Types of Optin Offers to Build Your Email Subscriber List

With the diversity of interior designers and furnishing dealers we work with across the country, it’s virtually impossible to share every type of optin offer that you might choose to offer. However, the following are some of the most common – and effective – examples we have seen.

As we shared in an earlier post:

Once you receive a subscriber’s email address in exchange for the valuable piece of information you offered them to opt-in to your list, you have an audience with whom you can engage. You can do this through newsletters, nurture email campaigns, “check-in” emails, event notices, and promotional materials.

This is how you begin to build relationships with your target audience in our digital world; relationships that show your expertise, create trust, and have the potential to generate conversions. (Yay, sales!)

Interior Design Optins

It goes without saying that many, if not most, people who consider working with an interior designer are interested in reimagining a particular space in their homes. Then again, some may be searching for nothing but new paint colors, high-end wallcoverings, or designer rugs. Potential clients like these will not be interested in tips about remodeling a kitchen, living room, or the whole house. So, your optin gifts must be targeted to smaller segments of your local design market.

• Paint color of the year

• Secrets of hand-tied springs for seating and/or bedding

• What does “Artisanal” mean and why they should care

• The value of Craftsmanship in luxury home furnishings

• What is the difference between tufted and woven carpeting and rugs?

• Types of wallpaper

• What to know about an Interior Design Consultation (with questions they might ask)

Since each of these optin gifts will appeal to a different segment of your target audience, you will be able to build your subscriber list with a diverse mix of potential clients whom you know are interested in what you offer.

Remember, free stuff generates interest and interest can eventually lead to conversions! This is why it makes sense to give away information you might be inclined to sell instead. So…

General Remodeling Tips

While many business owners are hesitant to simply give away their expert knowledge, it’s important to remember that you must build value and interest with the gifts you offer – value that is equal to or greater than the priceless remuneration you will receive in return – the email address of potential clients.

• Top 5 DIY Remodeling Tips

• 4 Easy Steps to Hang New Wallpaper

• Interior Designer Consult Checklist for Homeowners

• How to Select and Install New Bathroom Fixtures

• Best Space to Remodel to Increase the Value of Your Home

Now don’t start sweating at the thought of giving away such valuable info, with no guarantee of a return on your investment (of your training and experience).

The Secret Behind Valuable Optin Gifts

You see, the secret to this approach is this: even if you give away explicit, step-by-step instructions on how to install and finish the tile surrounding a beautiful new step-in bathtub (for example), it’s likely that 99% of those who need one will not have the patience or willingness to do it.

In other words, giving subscribers to your email list information that would otherwise cost them dearly has little to no risk for you. For example, anyone who would take your advice to start and complete a DIY remodeling project would be extremely unlikely to hire a designer anyway.

For the rest, they will receive your gift and think, “Wow, this designer knows their stuff. I should at least ask them about a consultation and estimate for remodeling my master bath.”

That about does it for a blog post, where space and attention spans are limited. In closing, it’s important to remember that a good optin gift solves a single important issue for your audience. It should then be followed with a series of emails to discover if the information you shared was helpful, eventually offering them a consultation.

Whether you offer a design consultation at no charge or for a minimal fee is entirely your choice. (Again, the high-value offer equals a high value in return – their time in front of you.)

And remember, Ted remains available for marketing and business consulting to the trade. Simply… Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Grow Your Client List by Building a Solid Email Subscriber List

Building a strong email subscriber list remains one of the most productive marketing tactics you can use to grow your client list. The most popular approach to accomplishing this involves giving things away, or, the use of opt-in gifts.

The most important thing to remember when you are working on list-building opt-in gifts is this: there are no one-size-fits-all solutions to the pain points of your clients.

Now, we know you tell your design clients the same thing, and we know that you offer customized, real-world solutions for their home remodeling needs. And yet, we also know that, being human, you are hoping we will tell you that there IS a single solution to your email marketing and list-building questions. Unfortunately, we can’t.

What we can tell you is this… You will need a variety of opt-in gifts to generate interest, based on two things:

1. The varied needs of your target audience.

2. The range of services you provide.

After all, it will benefit no one to create an opt-in gift about high-end rugs if a visitor to your business website is searching for information on designer wallcoverings. Then too, offering advice on a service you do not offer, or a line you do not represent, will do you no good.

Therefore, you will need to tailor your list-building gifts specifically to the needs of your target audience and let them know that you can help them find solutions beyond your high-value opt-in.

Creating Effective Opt-in Offers

Let’s define some terms here, first:

• An optin offer is the presentation of a gift (usually digital) in exchange for the email address of a visitor to your website; perhaps the most valuable thing they have to offer in the age of online relationships.

• Typically, the optin offer is a bit of high-value information designed to resolve a particular issue important to a member of your target audience.

• The most common form of opt-in gift is an article or “whitepaper” that can be downloaded in document form, though a mini eBook (a 3–5-page PDF) is a very popular choice. Free video or audio training are also very popular optin gifts.

• Critical to the success of such an offer is that the information you share must be targeted to a particular portion of your audience and that your solution be laser-focused on a specific issue. Do NOT try to be all things to all people. Instead, provide a REAL solution to ONE problem.

• Finally, the most successful optins offer huge value in exchange for something of equal value – your visitor’s email address. In other words, the solution you share in your optin MUST be something that a client would be otherwise willing to pay you for.

Now that they’ve given you their email address in exchange for a valuable piece of information, you have an audience with whom you can engage. You can do this through the use of newsletters, nurture email campaigns, “check-in” emails, event notices, and promotional materials. This is how you begin building relationships in our digital world; relationships that show your expertise, create trust, and have the potential to generate conversions.

Well, this is some pretty heavy marketing info so, we’ll stop here and give you a chance to absorb it. But soon, we’ll follow up with some types of opt-in giveaways you can use to grow your client list by building your subscriber list.

And remember, Ted remains available for marketing and business consulting to the trade. Simply… Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Grow Your Email Subscriber List - How Many Opt-ins Do You Need?

While it’s not literally true that you will need 100 opt-ins to get 100 subscribers, all things being equal, you will need more than one giveaway to substantially grow your email subscriber list – or to get one started. (Of course, with something like 1.7 billion websites competing for attention worldwide, all things being equal in online marketing is a bit of an oxymoron, so… )

The critical thing to remember when you are working on list building is this: there are no one-size-fits-all solutions to the pain points of your clients.

Yes, we know you tell your clients this, and we know that you offer customized, real-world solutions to their interior design and furnishing challenges. And yet, we also know that you are hoping we will tell you that there IS a single solution to YOUR email marketing and list-building questions. (Yeah, we’ve been doing this a while now. LOL)

What does this mean for your list-building strategy? First, ask yourself how many times you’ve visited a website that promised you a great gift for opting into their subscriber list, only to discover the so-called freebie they’re promoting does not resonate with you? Then think about how many categories of questions your clients or prospects ask you during an initial interview. Those are the types of things your opt-in gifts must address!

Does this help you understand you will need a variety of opt-in gifts to generate interest, based on the varied needs of your target audience? (Yes? Yay us!)

What Your Opt-in Offer Should Accomplish

Let’s define some terms here, OK?

• An opt-in offer is the presentation of a gift (usually digital) in exchange for the email address of a visitor to your website; perhaps the most valuable thing they have to offer to you in the age of online relationships.

• Typically, the opt-in offer is a bit of high-value information that is designed to resolve a particular issue that is important to a member of your target audience.

• The most common form of opt-in gift is an article or whitepaper that can be downloaded in document form, though a mini-eBook (a 3-5 page PDF) is a very popular choice, as well. The link to a free video of you speaking directly to a typical client’s pain points would offer huge value.

• Critical to the success of such an offer is that the information you share must be targeted to a particular portion of your audience and that your solution is laser-focused on a specific issue.

• Do NOT try to be all things to all people. Instead, provide a REAL solution to ONE problem at a time. Then, create a new gift to address other challenges you’ve run into.

• Finally, the most successful opt-ins offer huge value in exchange for something of equal value – your visitor’s email address. In other words, the solution you share in your opt-in MUST be something that a client might otherwise be willing to pay you for.

Now that you have their email address, you have an interested audience with whom you can engage through the use of newsletters, nurture email campaigns, “check-in” emails, event notices, and promotional materials. This is how you begin building relationships in our digital world; relationships that show your expertise, grow trust and have the potential to generate conversions. (That means Make a Sale in the language of online marketese!)

We’re pretty sure you’ve already figured out we’ll have more to say on the subject of how you can grow your email subscriber list using opt-in offers and, you’ll see that here soon. Until then, if you have questions that we’ve not answered here, just… Get in touch with TD Fall today for answers.