By Steve Beck

As an expert in teaching families to start online businesses, I am asked a lot of questions about selling on the Internet. By far the most common question is, “What do I sell on the Internet?” or “WHAT TYPES OF BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN E-COMMERCE?”

The answer is…you are asking the wrong question. Why? Because products come and go, but the people you are marketing to remain forever. Meaning, the product you are selling this year may not be the same product you are selling next year, but you will be selling to the same people. That is, if you are collecting their name and email on your web site.

That is why your top priority as an online business owner (after you determine what your niche is) is to collect the emails of your visitors. This can be done with a simple email capture form available with any autoresponder service. Then you can use that autoresponder service to send sequential messages to the people on your email list.

For example, if Bob joins your email list (via your email capture form at the top of your home page) on Monday, he will begin receiving an email every 7 days about who you are, what your credentials are, what you are selling, why they should buy from you as opposed to the other guy, and so on. If Sally joins a month later, she will start receiving your messages in the order she needs to receive them.

Sally will not receive the same message 17 that Bob is receiving because she needs to receive messages 1 through 16 first! The messages that Bob is receiving since he joined a month before will not make sense to her. That is why you need to send sequential emails through an autoresponder.

Isn’t that amazing? Sequential e-mails can help build your business effectively. Send amazing sales letters, educating your clients and encouraging sales. Advise your valued customers of special offers or promotions, product information, and more.

No matter when your customers join the list, they will get each e-mail in sequence. Re-capture lost sales – even after a promotion is over, offer it to new customers through your sequential e-mails. This will help you build customer loyalty and succeed in your online business.

So, get an email capture form and place it front and center on your home page or most popular page. Offer something really valuable in exchange for their first name and email. I offer mini-COURSES FOR MARKETING ONLINE. It doesn’t have to be expensive, a downloadable report, mini-course via email or a link to a video will do, but it should be something that your customer really wants to entice him to give you his most prized possession: his email address!

Concentrate on building that list of email subscribers and you will have an online business for years to come. Neglect building an email list and you are at the mercy of products that may not last through year’s end!

About the Author:

Stephen Beck shows 7 easy repeatable steps to starting a Christian Home Based Business. For a free CD explaining these steps, visit Start Home Business right now.

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