Give away a free ebook in exchange for an email opt in. That is the most effective way in my opinion, give away something free in return for an opt in.
There are numerous ways to do this, the question is - how ethical do you want to be about it? The way I see it, there are two ways in which you can do this: 1. Like almost everyone else has stated, create an opt-in form where people enter their information in return for something that will prove beneficial to them. This could be an ebook relating to your niche, discounts, newsletter, promotional offers etc. This way you will be be receiving the details from quality prospects. The only downside is... low numbers. This method is also the most ethical way. 2. This method is operating in a major 'grey area'. 2 Words - Email Spider. This is a program that scans all the pages on particular websites and gathers emails for you. Obviously you will want your emails coming from a source that relates to your niche, so scanning websites relating to your niche is the best way to go about this. The advantage of this method is you can collect literally thousands of emails within hours. The disadvantages are that the emails wont be quality as the majority of people receiving them dont want them - otherwise known as spam. This method wont generate many leads if you compare it to the first option. At the end of the day, its quantity over quality. Hope this helps.
Successful online business can’t be led without email marketing. Many people know that it is very important to have a web site but having a web site is only one step in creating successful online existence. You have to stay in touch with your clients and prospects. You need to have a two way contact with your clients and prospects and best way to do this is to have an email newsletter. To send emails to your customer you need the right email marketing software.
I just started using Get Response. I just got my first site up and running yesterday, you can see what I'm doing at essentialinternetmarketing101.com I am giving away a free ebook every month to anyone that signs up. I'll keep you informed of how well it is doing.
Opt-in form with multiple gifts - software has a higher perceived value than e-books and you can find some with give-away rights if you look around (notably imbuzz.com products) - offer an e-course. You can even find private label rights e-courses that you can purchase and customize for your autoresponder. - Angela
This guy is the smartest one in the thread! nice link I use constant contact and they are very reliable for large scale (10,000+) subscribers. It was also very easy to integrate into my blog and mark up with my own CSS.
Create an opt in page or link on your site so that visitors will have the alternative to purchase an item or sign up for your newsletter in exchange for their emails.