In addition to adding an opt-in box on most of the pages of your web site, you will also want to create a squeeze page. A squeeze page is simply a dedicated page to gather up leads to your list.

You’ve seen them before, I’m sure, but if you’d like to see one in action, go to http://awebbiz.com

Understand Your Purpose

Many marketers get this wrong. They think that they can add tons of offers, Adsense, and other things to their squeeze pages. This is very damaging to your goal, which is getting people to sign up for your list.

People should be asked to do one thing and one thing only when they visit your squeeze page. Put some compelling copy, along with an opt-in box that clearly spells out what they’ll get and how to sign up — and that’s it.

Examine Other Squeeze Pages in Your Niche

One of the best ways to make sure you got a good handle on what a squeeze page should look like is to visit other marketer’s squeeze pages. You can see what kind of headlines they used, what their copy looks like, and whether they used opt-in box graphics. That way you can just put a spin on things that are already working.

You can also take note of what you think is harming their conversions and improve things for your own squeeze page.

Create Compelling Squeeze Page Copy

While you might create long sales letters for your products, shorter copy is ok for your squeeze page. (Half a page to one page of text.) Make sure that you have a compelling headline that grabs attention, as well as bullet points that point out the benefits of joining your list.

Make your opt-in box visible above the fold. You might even consider putting the box both above the fold and below the fold to make sure people can easily sign up.

They are some niches that do well with graphics and other added features on the squeeze page. There are others that do better with very simple, no-frills design. The best thing for you to do is to split test different designs to see which increases your opt-in rates.

You may be surprised at how much a simple change (like a change in color) can increase or decrease opt-ins. While testing might be time consuming, you’ll get results that will add money to your pocket.

Offer an Incentive

While you might think that you’ve made the benefits of signing up to your list very clear, you’ll find that you can increase conversions if you offer some kind of incentive to sign up. This might be in the form of a sneak preview of a premium product, a free white paper, e-books, or an e-course.

The important thing is that you make an offer they can’t refuse — something free in exchange for a simple e-mail address.

Now that you have the actual writing elements down, and all the technical aspects are set up, it’s important to know exactly where you should put your opt-in form. This is how people will sign up to your list, so it needs to be compelling and easy to find.

Make The Signup Form Clearly Visible

Many people who are new to list building put their opt-in form on just one tiny area on their web page and wonder why no one is signing up. If your opt-in form is not clearly visible and without priority placement, you’re going to get very few sign-ups.

It is a much better idea to make it very visible and “above the fold.” That means that as soon as someone lands on your webpage they should be able to see your opt-in form without having to scroll down at all.

You should also make sure that your form is large enough to read and and uses contrasting colors from the rest of your site so that people’s eyes are drawn to it. Experiment with different priority placements to determine whether the form should be on the left side, right side, or front and center.

Consider Using A Pop-Up or Pop-In

There are a lot of differing opinions on using pop-ups or pop-ins with opt-in forms. If you have a pop-up on your web page, a box will come onto the screen with your opt-in form when someone visits. Some of these even darken the rest of the web page that the only thing people can really see is the opt-in form.

Keep in mind that some potential customers will find this annoying and will simply leave your page. Still, many marketers have found that it greatly increased their opt-in rates. This is something you will have to test.

Put An Opt-In Box On Every Page Of Your Site

Many people also make the mistake of only including an opt-in box on one or two pages of their web site. If list building is a large part of your business plan (and after reading this, it had better be), you need to make sure your opt-in form is on every single page of your site.

If someone lands on a page of your web site that does not contain an opt-in form, you’ve lost a potential lifetime customer.

By placing an opt-in box on every page of your site you know that everyone that lands there will have a chance to sign up. Making this simple change can dramatically increase your signups!

Put An Opt-In Box on Your Thank You Pages

If you have an information product for sale, the chances are good that some people will buy your product even if they have not already signed up to your list.

Since you don’t want to lose contact with these customers, you should make sure there is an opt-in box on your thank you (or product download) pages.

Some people force their customers to opt-in before they get their product. This is not recommended most of the time as it can really irritate people who have bought your product and just want access to it. What you might do instead is include an extra bonus for signing up – make it an offer they cannot refuse.

Offer Free Products and Put an Opt-In Box on Those Pages

One method is to offer free products that people can download in exchange for opting in. Place your opt-in form on the download page itself, or even as a requirement before they get their free product.

People absolutely love to get free items that are high quality. This will start your list out right as people will be interested in what you have to say since you gave them such great value for free.

Participate in Giveaways

There are many niches where marketers hold giveaway events. This is pretty much a one-stop shop where people in your niche can grab free offers that they are interested in. People will sign up for your list in return for getting your free product.

Putting your opt-in box on one of these giveaway websites is another way to get increased exposure to those who might not have otherwise seen what you have to offer.

Now that you thought about the basics of creating autoresponder messages, building relationships, and making money, it’s time to consider advanced copywriting techniques. While you’re not writing full-length sales letters, a lot of the techniques still apply.

Applying these time-proven methods can increase your profits substantially. These are very powerful, so make sure you always use these techniques ethically and responsible.

Create Scarcity

One of the ways to make money as quickly as possible is to create scarcity when you present an offer. People have very busy lives and will put off making a purchase until later — often forgetting in the process. If you create a sense of scarcity, they will be a lot more likely to make a purchase immediately rather than waiting.

There are many different ways do this.

Only allow a certain number of a product to be sold.

If you’re an affiliate, you can limit the number of bonuses that you are presenting with that offer.

Offer a product at a very low price to begin with, with the price rising at a point in the near future.

People don’t like to feel like they are missing out, so scarcity tactics work very well. Be sure you are always truthful about this scarcity, though. If you aren’t, it can make you look dishonest.

Give a Reason

Studies show that responses increase if you give a reason for taking a certain action. It doesn’t matter whether the reason for buying is a good one or not, as long as you give a reason for people to do so.

Psychology expert Cialdini notes a study where there was a line at an office where everyone was waiting for the copy machine. The researcher asked to cut ahead. The response was not very good.

However, when the researcher asked to cut ahead “because I have to make a copy” response increased substantially, simply because a reason was given.

The same thing can be applied to your copywriting. If you give a reason for people to make their purchase now, they will be a lot more likely to do so.

Use Reciprocity

If you do something nice for people, it is natural for them to want to do something nice back to you. This is one of the reasons why creating a relationship with your list can be very lucrative for you in the long run.

If you give someone a gift, they feel a sense of obligation to help you out too. In this case, it might be buying a product.

Offer Social Proof

Social proof is another amazing way to boost your sales. Nobody really likes to make the first move, in case we make the wrong one. The same can be said when people are buying an offer. They don’t want to take the risk of it being a bad buying decision.

If they see that other people have already purchased and have enjoyed the product, they will be a lot more likely to buy it themselves.

Some ways to incorporate social proof are…

• Include actual numbers when talking about results.
• Include case studies or before and after videos or pictures.
• Include some testimonials and even a picture of people who have used the product you are promoting.

You don’t have to do this within the e-mail copy itself, but you want to do it in the copy that you link to. You can even give some sales figures if you think that will boost their confidence.

Focus On Their Emotions

Many people make their purchases based on their emotions. If you feel very strongly about something, the chances are that you’ll make a purchase, right? That is why niches based on hobbies, desperate situations, and passions are so easy to make money in.

Step into your customer’s shoes to see what their emotions are, and how you can showcase your product so they feel that it will take care of their needs or fulfill their desires.

Hitting those emotional hot buttons is often what makes people purchase quickly. If you can incorporate some honest and real emotions into your emails, you’ll stand apart from the competition.

Use Contrasting Prices

People are very cost-conscious. If you are able to show a contrast in price between your product and another you can often make yours seem far more appealing.

For example, if you are  selling a strategy used to eliminate stress from your life, you can compare the cost of your information product to going to a doctor to get expensive medicines.

You often put things in a different (better) light when you present them in this way.

Give People a Reason To Trust You

On of the most important things you can do is make sure people know that they can trust you — and give them a reason why they should trust you. People are very skeptical so be sure to clearly spell out why they should listen to you by telling a compelling and true story.

Your ultimate goal is to help people, but you also want to increase your bottom line. Learning how to make money with your list is essential — it’s also important that you don’t make mistakes that could cut into your profits.

Promote Affiliate Products

One way to make money with your list is to promote affiliate products. The chances are good that no matter which niche you’re in, you can find relevant products that people will respond to. These might be information products, physical products, or even services. The important thing is that you check the product yourself for quality to make sure it’s something that you will feel good about putting your stamp of approval on.

Many list owners make the mistake of simply choosing offers based upon their commission without checking to make sure it’s something that their readers can actually use. By hand-selecting what you promote, you’ll gain the trust of your list members and they will be more likely to buy from you in the future.

In doubt? Don’t promote.

Promote Your Own Products

What many list owners end up doing is creating their own products (if they don’t have them already).

This gives you ultimate control over what you’re offering to your list, as you are the one who decides what goes into the product. This is amazing, because after a while you will have gotten a feel for what the members of your list really need. This allows you to zero in on their wishes and hand-deliver them a product you know they’ll be happy to pay for.

It can also be more beneficial to promote your own products, since you don’t have to split the commission as an affiliate. This can be more lucrative in the end. Having your own product can also brand you as an expert. As soon as people see your name on a book or other product, they know that you are a serious person in your field.

Presell The Product

No matter whether you’re promoting an affiliate product or you’re providing your own, you need to make sure you presell the product.

Preselling means to warm up your reader BEFORE he/she is sent to the sales page.

That means using good copywriting skills right within your e-mail that will show people that the product that you’re recommending is one that they actually need. Empathize with the reader, and show that this is a product that can do exactly what they need it to do.

That doesn’t mean you’re going to hype the product at all or lie. You can certainly make a lot of sales without making false claims about anything. It will be easier than you think to presell to your customers if you are promoting a product that you truly believe in.

Create Special Offers

Creating special incentives and offers can help you to make sales. Your list members will be thrilled to get discounts just by being a member of your list. This strategy also makes being a member of your list special and exclusive – something they can’t get from the competition.

Here are some ideas…

Negotiate a special discount with a product owner if you’re an affiliate. Ask the owner for a percentage off, a free trial, or even an added bonus – just for your readers.

Create and offer an added bonus yourself. Provide it only to those readers who buy a product through your affiliate link. For instance, an extra report, audio, or maybe even your notes that you took when YOU went through the same course.

Drop your price just for your list members on a product that you own.

Offer Resale Rights or PLR rights to your own product – only to your list.

Bundle up other people’s Resale Rights products into a package and offer it at a steal.

Offer personal coaching only to your list members.

No matter what you decide to do, keep in mind that you need to treat your list members like gold, which means giving them offers that nobody else has access to.

If you make these offers truly special, you’ll get customers for life!

Don’t Be Afraid To Change Out Products Over Time

It can be very tempting to just leave everything as it is after you’re done setting up different products to promote in your autoresponder series. The truth is that some offers may not convert as well as you thought they would. You need to check your stats and periodically clean things out. Test different offers to make sure the needs of your list members are being met — and that you’re earning as much money as possible.

That may mean trying different affiliate offers or taking note of your list member’s feedback and creating products based around that. Even though your autoresponder series can be “set and forget,” that’s not always the best case scenario.

Building a relationship with the members of your list isn’t easy. The chances are good that you are competing with several other marketers who have a list in your niche, and you need to come out on top to win.

That means building a relationship, gaining their trust, and really standing out. Yes, you probably want to make as much money as possible with your list, but that often means having them trust you first.

This is your “give,” while the monetary gains they will eventually receive is your “take.”

Keep The Long-Term Results In Your Mind

If you’ve been a member of other lists you might have noticed that they seem to “use” their list members. This can really make you feel sick and used.

The same thing can happen with members who join your list. Before you send your message, always think about the long-term effects that message could have. If you’re just trying to make a quick buck, and you’re not promoting quality, it will come back to bite you in the end.

That means if you’re an affiliate you should review the products that you’re promoting to make sure they are high quality. Don’t promote something just because there is a high commission for you! The same thing applies if you sell physical products. Make sure that everything you do and the products that you promote are in the best interest of those who have subscribed.

Showcase Yourself As An Expert

The people who have signed up for your list have probably done so because they want to learn more about what you have to say. They would not sign up if they weren’t sure they could learn valuable information or gain some insights for doing so.

That’s why you should present yourself as an expert at all times. That doesn’t mean being “cocky” or giving out false information. It simply means relaying information you deem important, and knowing that the advice you’re giving is in the best interest for the members of your list.

People trust and look up to experts. Your relationship with your list will grow stronger than ever as you share your expert strategies, tips, and tricks to help your list members.

Show Your Members Real Results or Data

If you run a business that can offer case studies or data; you will get the best results by sharing these things with your list members.

For example, if you are an expert at selling items on eBay, you can show real-life case studies from your sales last week. Show people how you write your copy, price your items, and got the most out of each sale.

This works across many different types of businesses. The point is that people like to see real-time results, and they are often impressed by and respond to them.

This works very well if you are eventually going to promote a product that you have used. So, as an eBay seller, you might have read some books that helped you get to the point you’re at now.

You can recommend the same books to other people, and earn commission from them if you don’t have your own product.

Show Your Readers That You Care

One thing that should be at the top of your agenda at all times is showing your list members that you care about them. This is especially true in some niches where people are going through a difficult period in their lives. It doesn’t matter which niche you’re in, however, people are more likely to be responsive if they know that you care about their needs, wants, and desires.

By simply empathizing with them and showing that you know exactly what they are going through, you will appear as more trustworthy. It should be easy for you to do as you are an expert in the topic and you know a lot about the people in your niche. If you’re not quite sure about what they’re going through, you can always visit niche forums and read posts written by people in the niche.

For instance, if your niche is pregnancy fitness, then visit pregnancy message boards and search for “exercise” to see what questions, comments, and concerns your potential readers may have.

Ask For Their Feedback

Just because you have an auto-responder sequence set up does not mean it has to be a one-sided conversation. You can get a lot of valuable information simply by surveying your list members every so often and asking for input.

Give them some sort of incentive for filling out a survey for you (free report, audio, video, discount coupon, or free service), and you’ll gain access to what they really need and want from your list. This helps build your relationship with your readers because they feel like they are valued and that you really care about them and their needs.

How do you set up a survey?

You can simply have them reply to your e-mail messages, or you can set up a more formal poll or survey. There are many popular options out there, with one of the well known ones being SurveyMonkey.com.

Building a positive long-term relationship with your list will result in long-term profits for your business.

I was trying to think of ways to promote an offline business online without having a web site and I listed some of my ideas below. I hope it gets you thinking. 
 
If you have an offline business then you need to bring it online in order to maximize your profits. 
 
Online marketing can work for any type of offline business. I don’t care if you are a lawyer, hair stylist, landscaper, dentist, or any other occupation, online marketing will help you make more money for your offline business. 
 
This system works for any product or service. You don’t even need to own a web site to make this idea work for you on the web. All you need is Internet access and an email account.
 
Let me give you an example:
 
Let’s say you own a barber shop. Now this is a local business and you are probably wondering how you could ever use the Internet to get customers in the door. 
 
Well, all you have to do is get the email addresses of your customers. Then the next time business is slow you send them all an email and you offer them a special discount of 20%-25% off the price of a hair cut. You have to let them know when the discount offer will expire (Make it good for 7 days maximum) and let them know that they will have to call you within the next 48 hours to make an appointment in order to get the discount. 
 
This type of email promotion costs you nothing and best of all it will bring in some customers. 
 
Here’s another example:
 
Let’s say you own a dry cleaning store.  Every time a customer comes into your store you’ll get their email address because you are going to be emailing them discount coupons every week.

This way you will be able to keep in touch with your customers and keep your business name in front of them. Using email is cheaper than running an ad in the newspaper.
 
You could even take this one step further. In addition to collecting your customer’s email address, you could also collect other data from them. 
 
Here’s another example: 
 
Let’s say you own a collectibles store. You might have a free drawing for some type of collectible or perhaps for a $50 gift certificate.

To enter your drawing your customer fills out the entry form with their name, email address and there could be a list of collectibles listed that they would check off to indicate they have an interest in or they collect. 
 
Now not only do you have a database of your customer’s email addresses, you also have the information as to which collectibles they are interested in and you can make targeted offers to them by way of free email. 
 
I don’t care what kind of offline business you have. You can use the Internet to increase your profits. 
 
I hope you have gotten some ideas on how to bring your offline business online. Just be creative and I’m sure you will make additional income and best of all, email is still free!

There are basically two kinds of company names: good ones and bad ones.

Bad names are the ones that are too common, too long, too hard to pronounce or too difficult to spell. Most of the rest are good names if they describe what your company does and the name will allow you to move vertically or horizontally within your marketplace.

When naming your company you should give it a lot of thought because you don’t want to have to change it later because you decide to sell other products or you want to enter other markets.

Here’s an example:

If the name of your business was Rockwell Beds and later on you wanted to sell office furniture then you’d probably have to change your business name. So you would have been better off naming your company Rockwell Furniture from the start.

Here’s another example:

Let’s say you wanted to start an Internet business selling software and your company name was Next Level Software. Then a few months later you decided to also sell books. Well, it looks like it’s time for another name change. A better name might have been Next Level Software & Books.

You get the idea. Don’t paint yourself into a corner when it comes to choosing a company name.

It doesn’t hurt to start your company name with the letter “a.” That way you’ll be at the top of the list in the yellow pages or any online directory you might list your company.

A common, nondescript company name like Avalon doesn’t tell me as much as a company name like Avalon Cleaning Services. It’s always a good idea to use your company name in all your marketing efforts for branding purposes. And it’s going to help if your company name describes what your company does.

Short names are often better than long names because you’ll be able to use a larger text size in all your printed advertising.

You’ll probably want to check the availability of a domain name which is the same as the company name you’re considering because sooner or later you’ll want to have a web site for your business.

And with domain names, shorter is definitely better than long. When it comes to domain names you’ll always want to get a top level .com or .org domain name and not an .info or any of the others.

Finally, you always want to check to see if the company name you choose is available, legal and protectable.

Having a series of money-making autoresponder messages is a very important part of the process, obviously. If your autoresponder copy is dull and ineffective, it doesn’t matter how big your list is because you’re not going to make any sales. That’s why it’s very important that you understand how to write good copy before you get started.

After you sign up for your autoresponder account, you will want to load it with messages that will gain people’s trust and help you make sales.

Understand The Difference Between Follow-Up and Broadcast Messages

If you are completely new to list building, you may not know the difference between a follow-up message and a broadcast message.

Followup message:

Your follow-up messages are what the members of your list receive no matter when they sign up. These will usually be in a sequence that is delivered at a predetermined rate.

So, if Sally signs up on Tuesday she will receive follow-up message #1 on Tuesday. If Tom signs up on Friday, he will receive follow-up message #1 on Friday.

That means that your autoresponder sequences are your little relationship builders and salespeople 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Broadcast messages:

These types of messages are sent out to your entire list so that they receive them at the same time (also referred to as an “email blast”). This is a good option if you have something to share that is not a normal part of the sequence. It might be a special announcement or a time-sensitive or limited-time-offer special deal.

Use both types of messages in your business for best results.

Think About How Often You Should Send Messages

At first, you might be nervous about mailing to your list because you’re not sure how many messages you should send and how often. Unfortunately, there is not one correct answer to this question. The answer depends on your niche, the relationship you have with your members, and what kind of information you share.

If your messages offer a lot of value, people will probably want to receive them more often. If your list messages are more focused on making sales, people may expect them (and want them) less often.

Still, the balance is individual, so you should test what is best for you. A good autoresponder will show you the number of people who click on your message when you send it. If the number stays high with more frequent messages, your unsubscribe rate doesn’t increase, and sales tend to remain high, then your list may want to be contacted more frequently.

What some marketers suggest is having one autoresponder message scheduled per week, with perhaps a broadcast message in between if you need to have a special mailing. Yes, at times the messages might land on the same day to certain readers, but that’s no reason to avoid sending broadcast mailings to your followup message recipients.

Carefully Craft Your First Message

First impressions count. That’s why you need to carefully write your first autoresponder message. It is the first impression your list members will have of you. Even if they really liked what your website had to say, they will unsubscribe very quickly if they don’t think your list will offer them a lot of value.

Your first message should almost never contain a sales pitch. This is your chance to prove that they will want to remain on your list. You want to be warm, open, and friendly. You should also consider offering a special bonus or surprise for free. This will immediately help set a positive association with your messages. This can increase the open rates on your e-mails, put your relationship on the right path, and help you make more sales later on.

Decide When To Make Your First Sales Pitch

Some marketers are focused on making the sale right away. However, you may want to consider holding off until you are at least a few messages into email sequence.

Now, this rule doesn’t apply if people sign up to get a coupon or special product offer. Then they would expect that they are going to be sold to right away.

However if your list members signed up to get some valuable information, they may not take too kindly to getting pitched to right away. This is something you may want to test, but you need to think about the relationship first and the money later in most cases.

Split Test For The Perfect Balance

As your list grows, you will want to split test your messages. You might find that the way you set things up in the beginning was not the optimal way. We all want to improve our results and split testing makes that achievable. By tweaking a few things here and there you can increase your open rate and the desired responses your list makes.

If you have a good autoresponder company, the chances are good that they will provide you with the information and tools you need to split test. Companies like Aweber will automatically send half of your list one message and the other half a different message. They will then track the results so you can compare them and make changes.

Consider The 3-to-1 Formula

A popular formula that some of the top marketers use is sending 3 relationship building e-mails to every 1 sales e-mail. This is especially important in the beginning stages, and will set the tone for later e-mails.

What you might want to do is have the first e-mail be entirely focused on offering quality information and building a relationship, the second e-mail making a very soft pitch, the third e-mail selling a little harder, and finally the fourth e-mail blatantly promoting a product.

If it makes you feel more comfortable having a system to work with, then this is a sequence that you may wish to follow.

Study The Basics Of Copyrighting Before Getting Started

You may not think of yourself as a copywriter, but I recommend that you study the basics of copy to make the most of your list.

Elements such as the AIDA formula will certainly improve the responsiveness of
your list.

AIDA stands for:
Attention
Interest
Desire
Action

This means capturing their attention, interest, desire, and finally having them perform the desired action.

No, I’m certainly not recommending that you hold off on starting a list or growing your list until you’re a highly skilled copywriter, but I do recommend that you continue to study copywriting to continually improve your results.

Focus On The Subject Line

While all elements of the e-mail are important, you will want to focus on the subject line.

If people don’t like what they see and are not enticed to click, they simply will not open your message. On the other hand, if your headline is attention-grabbing, they can’t help but click on your message to see it. Once they’ve opened your e-mail, it’s going to be that much easier to build your relationship and make sales.

Study Autoresponder E-mails That You’ve Responded To

As a marketer, the chances are good that you’re receiving emails from several other lists. Do you notice that you open some marketers e-mails more than others? You can learn a lot from this.

Save the e-mails that really grab your attention and make you respond, either by “labeling” them if you’re using Gmail.com or sorting those messages into a folder marked “Hot Copy”.

You can “swipe” certain copy ideas (not the subject lines themselves, but the ideas used) for use in your own e-mails to make them more attention-grabbing and response-inducing.

Consider The Length Of Your E-mails

There are some people who hate writing so much that their e-mails are only ever a paragraph or so long. There are others who are so prolific that their e-mails go on for pages. It’s probably best to find something in between.

If you are a writer who tends to go on and on, you have to remember that people are very busy. They often don’t have time to read long e-mails. On the other hand, you’re probably not providing much value or making enough of an effort if your emails are too short.

Find a happy medium, and your response rates will likely improve.

Do you want to improve your email marketing skills? If so then register for the free webinars below.

Free, Live Email Marketing Webinars ~ Become an Email Marketing Master

Recommendations:
aWeber Autoresponders - Quickly create and run your campaigns with powerful, easy-to-use email marketing tools.
Go Daddy – Where I purchase all my domain names.
Hostgator – Very reliable and low cost hosting service which I have been using for about ten years.

It’s important to set up your list right from the start.

Since you want the best possible relationship with your list members, let’s focus on planning ahead and using the right tools so that your efforts will be rewarded.

Choose A Good Domain Name

Choosing a domain name might seem way too basic for a guide on list building. However, if you don’t have a trustworthy domain name it can affect your list building abilities in a negative way.

Your domain is important because you’re going to place your list’s opt-in form in several different places. Having a good domain will ensure that people visit your site in the first place, and see your opt-in form.

Some tips. Choose a domain that…

1. Ends with .com or .org (not .biz or .info)
2. Has no numbers, if possible.
3. Is easy to spell.
4. Is short.
5. Is not hyphenated.

You can purchase domain names at GoDaddy.com.

Get Reliable Hosting

Another important piece of the puzzle is having reliable hosting. If you are using a free service provider or one that is not reliable, your website will look unprofessional (if it’s even up and working).

In fact, the free service providers often have their own advertisements in place on YOUR website (which are distracting), or just do not look professional.

If your host is too cheap and not reliable, your website might not even be there for people when they want to sign up. Having reliable hosting is a very important first step if you want to build a massive list. If you need reliable web hosting, you might check out HostGator.

Sign Up With A Good Autoresponder Company

Having a good autoresponder company is absolutely essential to online business success. An autoresponder allows you to store your e-mail leads, gives you your opt-in form code, sends your autoresponder messages, and tracks how many of your readers opened and read the emails. It is an essential business tool, and, yes, all of the gurus use autoresponders.

Just like your hosting company needs to be reliable, so does your autoresponder company. The good news is that it isn’t expensive to get an account. I use and recommend Aweber.

I do NOT recommend hosting your own autoresponder on your server. The SPAM laws make it very easy for your IP to get blacklisted as a spammer – which means that your leads and customers will not receive your emails. Professional services like Aweber, on the other hand, work tirelessly around the clock to stay on top of all industry updates and ensure a high level of email deliverability.

Always Get Permission

This tip goes along with the one above dealing with spam. As an e-mail marketer you need to make sure that you have permission to send people e-mails. This means that they must opt-in to your list rather than you e-mailing them out of the blue.

You have two options for creating an autoresponder list:

1. Single Opt-in: Your reader signs up on your website and is automatically added to your list.
2. Double Opt-in: Your reader signs up on your website and is sent a confirmation email that contains a link that must be clicked before adding him/her to your mailing list.

Many marketers choose a double opt-in. Why?

The second step reminds people that they have, in fact, signed up to receive messages from you. This can cut down on many of the complaints that might otherwise occur. It also prevents spammers from submitting fake emails to your autoresponder and clogging up your account.

Make List Building A Priority

Building your list should not be an afterthought. If it is, it’s never going to be as large or responsive as you want it to be. Building your list needs to be at at the top of your mind as you build or expand your business. Making it a priority means studying the tips defined in this document, as well as tweaking and testing your own findings.

Do you want to improve your email marketing skills? If so then register for the free webinars below.

Free, Live Email Marketing Webinars ~ Become an Email Marketing Master

Affiliate marketing is one of the most “passive” forms of online income there is.

- No products to create.
- No customers to deal with.
- No shipping or refunds or anything.

Easy peasy. Well, once you get started it is.

The hard part has been HOW to get started.

1. Buy a web design program for $300?
2. Hire someone to create a website?
3. Set up something free that you have no control over and could be taken away any time?

eek. Not great options, until now. Jimmy D. Brown, highly successful online marketer – and fantastic mentor, has put together a course teaching how ANYONE can get started with affiliate marketing with NO experience, NO $300 website software — and build a lasting business.

He was kind enough to share an excerpt from one of the lessons of his course. Keep reading to see his teaching style. I think you’ll like it.

—–

Excerpt from Affiliatenaire
by Jimmy D. Brown

Welcome – welcome – welcome!

We are entering into some exciting times now. Today’s lesson and next week’s lesson mark the final “setup” activities.

Today we’re going to “populate” your blog with content and next week we’re going to publish the first issue of your newsletter.

Then, it’s time to…

Promote, promote, promote!

Woohoo!

So, we’re closing in on those first sales. Keep going. You’re almost ready to begin seeing some results from your efforts.

I’ve heard from quite a few members who have told me they are “finally getting somewhere” due to the step-by-step, drip-feed format we’ve been using. Trust me when I say, it’s only going to get better.

But, it does illustrate a good point: the hardest part of success in internet marketing for most people is getting out of the gate.

It’s been my experience that those who get things setup end up making money. The staggering failure rate that is reported as the “norm” primarily is a result of the lack of getting the foundational things in place.

If you quit and turn back, you’ll be stuck in the starting position once again. And off to find another “option”. One more stat in the staggering failure rate.

If – you – stick – with – this – and – follow – instructions – you – won’t – fail!

Introduction

The ultimate way to get buyers is to strategically use presell content to convert browsers into buyers. It’s time to start blogging!

Your first step is to populate your blog by posting at least five or six messages initially. That way, anyone who visits your blog in the near future will see a busy blog, which makes them more likely to return. If they visit and see just an article or two, they may assume the blog is abandoned (which means they won’t bookmark it, subscribe to the RSS feed, or visit it again).

After you’ve populated your blog, you then need to commit to a regular posting schedule. Obviously, the more you post the better. So if you can post a short article each day, that’s great. But if not, then commit to posting at least three or four times per week.

SIDEBAR: We’ll talk more about “regular” weekly blogging later. In fact, I’ll give you so many ideas for getting ready-made content and creating fresh content that you’ll have plenty of options for years to come. For now, we’re just gonna focus on populating your blog with initial content so it has some “meat” to it when people visit.