One of the most important jobs of your website is to collect contact details. In most cases, email details.

Why?

Because most of your website's visitors will not be ready to buy from you just yet.

BUT you can begin to build a relationship with them over time. By keeping in touch, providing helpful information, proving your expertise and building trust. Then when the time comes, why would they do any more research when they know just the people to talk to!

How do you get people to give you their contact information?

As most of you will know, this is easier said than done!

First, what not to do

• Be careful about adding people to your newsletter automatically if they give you their business cards. They may not appreciate you doing this without checking with them first, and will mark your email as spam.
• Ask people to 'sign up' without any incentive or reason to do it. This just won't work. People are suffering from information overload, why would they add to it when there is nothing in it for them? And just the promise of your pearls of wisdom won't do it.
• Ask for more information than you need. If you have a VERY valueable resource to offer or you need certain information (for events, for example) you may be able to get more than an email address. Otherwise, if you don't need it, don't ask for it
• Don't buy a list of contacts. These will not be people hungry for your offer – you will just come across as SPAM

The right way to go about it

Remember you want people who are happy to get your email and are interested in what you have to offer, so no tricks!

The best way to get people to give you their details is to offer something in return, such as:

• A free E-Book – an extended version of a blog with specific actionable recommendations and expert insights relevant to the problems and challenges you KNOW your audience has
• Newsletters with special deals and exclusive offers only available to members
• Host a Free Webinar and collect email addresses when they register
• Set up an online contest with a prize and have entrants sign up with their email address.

In some of these, you will need to get their permission to send them newsletters and marketing messages in the future.

If you do want to add people who have given you their business card, send them a welcome email first, and make it easy for them to opt-out.

And then promote your offer:

• Clearly on every page of your website, your business card and email signatures
• You can use a paid campaign such as Adwords, but make sure the cost will be worth it
• Mention your offer in your Twitter bio
• Add a Facebook Tab that provides information and the sign up form

There is a lot of debate about pop-up boxes.

At the end of the day, it's going to depend on what works for your audience and business. The only way to know for sure is to test different approaches and see what works, but these tips are a really good place to start!