Keys to Successful Online Marketing:
 
 
 
 
 

Use Coregistration to Generate Quality Leads

Coregistration, once a little-known Web marketing tool, continues to quickly garner widespread usage. First used by just a few of the largest online marketers, coregistration has gone mainstream as marketers discover that it is a simple and cost-effective way to quickly build a large mailing list of potential customers.

Coregistration leverages the online sign-up process. While it is most common on Web sites for Internet tools, like free email or file storage, it can be implemented on any site where users are required to register. Coregistration takes advantage of the information input by users in the registration form to sign them up for additional services, often by simply checking

an opt in box at the end of the form. Nearly every Internet user has come across coregistration on Web sites such as Hotmail and Yahoo.

The benefit of coregistration is a tremendously high volume of leads from interested customers, generally on a return-on-investment-friendly cost per action (CPA) or cost per lead (CPL) basis. Opt in rates can be as high as 15 percent to 20 percent, resulting in thousands of new leads daily. This makes coregistration a highly effective tool to quickly build a large mailing list or recruit a potential customer base. Plus, with email list rental prices as high as 20 cents to 30 cents per name, coregistration can help you build and own a mailing list for about the same cost as just one or two list rentals.

Many Web sites have taken notice of this revenue opportunity, which has resulted in a rapid increase in the number of sites where coregistration is offered. With dozens of new outlets available, coregistration is a fit for many marketers' needs and budget.

Here are points to consider when creating a coregistration campaign:

  • Placement is everything. Partner with Web sites that have user base demographics similar to your own to produce the highest-quality results. Long-term coregistration partnerships will result in heavy overlap between your user base and your partners', so be sure to weigh that risk, especially when partnering with potential competitors. A small number of networks now offer coregistration services, thereby simplifying the site selection process.

  • Follow-up is key. Users obtained through coregistration have likely never been to your Web site and may quickly forget that they have signed up for it. Coregistration provides you with a steady stream of leads; it's up to you to convert them into customers. A thorough email follow-up plan designed to convert coregistration leads into active users yields the best results.

  • rice is fluctuating. With prices rapidly changing for most online marketing tools and limited history for coregistration, prices currently vary widely from 25 cents to $10 per coregistration. Factors affecting price include the amount of information collected from each user, the quality of a partner's user base and negotiating skill. ROI calculations are key when determining price, based on conversion rate and customer acquisition cost. Avoid opportunities priced on an impression or click basis.

  • Keep it simple. Typically, coregistration offers users just a one or two sentence description of the service for which they are signing up. Gear copy and information requirements toward gaining qualified leads, not lifelong customers. Consider incorporating a promotion, such as a sweepstakes or free newsletter to increase opt in rates.

  • Never require an opt out. While most coregistration is done on an opt in basis, occasionally some programs are run on an opt out basis. With opt in rates frequently as high as they are, sacrificing quality to increase quantity via opt out is a poor trade-off.
 

About the author: Mitchel Harad is an accomplished online marketing executive. Previously, he was the co-founder and CEO of GetRelevant, the leading provider of co-registration and opt in marketing services, which was acquired by Terra Lycos in 2002.

 
 
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