Developing an email list is one of the most important things you will ever do for your business. Did you know that most people don’t make a purchase from a website until they’ve visited it at least five times? This means that even if you get a potential customer to your site, they probably won’t buy anything. This is largely because people are so protective of their credit card information, with good reason, and won’t give it out unless they trust your business.

Because of this, you need to get their email so that you have the opportunity to stay in contact with them. If they visit your website once and then leave, you’ll probably never hear from them again. You’ve not only lost a sale that day, but the potential for continued business from that person. This is why an email list is so crucial. You can’t do effective business without it!

You could go out and buy a thousand random email addresses from an email broker, but these contacts would have no idea who you are and would probably be annoyed by your unsolicited emails. They could also report you as spam, and they would have a valid point.

So you absolutely must get the email addresses of those who visit your website. They came to you! They are already interested in what you have to offer! These are self-selected sales leads! Experienced internet marketers will do whatever they can to obtain the email address from anyone who visits their website.

Because an email list is so crucial to the success of your business, your list plays a major role in the value of your business if you were to sell it. A prospective buyer would want to know the size and quality of your email list, because this is one of the best ways to ensure the continuity and success of your business. The contacts on your list are self-selected people who are interested in what you have to offer. It would take a six-figure marketing campaign to reach an equal number of people through different means.

The experts from Professional Marketing International recommend that anyone who is serious about their online business get an autoresponder. With an autoresponder system, you can provide an opt-in box on your website where people enter their name and email address.

Here is an example of a typical opt-in:

Typically, you would use a lead magnet here to add incentive. Common lead magnets include eBooks, articles, contests and prizes. When someone enters their information, the autoresponder will immediately fulfill the incentive, as well as sending out a drip sequence over a predetermined time period.

Whatever method you decide to use, you should begin now to develop a solid email list. You list will allow you to stay in contact with both current and prospective customers, helping them become familiar with your business. Also, it will help them understand the specific benefits of your business. Prepare for future success by developing a quality email list today.