So basically just about everyone is aware that it's important to have an email opt in list. My question is should I do all 3 that they inquire. 1.) The obvious side bar Opt In list. 2.) The Opt In list at the end of each or quite a few articles. 3.) Pop Email Opt Ins. I know that all 3 of these are extremely important I just don't if I should do all 3 at once?
You can definitely use all 3 to increase higher Opt In opportunities! However, see which one your visitors usually used to sign up with your list as you can remove the less effective ones later!
Excellent advice. I feel like when I go to sites with Pop Ups I get annoyed. But hey if theirs a 1000% increase in added subscribers then well it's worth it!
Don't put pop-ups just to put them. Simple subscribe and follow won't bring to much! If you offer your visitors something valuable in return for email address, you could make something. I'm seeing plenty of websites every day that are bombarding me with their pop-ups just so could subscribe to their newsletter. I never do. Why should I? They didn't help me really much and I won't get anything if I subscribe. The key is what you give. If you want your visitors to like you, to subscribe, to follow you, you need to give, give, give, give.... million times, before you ask for something.
I have actually just finished making my own email opt in list and I have put it on the side bar above the fold and also at the end of my posts. I may also consider doing a pop up but I personally don't like those so may not. It is best to promote it as much as you can so I would recommend all three. However you will get the most out of it if you can also provide an incentive to sign up like a free ebook. You could also tweet or suggest in comments occasionally to sign up just reminding readers.
As already said, you should have an opt in form in view wherever you are on your website, period! You have one in the side bar, you can also get one that floats so it scrolls down when the visitor scrolls down the page, not sure how though, I assume a plugin? Then as mentioned you can place opt ins at the bottom of your posts, the top of your posts or even midway through your posts. If its a short post then an opt in at the bottom is ideal. A longer post I would put one in the middle in a relative place and one at the bottom. Popups although can be annoying, no-one can deny that they don't work! Otherwise why would the majority be using them? I use a popup and it does well, it offers free video training in the niche im in. I would make it so the popup shows between 5-10 days so regular visitors dont get bombarded with it. A free offer works best and obviously it needs to be closely related to your target traffic. eBooks, audio, video, services, software, tools you use. Either create your own or grab PLR rights.
There is a WP plugin (I don't remember it at the moment) but it gives the owner the ability to tie a product to a Link. For example: In my case, I sometimes Sell source code. I could use this plugin to offer this particular source code as an incentive for getting their email address, posting a FB or even a Tweet. Once the act is done the source code link is made available. Buddy
Pop ups are very annoying - I attempt to close them down immediately- and if they persist I will either attempt to unsubscribe or block the email in its entirety
If you go the popup route and are using Wordpress, you want a good plugin. I have used hybrid connect and it is one of the best as you have many settings to choose from so visitor will only see the popup once during their visit and you can set it for whenever you want them to see it, specific pages, after a certain time, or on exit of site. There is also Popup Domination, but, I have never used that one al
When you mention "pop-up", do you mean a traditional pop-up, or a hover ad? I think people deal with hover ads better than pop ups. Don't overwhelm yourself. Make it simple. Start with a simple squeeze page with an opt-in form and see if it converts well. If it does, leave it as it is, or test with the hover ad. If conversions are better, then test with the opt-in on the sidebar. And etc. Test, test, and test man. Theory can only get you so far.
I know you weren't specifically asking, but I wouldn't recommend AWeber, simply because there's other options that are cheaper and better. I prefer Mad Mimi and MailChimp over AWeber. Does AWeber even allow you to import existing lists yet? I know that was one really weird/annoying limitation they had in the past.
You can create opt-in forms where you feel appropriate. Also try LeadPages and integrate it with Aweber to create landing pages as well