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The Importance of Building a List
http://articlesfyi.com/articles/60437/1/The-Importance-of-Building-a-List/Page1.html
Alan Pearce
Alan Pearce is a U.K. based Internet Marketer who is passionate in helping people to achieve their online income "goals". Click on the following link to gain access to a topical traffic generation system from which it will be possible to create/enlarge a list. http://www.web2traffictactics.com 
By Alan Pearce
Published on June 29th, 2009
 
I don't know about you but, when I first began to consider the viability of creating an online business, everywhere I looked I kept being told that "you have to have a list", "the money is in the list" etc, etc

I don't know about you but, when I first began to consider the viability of creating an online business, everywhere I looked I kept being told that "you have to have a list", "the money is in the list" etc., etc. Very occasionally I would receive an e-mail suggesting that, after all, it wasn't necessary to have a list. And, guess what, because it seemed like the easy option I convinced myself that it was, in fact, possible not to bother with a list, so to speak, despite the overwhelming evidence which suggested otherwise.

Well, I've been brought well and truly to my senses (thank goodness). One of the things that Chris Freville mentions time and time again, on his excellent Coaching and Mentoring Program, is the need to create a list. He is, of course, absolutely right and I have to say that I am now a 100% convert to this view. The one sure way to establish and maintain a sustainable long-term online business is to create a "bank" of loyal customers (aka a list) with whom you can build an on-going relationship for many years to come.

Having said that, just building a list is, in itself, not sufficient. You must be able to clearly identify the characteristics of that list so that every time you make contact with your list, the subject matter is relevant and pertinent to the reason(s) why those people opted-in to your list in the first place. Quality NOT quantity is very much the key. Do not fall into the trap of building any old list just for the sake of it. That will not work. Without a responsive, "highly-targeted" list of subscribers, creating a "presence" on the internet will be hard work, very hard work indeed.

"How do I create a list?" I hear you say. Well, that topic is for another day. It is imperative, in my view, that you fully understand the fundamental need to create a list before concerning yourself with how that might be achieved. I'm sure you will be pleased to know that there are many options which I will cover in due course. Firstly, though, we must learn to walk before we run.

Once you have a responsive list (and it will take time to create one) the world is your oyster, as it were, and you will be in a position to reap the rewards of the foundations you have built for as long as you wish to remain involved with the online world.

Always remember that "Rome was not built in a day". List building can be exciting, frustrating, fun and painstaking all at the same time but once the first few subscribers appear, it is extraordinary how the whole process gains momemtum. It is generally considered that a well maintained list, regardless if its niche, will generate for its owner income of $1 per member per month. Imagine a list of, say, 10,000!!