If you're just getting off the ground with email marketing, then you know how much you need an email list. However, building the email list -- that's the part where you get hung up. Everybody talks about how much you need a good list and why you need a good list, but how do you BUILD one?

There are lots of ways to build an email list, but here are a few that will help you get started.

Email List Building, Step 1: Make a Plan

As with anything in business, you don't want to just throw something up and hope it works. For email list building, you need to start with a plan. Ask yourself some of the following questions:

• Who is your target audience? (This question should be the first you ask for most of your marketing efforts.)
• How will you find potential subscribers? Are you depending solely on search traffic, or will you need to establish an online presence in the places they hang out?
• How will you approach potential subscribers?
• What will you offer them in exchange for their email address? Discounts? Informational materials? Advance notice on specials?
• What goal do you want to hit each day? Each week? Each month?

It also helps to know what kind of email list you're building. Are you going to be sending out a regular newsletter to your subscribers? Or are you just establishing an advance discount list? These answers will come into play for how you pitch your list.

Once you have the answers to these questions, you can start building your plan.

Email List Building, Step 2: Create Your Content

What kind of content do you intend to provide to your list? People will be more likely to read your newsletter if it's something that is a) funny, b) informative, and c) relevant to their interests.

Although some people suggest you don't start writing your newsletter until you have a list (because you don't have anyone to send it to), I think it's a good idea to have at least one newsletter outlined and ready to go when you hit your first list goal. Just make sure that it's an "evergreen" newsletter; that is, one that can be sent out at any time of year.

You should also consider what you're offering as an exchange for the email. If it's an informational product like a PDF, it should be ready by the time people start giving you the emails.

That being said, don't spend too much time building up a backlog of newsletters. If you do that, you run the risk of using that busy work to keep from implementing your newsletter plan. And speaking of that:

Email List Building, Step 3: Put Your Plan into Action

The most important step, once you've built your plan, is to put it into action. Nothing will happen with your list if you just plan and plan but never execute.

Start working on it and see what happens. If things need tweaking, tweak them as you go. Modify your plan as you meet your email list building goals. Soon, you'll have a list that will be instrumental in helping you market your business. To try out a free HOVER HTML popup script demo, visit Rockitsoft online at http://www.rockitsoft.com.