By Cynthia Arko

Mailing lists are a very popular way to create traffic and generate repeat visitors to a Web site, often leading to additional affiliate sales and referrals.

Developing an opt-in email list can be an effective vehicle to letting your visitors know of upcoming sales, promotions and hot deals. A newsletter that has a good mix of content, tips and special deals can generate a steady flow of affiliate income.

Be sure to provide valuable information focused only on your target audience. Send the information and tips you know your visitors will want. Provide a short teaser sentence to entice visitors to submit their e-mail information: For example:

• Subscribe to the BabyLounge newsletter and get "Baby Weekly Tips for Parents" for free!
• Subscribe to the Refer-it.com FREE Industry Newsletter and affiliate program notification service. Join now!

Build trust with a privacy statement
Define a clear privacy statement ensuring that the protection of the collected personal information will be a top priority to you. Your privacy statement should tell your visitors that you will not sell their name or any personal information to any other source.

Of importance to sites that seek to collect data from children is The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). It became effective April 21, 2000 and applies to the online collection of personal information from children under 13. The rule spells out what a Web site operator must include in a privacy policy; when and how to seek verifiable consent from a parent; and the responsibilities an operator has to protect children's privacy and safety online.

For more information about affiliate programs, check out these other articles from Cynthia Arko's ongoing weekly series: Getting Started in Affiliate Marketing Revenue Sharing 101 In this first in a series of weekly articles, Cynthia Arko, Product Director for internet.com's Refer-it.com affiliate directory, presents a no-nonsense approach to generating revenue from your Web site. How to Indentify Quality Affiliate Programs With literally thousands of affiliate programs available on the Internet, it could be difficult to determine which ones are high quality. However, the process could be made easier when using some basic criteria. Understanding Affiliate Commission Structures If you want to get paid, you need to understand affiliate commission payments and the many different commission structures that exist. Content Sells Making money with affiliate programs requires much hard work and continued attention to developing and retaining visitor traffic. Search Engine Tips, Part I For affiliates, it is important to be listed with the major search engines because they can potentially generate much needed traffic. Search Engine Tips, Part II Cynthia Arko explores the impact search engines have on affiliate programs in this second article of a two-part series. Develop an Opt-in E-mail List Mailing lists are a very popular way to create traffic and generate repeat visitors to a Web site, often leading to additional affiliate sales and referrals.

Spam is basically any unsolicited e-mail message sent to multiple mailing lists, individuals, or newsgroups; also known as junk mail. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The practice of spending spam is a frowned upon and can get you in loads of trouble.

For starters, many merchant programs will automatically suspend or terminate your affiliate account if they suspect you are sending spam.

All mailing lists should allow users to be removed. You need to process these removals efficiently. Before you send out any e-mail, include a brief explanation of how the recipient signed up for your list and provide quick and easy instructions on how to unsubscribe. Never send out e-mail to someone that has not requested to be on your list.

Example:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
You are currently subscribed to the referit mailing list as: johndoe@internets.com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-referit-text-500330P@list4.internet.com
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Prefacing a message with "This is not Spam" will usually get your e-mail deleted in a matter of seconds.

Visit the Internet Society's resource page for more information about spamming.

How to create a list
There are many easy to use opt-in list programs available on the Internet. Do a little research and decide whether to start with a free list management program such as ListBot, YahooGroups, or Topica. As your list grows you may want to purchase a CGI script or more sophisticated list management system.

HouseKeeping
Take your time to write cheery informative messages. Always check your grammar and spelling. If a sentence is very long try to cut it into two smaller lines. If you have a very long affiliate URL then provide a redirect or give it it's own line. Draft your e-mail message in a text document instead of a Microsoft Word document. Certain characters become distorted when created in Word.

Just as you would sign a personal letter to a friend, provide your name, e-mail address and contact information. Get creative. Provide interesting copy that your readers will enjoy. Keep your newsletters clear and concise. Do not fill pages and pages with nonsense. Pick and choose the most valuable information and keep your e-mail messages to one or two pages.

Check for special deals from merchants and always include affiliate links to these products in your newsletter. For instance, many of the online florists sent out affiliate promotional links to a wide selection of Mother's Day flowers. Take advantage of holidays, graduations and seasonal closeouts and clearance sales.

Writing a newsletter or sending short promotional e-mail is an excellent way for your visitors to get to know you better and it helps to foster a deeper ongoing relationship.

Cynthia A. Arko is the Product Director for internet.com's Refer-it.com (Refer-it.com) affiliate directory. She coordinates advertising, site development, and conference planning. Cynthia helped grow Refer-it.com from a small directory of Affiliate Programs to the Web's leading resource for information about affiliate programs. She also currently maintains KidsTown Direct, a shopping portal for parents and young families. Cynthia can be reached at carko@internet.com.