Are you looking to create an email list? Maybe you are already online and want to find a better way of connecting with customers. No matter what reason, an email list can be a great way of connecting with your customers. These are some tips to help you get started with your first email newsletter.

Get started with a purpose

Aristotle: "All communication must lead towards change." The first thing you need to do when creating an email list is ask yourself "What's the purpose of this email list?" Your business's success is at risk if you don't know the answer. It's worth thinking about. Be clear about why you are talking to customers. You won't make any money if you don't provide some service to your customers.

Gather Your Materials

To start an email mailing list, you will need a few basic items. Although it is possible to send a basic newsletter using a small number of email addresses, automation is key to success in today’s fast-paced marketing world.

Get an auto-responder

This is an important component of any email newsletter. An auto-responder allows you to automatically reply to any email with a message or series of messages of your choosing. An auto-responder is a tool that allows you to send weekly digests of blog posts automatically. A lot of autoresponder services offer basic automation along with email list management software. This makes it easier to add, delete, change, and modify emails and messages in your list marketing lists.

Offer Something of Value

Now it is time to recollect your purpose. Ask yourself why people would want to sign up for your newsletter. What can you offer them in return for their email address and time? You could offer them information, discounts, or free products. It must be something that is worth your time - and it should be on a regular basis.

Search Traffic

It should be obvious that the next item on our checklist is important. No matter how valuable your offer, you need traffic to create any type of email list. Traffic can come from free sources or paid traffic. However, it is important to evaluate the source of your traffic, especially if it is free. Many people do not consider this and end up with unresponsive or empty email lists. There are several sources of traffic: article marketing, PPC advertising traffic, joint ventures, pay per click (PPC), and organic search engine traffic via blogs and websites.

Capture your Visitor

Once you have set up your autoresponder, created a value proposition for their email and identified a quality source for traffic, it is time to implement the capture mechanism. It could be as simple as a sidebar form on your website with their name and email address, or a fully-written squeeze page. Your source of traffic will play a part in the choice of the exact method you use. Websites with search engine traffic will benefit from having a capture form on each page. PPC traffic to a particular 'buying keyword' might convert more well at one landing page.