In a previous article, I showed you how to write an article. If you are planning on building an email list, then knowing how to write articles will be an indispensable skill for you.

(You can find that article here: http://www.smallbusinesshowto.com/newsletter_03032003.html)

The reason why is because you are going to need content for your newsletter. There are some excellent sites out there that offer great free content for your newsletter, but if you want your newsletter to stand out, you will need to write some of your own content.

Now you've probably heard it said a 1000 times by the top online marketers: the single most important thing that you can do is build your list.

I challenge you because there is a second part to this: build a relationship with your customers and readers. Provide them with content that they can use and products that they want. You'll have loyal subscribers who will buy your products.

Ok, so how do you build a list?

First, there's two types of lists that I recommend you offer. You can use either one or both.

You can build a newsletter and/or offer free tips or a free course.

1. Newsletter Before you do anything else, you need to decide what your newsletter is going to be about.

Be specific. You can't write about everything.

If you've created a target market for your business, then you'll know what you are going to write about.

For example, my newsletter, Small Business Success is for small business owners, but I am looking for specific small business owners, people who have 10 or less employees or no employees at all, but they do most of the work themselves. They may work at home, but they may have an office.

My goal is to provide them time saving tips and tools to help them run their businesses faster and easier. I want to help them make the most valuable use of their time so that they can make more money.

Once you've created your newsletter idea, write a few articles to publish. Don't wait until you're ready to publish because it's very difficult to publish a newsletter, especially weekly, when you're working under a deadline.

Next, you'll want to visit some newsletter directories and study comparable newsletters to help you write your newsletter description. You want to do this because you will be promoting your newsletter and you want a description that will get you subscribers.

Here's five directories you can use to help you:

http://www.EzineSearch.com http://www.EzineWorld.com http://www.E-Zinez.com http://Ezine-Universe.com http://www.BestEzines.com

Once you've completed your description, begin submitting your newsletter to these directories then submit to as many other directories as you can. Currently, there are 40 major directories that will drive plenty of traffic to your newsletter.

2. Autoresponders Now, I'm sure my friend Mac thinks I'm picking on him again. After all, he sells metal polish. There's only so much that you can say about metal polish.

For people like Mac, autoresponders provide the perfect solution.

First, he could provide a weekly tip to customers on how to get the most out of each type of polish he offers.

Second, he could offer a weekly training tip for distributors to help them sell more of his products.

The goal is to remind his customers and distributors of his products.

With the right autoresponder, not only could he load messages to be automatically sent out at regular intervals, but he could send out product updates as they become available.

Here are some places that you can find free autoresponders to get you started:

http://www.getresponse.com http://www.freeautobot.net http://www.responders.net

The important thing to look for is unlimited messages, the ability to post messages to your list, and if you are new to HTML, form script.

Again, your autoresponder can be promoted much the same way as your newsletter list, but don't forget to put a sign up form on your web site.

Although this is an involved marketing technique, I believe you will find it to be the least expensive and most profitable technique in your marketing arsenal.

About the author: Jinger Jarrett is the author of "10 Ways to Promote Your Business for Free", and the free ecourse, "How to Really Start Your Business in 30 Days." Get your free copy of her ebook by subscribing to her newsletter. Send a blank email to SBS@parabots.com or SBSecourse@parabots.com to get the ecourse.