Do Squeeze Pages Still Work For List-Building?

emailer.jpgShould you use a "squeeze page" on your website, or have these pages lost their effectiveness?

A "squeeze page" is one that forces your site visitors to give you their name and email address in exchange for some kind of bribe… an audio training, a special report, or piece of software.

Making a free offer to your site visitors in exchange for their name and e-mail address is a great way to grow your e-mail list, but it has to be done carefully so that you don't also drive away potential customers. 

Here are some things to think about…

You know it's important to grow your e-mail list. The bigger the list, the more people will see your offers, and the more money you will make. 

The challenge in today's internet marketing world is it's harder than ever to convince people to opt in.  A squeeze page is probably the best list building tool available, but you must be careful.  Using a squeeze page the wrong way can hurt your business more than it helps. 

It's best to use a squeeze page on a site that is built to sell one product.  For example, if you have a site that features a sales letter selling a particular product or service, placing a squeeze page in front of the information about that product or service is a good idea.  This keeps readers from being distracted; it sifts and sorts potential buyers by level of seriousness; and it gives you a list of interested parties that you can go back and market to repeatedly. 

One of the biggest mistakes I see being made online is putting a squeeze page in front of the wrong kinds of sites. 

Don't put a squeeze page in front of your portal site, your branding site, or your blog.  Putting a squeeze page in front of  those kinds of sites does not make sense.  Those sites have a very different purpose than sites that are intended to sell one targeted product or promotion. 

Remember that your squeeze page is a gate. 

It keeps people out of your website and it can potentially scare off your customers. 

If you have a strong enough offer, a video, an audio, or special report, you may be able to get people to opt in and build a very targeted list using a squeeze page. 

The growing problems of spam, viruses and spyware have made people more reluctant than ever to give up their name and e-mail address. 

Squeeze pages can definitely build your list fast. These pages are a powerful tool that I recommend to all of my clients; just be sure to use them in the appropriate situation. 

What do you think? Are squeeze pages more or less effective than they once were? Post your comments below.

 

Ray Edwards is a world-renowned copywriter and communications strategist, writing for some of the most powerful voices in leadership and business including New York Times bestselling authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul) and Tony Robbins. Ray is a sought-after speaker and author, hosts a popular weekly podcast, and blogs at RayEdwards.com.