7 Secrets to List Building Lift Off

I'm often asked, "Tellman, how do I start building a list, if I know nothing about computers and nothing about Internet Marketing" Well... that's simple. Here are seven simple steps you can take right now, today, to get yourself started:

1. Find your niche: Everyone has something that really turns them on. Maybe it's chess or even NASCAR, acting or quilting. It really doesn't matter as long as there are enough people searching for keywords in that niche each month. So, in case the first idea doesn't have enough interest, maybe pick 2 or 3 things that can sustain your interest for a long time to come.

2. Do some research: Write a list of words that are used in your niche and then, go to http://inventory.overture.com/ . Type the words into the blank, one at a time, and see how many searches are done for the terms. If your primary keywords generate 3,000 searches or more per month, you probably have a niche to work with. If you see there are 20,000 to 30,000 searches, then you definitely have a winner. Just be aware that the very heavily searched niches are probably very competitive. You may want to start list building around a smaller niche

3. Create a unique domain name: Your domain name should have something to do with what you're list building around. For instance, my site MyFirstTraffic.com is for my beginner's traffic course. Makes sense, right It makes it easy for people searching to find it my site and buy my product, and it makes it easy for the search engines to figure out what my site is about for indexing. Just be sure the name you choose isn't too long or difficult for people to remember.

4. Set up a web host: Be sure to choose a web host that's reliable. Be sure they've been around a while, and that they have a good reputation for reliability. If a host has a lot of downtime, that will cost you sales. Cheaper isn't always better. Those companies often go under and never come back. You probably only need basic hosting if you're just starting out. But if you're planning something more complicated that requires a MySQL database, then you'll need a bit more. If you don't know what those things are, you'll probably be hiring a tech person to set that up, so ask his or her recommendation for a host at the same time.

5. Build a squeeze page: Now that you have an idea about the niche you want to pursue, you want to start list building. In other words, you want to gather a group of people who are hungry for information or products in your niche. To do that, you need a squeeze page, which is nothing more than a great headline, 3-5 bullet points of copy detailing the benefits of joining your list, and an opt-in box, which leads to...

6. Your autoresponder: Autoresponders are services that collect and house the names from your email marketing list. They also send out your confirmation messages. When someone signs up for your list, they have to click on a link in the confirmation message, which verifies that they actually signed up to your list. Once they do this, you can send email to them anytime you want. This double opt-in process is important. If someone accuses you of spamming, you can get yourself into trouble. You can lose your ISP or worse, face charges for violating the CAN-SPAM act of 2003, if you're in the U. S. Autoresponders protect you from spam complaints. Choose a service that you can afford, but also find one that provides uninterrupted service and maximum deliverability. If nobody gets your email, how can they read it to buy something from you

7. Get your list building page onto your server: Try to use FTP, which makes uploading files to your server quick and easy. Programs like Wise FTP or Cute FTP make uploading files quick and easy. If you're going to do business online, it's something you really should learn.

If you follow these 7 steps you'll be list building in no time. Choose a great niche, create a memorable domain name, build a squeeze page, get an autoresponder, and upload your page and BOOM! You're list building. How easy is that