I'm assuming you've heard this before, right?

Well, what you haven't heard before is what I'm about to tell you.

As much as that phrase may be true, I would say that the money is not in the list.

Wait, before you call me nuts or close this article, let me explain to you why the money is not just in building the list, but ...

..."What you DO with the list" is more important!

One of the major problems is the fact that some internet marketers overlook the importance of building relationship with their list to gain trust, respect and present themselves as expert in their niche area.

They saw the list as an avenue to make money and kept bombarding them with one sales pitch after another and before they realize it, the number of list has dropped dramatically and the majority of the remaining don't open their mails - they ignore their messages. What such marketers' did not realize is the fact that, the people that opt-in have the power with the click of a button to unsubscribe and there is nothing you as a marketer can do about it.

On the other side of the spectrum are some smart gurus, who know about getting a list, building relationship with the list and presenting their opportunity at the right time. Their business kept flourishing and blooming and you're probably wondering - what are they doing differently.

The gurus simply build their list, nurture them and feed them with valuable information which helped them to gain trust from their list. You may use the following steps to do the same...

Step #1. Create great content - the key ingredient that will draw people to you is your content. No one will join your list simply because you ask them to; you need to answer the "what's in it for me" question. Free e-book or valuable article always works like a sham to help present yourself as someone who is an authority in your niche area. It is extremely important that the content is relevant to your niche and valuable enough to justify the reader's effort - quality content.

Step #2. Website - your site should include useful benefits about your free e-book that will help you convert your visitors into prospects. Create a squeeze page or opt-in form to capture your visitors name and email. You might want to limit your form field to just two (name and e-mail) because most people don't feel comfortable given too much information online.

Step #3. Promote your website - send e-mail about your free report to your existing list if you have one, write articles and submit them to directories plus you can also use paid advertisement if your budget allows.

Step #4. Messages - create e-mail messages with compelling information about your new e-book this is what you will use as part of building relationship. Also give relevant tips and techniques from time to time to nurture the relationship.

Step #5. Set up auto-responder - once someone opt-in to your list, your auto-responder will help you to send your messages (created in step #4) to your prospect one day at a time based on your interval settings.

In a nutshell, that is how you build a successful list!

When I looked back and check the people that I have bought their products in the past and the ones that I currently subscribe to their paid newsletter. I noticed they have one thing in common, they provide value - they gave me lots of information and I mean tons of free valuable information to prove themselves as experts and as someone who can deliver...

Their efforts, my friend, is what made me to open my purse.

There is limited space in this article to give you detail information, if you want to learn step-by-step that will show you how to build your list, I have a FREE list building secrets e-book that you can follow to guide you as you build your list and business.

Get started today with the steps and you're on your way to building a successful business.

Copyright (c) 2008 Abby Lawal