"Your List" is a golden opportunity.

If you're not building a contact list from your website visitors, and using it correctly, you're leaving money on the table.

Here's how to generate business and increase profitability by using your list.

Offer something free on the front page (better yet, every page) of your website. By providing their name and email address, they get something of value. It can be an informative article, a free gift, your company newsletter, or a discount on your product or services.

Although I've signed up for a ton of newsletters, I continue to get only 4-5. These (about 5% overall) give solid, valuable tips, and information on topics of interest to me.

If your customer opens an email/newsletter and it's an advertisement, or continually has content with little or no value, they will opt-out and be lost.
(Be sure to conform to anti-spam laws by using an opt-in/opt-out system.)

How do you keep them wanting more?

Give them more! Information is valuable.

A good example is a newsletter I enjoy from Joe Garcia at givetogetmarketing.com. Sure, they have a few ads now and then, but it's well worth it to scan over a few ads to get to the information I want. I haven't been disappointed and will continue to open every email he sends.

If you apply these same "Give to Get Marketing" techniques to the customers on your list, you'll see results.

- Stay in contact with your customers,
- Establish a relationship with potential customers,
- Be easily reached, and
- Respond quickly when contacted.

When they are ready to buy, they'll think of you.

So, stop leaving money on the table! Generate "Your Golden List" of contacts, send valuable information, build trust, and you'll have loyal, long term customers that keep coming back for more.

Don't forget your privacy policy

If you're collecting information from or about visitors to your site, then you’ll need a good privacy to explain why and how you intend to use that information.

Provide an explanation about the information gathered:

• What information is needed
• Why you need that information
• What you will do with the information
• Who has access to it under what circumstance, and
• Any control they may have over the process i.e. updating or contact person regarding deleting information.

Make it short enough to easily read through, about a half of a page, and be understood by your average visitor.

Be specific enough that you are able to defend yourself in court if a dispute arises, yet be general enough that you don’t create a liability if you miss something.

Use a friendly tone, not sounding too legal or like your intending to use it for monetary gain or sales opportunities later.

Your visitors will often look for and read your policy before giving out personal information when online - I do.

It’s always a good idea to have your attorney look it over.