It’s very rare to come across a site without an option to subscribe, better known as opt-in. It is fundamental to any site or online company to have one. Big or small, an opt-in list can do wonders to your profits. Even small business enterprises such as a niche profit website can benefit highly from it.

Businesses, particularly internet-based, capitalizes on the opt-in list to market their products and company website via an e-mail. When a subscriber “opts-in” to your website, he automatically consents receiving a newsletter from your company. By this means, you can keep your subscribers abreast of what is currently available in your site as well as whatever is coming out.

Because mutual consent had been established between the two parties, any mail sent to the list is not considered as spam mail. There is a great number of successfully read promotional materials such as catalogs, newsletters and such that are sent because the subscribers themselves have signed up for them, meaning, they do want and are actually looking forward to receive them.

Building a list is vital, though only a small percentage actually subscribes for an opt-in list. Many people find promotional mails annoying but if you provide a good newsletter or promotional material, you will see your list build up and grow. This can be achieved by simply having good content on your site. If people like what they see and read on your site, then they surely would want more. Newsletters would be a way to attract them back to your site, a little teaser or appetizer if you will.

Other than marketing your products and your services, an opt-in list can also be used to earn profits on the side. Not all that comprises your list can be used though. It would be good to first build a successful list with a huge number of subscribers. More subscribers simply equate to more money. Here are seven ways to make money using nothing more than your list:

1) Placing advertisements. There are many corporations who will be willing to pay to put their banners and ads on a list with many subscribers. Selling or renting out lists is not very much recommended, or at times flat out advised to be avoided, so rather than doing that, many companies would opt to place ads with lists that have a huge subscriber base. Your newsletter could be placed with a number of ads and each one spells money.

2) Having affiliations with other companies that relate to what your site is about. Here, other companies will provide links and brief descriptions of what they offer- their products and services. With every click made on the link that directs or leads a subscriber from your list to their site, the company will pay you. This is what is known as P4P or pay for performance.

3) Making deals with other companies by asking for a small percentage of sales done through your list. With every sale done by customers that have come from your list and have gone there because of your newsletter, the other company will pay you a small percentage of your sales. The more people who buy from them, the more earnings you get.

4) Consigning products from other sites or companies and selling them to your list via your newsletter. Place descriptions, articles and photos of the product in your newsletter. There will always be those who will buy from you than anyone else, and when that happens, you can order the product from the other site and sell it to your buyer.

5) Sell e-books or a compilation of your articles on your list. Manuals and how-to articles are in great demand. People will be willing to shell out money to gain knowledge about a certain topic or subject. With your existing list trusting your expertise in that area, an e-book could be offered and sold or used as an incentive.

6) Create a network out of your list. Get people to invite more people to view your site and subscribe to your list. The larger your list, the more people will be able to click on your links and affiliate links as well as makes your advertisement rates higher.

7) For as long as people know that useful information can be trusted and relied upon, they will be more than willing to pay for it. If you put your list to work, it can get you more and more people to subscribe, thus increasing your traffic as more and more people visit. Additionally, you earn money from your list by making them your partners. Your list will be the bloodline of your growth and increasing revenues.

Sometimes online marketers get clueless when it comes to unleashing the full potential of paid eZine advertising. To advertise the product or service directly to the subscribers of the paid Ezine he or she is advertising for is one of the most common dilemmas of the internet marketer.

Not without ifs and buts, this can be a wise method. For one, the advertisement must be compelling and attention grabbing. Secondly, there is no telling if the eZine’s subscribers constantly practice a buying habit until you put some money to find out.

For those who are on tight budgets, it will is risky to invest even a small sum of money to a number of Internet Marketers. But if done right, eZine advertising can still be rewarding  in spite of the risk factors.

Thus the solution: the marketer would be wiser if he or she uses eZine advertising to build his or her mailing list. It makes sense, anyway. Since some eZines display more than one sponsored advertisement, you can grab the subscriber’s attention by giving a free or risk-free product or offer through your ad.

When the subscriber clicks on your ad, he or she can opt into your mailing list in exchange for the free offer, which can be a free report or even a trial service.

By getting other eZine’s subscribers to subscribed to your own allows you to follow up with them in the future and thus build up that list. While you are not making a hard sale through your advertisement just yet, giving your subscribers information on what’s new to you site, and new offers or promotions would yield you sales in the future. You must learn to take each opportunity as it comes your way.