time only” and “save”. Use a large colored font but don’t go overboard and try to keep your headline size in proportion with the rest of your page. You can try out different headlines for a number of days each to see which ones work best and attract the most subscribers.

By keeping these tips in mind when creating your squeeze page you may be able to build your targeted list of potential customers faster than you ever imagined and soon begin to make some real money with your home based business online.   

Bob Withers

Back to top of page

If you’re just starting out online with your home based business one of your top priorities should be building an email list. As any Internet marketer worth his or her salt will tell you “the money is in the list.” With a list of current customers and potential clients you can email offers to your members periodically throughout the year and you can try to convince your potential customers to become paying clients.

A sizable listing also provides the opportunity for joint ventures with other home business owners or Internet marketers. So as you can see an email list provides the opportunity for multiple streams of income for your home business.

One of the best ways to compile a list is by creating a squeeze page for your website. Squeeze pages are landing pages created to obtain opt-in email addresses from prospective subscribers. Opt-in means the visitor has the option of whether or not to provide their contact information.

The home business owner usually tries to entice the potential customer to provide their email address and name by offering a free gift in exchange for the information. This gift usually takes the form of a free report or an ebook but it must be quality information in order to keep people coming back for more.

If you have no idea about using HTML to create a page then the best place to start would be with one of the many free and ready made landing pages available online. However if you have a working knowledge of HTML then you can create your own. Another direction open to you would be to pay a designer to build an opt-in page for you.

In order to create an effective opt-in page you must first come up with a compelling headline. It must be a sentence or phrase that catches the reader’s attention and entices them to read more. Your header text should be larger than the remainder of the copy and contain the major benefit of your offer. Try writing several headlines and select the one you think will trigger the biggest response.

The remainder of your script should outline the benefits of your offer and it should describe what problems it can solve for your guests. People crave information that will make their lives a little easier in some way. If it can save them time or save them money or make some task easier you will have no problem acquiring the information you need.

If your offer is something people want or need then you’re sales job will be much easier because your item will sell itself. The best approach to writing your ad copy for this page is to provide the benefits in a bullet point fashion. The days of long winded sales copy for squeeze pages are long gone because of their poor production in terms of acquiring the information you need. Your visitors don’t have the time or the inclination to read realms of script about your offer.

Try not to use too much hype when promoting your offer because people often see right through it and sometimes your offer gets lost in translation. This is a time when the KISS principle should be employed because keeping your message simple and to the point will most often get the results you want. Also be sure to tell your visitors what to do. Ask them to add their information in the box provided in order to take advantage of your free offer. People sometimes need to be pointed in the right direction.

Using graphics on your page can sometimes detract from your message however one place their use can be very effective is in the header portion of your page in order to attract the reader’s attention. Also be sure to add a small photo of yourself to the page.

This helps build credibility because people can relate a person to the offer and also your visitors will be more likely to give their contact information to someone they feel they know and trust. Adding a short testimonial to the script can also help in this regard.

Creating and adding a compelling and highly converting squeeze page to your home business website will help build your email list which in turn is a great way to become established and become successful online.

Bob Withers

Back to top of page

Squeeze pages, lead capture pages or opt-in pages, whatever you choose to call them are a must for anyone setting up a home business website. Squeeze pages capture your visitors contact or email information before directing them to the information they want. As Internet marketers I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase, “the money is in the list”, and this is where your list building starts with your opt-in page.

This brings us to the first mistake home business owners starting out online make with regard to lead capture pages and that is they don’t use one at all. This is the worst mistake you can possibly make because without capturing your potential customer’s information once they leave your website they’re gone forever.

By acquiring their email address you can follow up with them and further promote your product or service and ask them back for another visit. You can also send them other offers and promotions to try to turn them into paying customers. Another advantage of having a squeeze page on your home business page is the more leads you capture the more potential customers you have on your list and the more potential future income you can accrue.

A second mistake made by home business owners with regard to their opt-in pages is providing too much information or making them too wordy. Lead capture pages are meant, as the name suggests, to capture leads and this should be their only function. They aren’t sales pages or advertising pages and they should get straight to the point and get the information needed and then direct your visitors to the sales page.

A third blunder made by business owners is not giving their guests what they want on their squeeze page. People landed where they are for a reason. They either have questions they want answered or have a problem they want solved. You already know from what your product does what problems it can solve. So write a report which addresses these issues and offer it for free to download after they enter their information and then send them to your sales page.

Fourth, many home business owners don’t test their lead capture pages. Try out different headings and headlines as well as copy to find out which one improves your sales or conversion rate and implement the most successful page.

Finally, keep it simple. Don’t provide your visitors with too many options. All you need is their email information and to direct them to the information they need. Any more than two options on the page will only confuse them and this tends to make them leave.

These are a few things to avoid when constructing your squeeze page but the most important thing to remember is, above anything else, use a lead capture page and you will have taken an important step down the road to success with your online home based business.

Bob Withers