Hello, I'm a starting a little Mailing List (Newsletter) service in my blog(chaibialaa.com) and I want to know what is the best method to do it, Should I show popup (AJAX) or to put the form on my sidebar (or on header after the logo) ? ... Don't know what to exactly do, but I want it to receive the max traffic it can. PS : The main target of that service is to give free coupon codes, personal advices ... tips in general.
Popups seem to work the best for me. I initially hated the idea of having a pop up on my site but it does work for opt-ins. I also used a footer bar that pops up with good success. Check out ultimate footer ad. I use that on a few sites.
Run some tests and find out what works. We did that on several sites to figure out which opt-in method worked the best. We even won a split testing award when we published the results lol.
That's why you test what works best for your site. We tested popups, embedded signup forms, hover ads, and a few other variations before we found what works. But what worked one one site wasn't as effective on others, so you need to test it for every site you run to find what works best.
First and foremost, make sure the optin is visible as soon as they land on your site (unless it's a popup). In other words, put it near the top. I've put them in the side bars and near the bottom and got no signups, but I did when I moved them to the top center of the page so that it's one of the first things people see. One great technique is to put it within your opening article. Write your article so that it flows into what you want to offer in your optin. Then, as the person reads, they continue naturally into your offer and are more likely to take action. So if you're writing about a problem, after a para or 2, put a line that introduces them to your newsletter - ie: "There are several things you can do to solve it. You can get some great tips by signing up for my free newsletter..." and then continue on with your article. This was suggested by a successful marketer - can't remember the name. The idea is that it is not so intrusive this way. You kind of "trick" them into taking action. Sylvia
Before you start thinking about where to put hte opt-in form, think about how good is your lead magnet? Would you be prepared to swap your personal email address for the information, or would you put in your junk email address? Once you have a suitable gift then as Sylvia has pointed out make sure it's placed in an obvious place. Try the sidebar under your rss feeds, or use the seth godin plug-in that puts it at the end of the every post for the first visit people make to your site.
As many others have answered it really depends on your site. the most effective method I have found was mentioned above, and that is to reference your newsletter as an ongoing solution to their problems. I have had incredible success for example on some websites where I use of video squeeze page. I'm driving traffic to that website because the people coming there, have a problem they believe I can solve such as increasing their Google ranking. I speak to them briefly in a video and tell them that on the other side of this page they can get the information they want. All they have to do is put in their contact information and they will be given immediate access. Good luck
Popups seem a bit too pushy for me, I always ignore them as I know they're for marketing purposes mphorton2
Split testing should come in very handy for this. I would DEFINITELY include an embedded opt-in box, but the pop up is your call. Everyone is different, but I guarantee that I won't sign up for your newsletter if you have a pop up. They seem too pushy, but again, that's just me.
I would put your optin email box in the sidebar where it is highly visible rather than as a popup, because once person visits the site and if he is presented with sign up to email form in the face first he is going to click close button because even without the opportunity of seeing what your site is about, how can he decide to subscribe?
Find a forum or blog, and post there. Also, write articles and send some tweets. You can also use yahoo answers, then bookmark your responses.
all of them would have a target audience factor. Best to try out each option and check the feed back.
If doing a popup, use a lightbox style plugin. Its better for SEO and looks good. The best thing you can do is lots of testing. I like signup boxes to the left actually. Really good copy by the signup box will drive the most signups.