The most successful internet marketers know the extreme importance of building email lists. In fact, one of the keys to growing a successful online business is building an email list of potential customers in your target market.

There are numerous ways you can build your email list, including:

Identify your target market. Who wants or needs your product or service? Identifying your target market is your first step in building your email list.

Quality over quantity. You can have a list of thousands of subscribers, but if those subscribers are not interested in your niche, you are simply wasting your time. Be sure to target those people who are interested in buying your product or service.

Use an autoresponder. It is absolutely essential that your list members verify that they actually signed up for your list. The easiest way to verify subscriptions is to make use of an autoresponder, such as Aweber. Every time someone signs up for your list, the autoresponder will automatically send the subscriber an email asking them to confirm that they really want to be on the list.

don’t spam. The last thing you want is a reputation as a spammer, so don’t send unsolicited email to people who haven’t given you permission to do so. In addition to the fact that spam is illegal in the United States, most people are not very receptive to receiving spam emails.

Design a landing page. A capture page is simply a web page that is designed to capture the names and email addresses of those who want to subscribe to your list. Some internet marketing experts recommend designing a squeeze page that has multiple pages. Each of those pages should contain useful information for your target market.

Make your subscription box highly visible. Visitors to your capture page should be able to easily see your subscription box, so make sure it’s in a highly visible place, like at the top of your home page.

Offer subscribers something free. One of the best ways to encourage people to subscribe to your list [http://www.rockettheprofit.com/email_marketing2.htm] it’s offering them something, like an e-book or report, for free.

Find different ways to drive traffic to your landing page. You should test different ways to drive traffic to your capture page, so that potential customers sign up for your list. Include links to your capture page in your email signature, in your signature on any forums you frequent, and on your blog. You may also want to use Google AdWords and article marketing as ways to drive traffic to your landing page.

treat your list well. People sign up for your list because they are interested in the information you have to offer, so treat them well and consistently provide them with valuable content. Also, avoid sending too many sales pitches, or you’ll likely alienate some of your subscribers and cause them to unsubscribe.

Offer valuable content. If you send regular emails to your list, make sure they are filled with the information your subscribers want. To convert your list members into paying customers, always offer them something of value while limiting your sales pitches to only products you think they can benefit from.