Sometimes the unexpected has amazing results. When you do something that catches the attention of people, you have a unique opportunity to make a connection. This is how reverse opt-in approaches generally work, and they tend to work very well.
In a nutshell, a reverse opt-in strategy involves you giving the person information—BEFORE they join your list, make a purchase, whatever it is you are trying to get them to do. Show the person that you are an expert, without making them wait to discover it later. Once they have gotten something from you, you can easily ask for their opt-in, and you are more likely to get it. This technique will get you in front of your customers, and make your marketing more memorable.
When you act first, and give your prospects something for nothing, you are making them feel more confident that your company is one they will want to do business with. You start by divulging your valuable information, which makes it likely that they will want more. As the process unfolds, continue to let them know more, sharing content, advice and plenty of great recommendations. In other words, you are really giving them a sampler before they commit to you. Makes perfect sense, right?
Asking for someone’s name and/or email will lose some prospects who need to develop more trust before they are willing to submit this information. When you use a reverse opt-in technique, then you are able to gain their trust before they ever have to give you any information.
Sure, traditional opt-in strategies help to build interest with prospects because of the element of mystery, and they may wonder what exciting things you have to offer. But, in all reality, this doesn’t work with everyone. When you lure a subscriber with the promise of something great, then give them something mediocre, and then proceed to bombard them with emails and ads, they are going to be highly likely to just unsubscribe to your list, rather than want to continue and want to learn more. Conversion rates are already extremely low for internet marketing, and this is one reason why.
So, take a moment to imagine doing things a little differently….
When you begin by trying to start up a relationship with your prospects first and take the lead by giving them something of value (like information) to get them interested, you are not forcing them to give their information first. This shows that you are serious about providing good, quality information and that you know how to build a relationship. They didn’t have to do anything to learn something from you. This will make your customers feel very confident about what you have to offer. Consider it like scoring “brownie points” right off the bat. You are always going to be more likely to get a good reaction from your prospects when you are showing how much you have to offer—without making any demands from them.
Now, of course, you aren’t actually going to give away all of your secrets for free. Remember, this is kind of like a sampler of what you have to offer. They should always be able to expect more from you. For example, use your website to capture leads by offering something your customers would find to be valuable. Right there, you have offered them an appreciated resource. Then, after they realize that you have solutions to their challenges, they will be more likely to hire you or purchase your products.
The process breaks down into a few simple steps:
- Make your visitors comfortable, no pressure situation.
- Lead your prospects to opt-in with high interest sampler of information.
- Once you build up a nice group of clients or customers, you have created a pipeline of warm leads.
The major difference with this process, reverse opt-in, and traditional opt-in, is that traditional internet marketing does not use the first step. But, it really can be the “no pressure” situation that makes all the difference in the world.
There is a fine line between rushing the process and waiting too long, and learning where this line is, exactly, does take some experience. You do not want to be too passive, nor do you want to be too aggressive. This is why the sampling of information is perfect. You allow your prospects to explore what you have to offer, while they learn to trust you. Once they trust you, you are going to be able to build up a solid relationship.
Take a shot with the Reverse Opt-In technique, and see if it helps you gain the trust of your prospects. You might be very surprised to see how differently it works, as compared with the traditional methods you have been trying. Hopefully big results are awaiting you!