I have some disturbing news for you – if you don’t collect the email addresses of people who are clicking on your ads, then you are losing out on a whole boatload of extra revenue you could be earning. Seriously, you’re just leaving it right there on the table for someone else to take!

The internet has made it easier and cheaper than ever before to keep in touch with people using email, it can even all be automated using autoresponders so you can set up emails and they are sent out automatically to everyone who joins up.

But still people avoid it, I understand, it is scary to stop going straight for the sale, but it can be so much more profitable in the long run. Research suggests that it can take someone being exposed to something 7 times before they will consider buying it. If you just direct them to you website once you only get one chance.

Once you have them on an email list you can email them useful information to build a relationship with them, you can send them special offers, you can send them alternative products, digital catalogs, videos – you name it! That means that instead of maybe selling them one product, you are maybe selling them a load of products instead!

But here is the only secret that really matters when it comes to building a list using Adwords – you have to ’sell’ the sign up! Sure it is 10 times easier to get someone to sign up to a free newsletter etc than it is actually commit to buy something, but you still need to sell that free newsletter just as hard as a product you want money for….

Why?

Because people are getting jaded online, they don’t want spam so they hold their email address close to their chest, they won’t let just ANYONE have it. That is until they see something they want, then they hand it over with a huge smile on their face and their thanks for all the cool stuff you are sending them.

So what can you offer visitors to get them on your list? You need to decide that first or you are sunk before you start.

Videos are a great medium that has really taken off online – can you offer videos? If you sell kitchen utensils can you offer a series of cooking videos for them?

If you sell a digital book on how to train dogs can you give them cute dog videos or some sample clips on how to cure one problem they may have.

Make it desirable! Make it seem to be worth a lot, hell it should be worth a lot! This is getting your digital foot in the door to get permission to sell them more stuff. Make it good or you’ll crash and burn.

Once you have that done you need to decide how to reach these people. Advertising to get people on your list is different to advertising products. Take our toaster example before – can you really get those people onto a list, I know I said it would be more profitable, but they are just not that targeted, they want a toaster and that’s it.

You see if you are building a list using Adwords you need to concentrate on just getting that person to sign up your list. You can’t have a page with both your product on and the sign up area for your list, give people multiple options and they’ll often take none.

So we have to choose one or the other, for toasters I’d go for the sale, THEN on the page they go to that thanks them for their purchase I’d put the signup for your list and offer something cool. They have just made a purchase, they are no longer worried about where to get a toaster from, they are happier, they now have time to look at the videos you are offering etc. Plus you know you are getting someone who is willing to spend money!

For the dog training videos you can go straight for the signup – advertise on dog training keywords and offer 1 set of videos teaching their dog how to stop barking. People click through, like what they see (hopefully) and sign up to your list, you then get to sell them the rest of the videos, dog toys, dog training aids, etc.

I have heard of people getting up to 70% of the visitors to their site to opt-in to a list, so that sure beats the 1% conversion rate you might get for purchases, but again the key is to test, test how much money you make going for straight sales and getting them onto your list afterward, test how much money you make getting them on your list first and going for the sales afterwards, and then keep the winner!