Starting Up Your Own Business Through List Building

I have helped many families start up their own online businesses. Because of my expertise, I’m often asked questions about selling on the Internet. The question I most often hear is, “What types of businesses have been successful in e-commerce? What can I sell?” I have the answer.

My answer is always the same – you are asking the wrong question. Products come and go. What is hot one year, is forgotten in the next. Your clients will stay with you forever – if you take a few basic steps to ensure their loyalty. Why not start by collecting their name and e-mail address?

That is why your top priority as an online business owner (after you determine what your niche is) is to collect the emails of your visitors. This can be done with a simple email capture form available with any autoresponder service. Then you can use that autoresponder service to send sequential messages to the people on your email list.

Let’s use an example.

Bob joins your e-mail list using a simple capture form on your webpage. The next day, he gets an e-mail thanking him for visiting your site. One week later, Bob receives an e-mail to tell him about your great new sale. After that, Bob receives weekly e-mails telling him what you are selling and how it can help him. Your autoresponders do all the work for you, so you can relax.

A month later, Sally submits her email address through the same capture form.  The next day, Sally will not receive the same email message that Bob is receiving because she needs to receive messages 1 through 16 first! The message that Bob is receiving since he joined a month before will not make sense to her. That is why you need to send sequential emails through an autoresponder.

Think about that! How many of your products require more than one email to answer all the objections your customers have? Or how many of your products require some basic knowledge before your customers realize they can’t live without it? Nothing is better than sequential emails for getting the job done.

No matter when your customers join the list, they will get each e-mail in sequence. Re-capture lost sales – even after a promotion is over, offer it to new customers through your sequential e-mails. This will help you build customer loyalty and succeed in your online business.

I cannot stress enough how important this is. Put an e-mail capture form on your most popular page; usually, this will be your home page. Offer something valuable to your customers in exchange for their e-mail addresses (as an example, I offer mini-courses for marketing online). You don’t need anything expensive. Create an article, a report, even a mini-course – anything that will help your client, and convince them to provide you with an e-mail address.

Take time to build your list carefully, and you will build a valuable client base which will ensure the lasting success of your online business. Whatever you do, don’t neglect this important step. Protect yourself from changing fads and fashions, and you will build a productive online business. Auto responders make it easy, so go to it!

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Copyright Stephen Beck, 2010

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Stephen Beck can teach you online business set up steps and how to make your first $1000 on the internet.  Pick up a FREE link to his webinar replay, where Stephen shows you everything you should do: http://www.YourOnlineBasics.com/go.html.