Email List Building - First Things First

As a business owner, how many times have yousales? Long term leads? And what about your
looked back on the development of your businessbusiness? Is it exclusively online, partially online?
only to realize that you did things backwards? "If onlyMostly off-line? What is the purpose of your
I had spent some time researching the correctwebsite? Is it primarily informational? Is it for
keywords for my PPC campaign BEFORE I bid forcredibility? Or is it set up to convert clicks to sales?
them!" "If only I had taken the time to understandAfter you set up your list and enable your visitors to
what kind of traffic I wanted BEFORE I spent thatsubmit their information and subscribe, the answers
money to buy untargeted traffic for my site."to these questions will guide your efforts in building a
"If only . . . ." The obituary for a thousand failed onlinequality targeted email list and deciding which tools to
businesses.employ to accomplish it. Maybe you'll set up a
There are a number of techniques for building emailsubscription box on each page of your website - or
lists. Some are more or less time consuming andmaybe not. Maybe you'll offer your visitors a freebie
expensive than others. Some are more or lessor other incentive for subscribing to your list - or
effective than others. Don't make the "if only . . . ."maybe not. Maybe you'll use ezines and articles that
mistake by investing time and money in trying toinclude your subscription information - or maybe not.
build your email list before you've done theWhatever tools you choose, time well spent on the
spadework.front end means that you won't wind up saying, "If
What are you trying to accomplish with your emailonly . . . .
list? Is your objective short term leads? Immediate