There are really only three things you have to do in order to market online. The key here is email marketing. It involves three steps and only requires you to do these three steps in order to make money. It is a simple system to implement and once in place, allows you to make money on autopilot.

If you miss these three steps, you will leave money on the table with your business. To avoid this, learn the core key steps of email marketing and begin making money online regardless of whether you own an online or offline business.

1. Generate leads

The first step is to generate leads. This requires generating targeted traffic. Targeted traffic is traffic from those who want what you have to sell. You may generate leads either using free internet marketing techniques, or if your business is offline, other free techniques. These techniques include collecting your customer’s email address at the point of sale, writing articles, building a website and optimizing it for the search engines. It also includes creating a social presence or even something as simple as handing out your business cards.

The other route is to pay for your traffic. This helps you get traffic faster. There is also a certain amount of risk because if you don’t target your market correctly, you will not receive targeted traffic, or you will waste money trying to connect with those who are not interested in your offers. Techniques include Facebook Ads, Google AdWords and newspaper advertising.

2. Capture leads

In order to implement your email marketing system, you also need to capture leads. You don’t need a lot of tools, just a squeeze page, autoresponder and some email messages. You can buy message packs and squeeze pages premade if you need to, or you can have them done at one of the many freelancing sites. All you have to do is put in a bid.

Make sure you keep your system simple and give your visitors one choice: either opt in to your list or leave. A good squeeze page will get you a 40 – 60 percent conversion rate so make sure you test all the elements of your page and test and track your conversions too so you know how well the page is converting.

If you run an offline business, then make sure you have a simple way for your customers to sign up for updates, special offers and anything else you have to offer them. If you have a website, let them know. Business cards work well here and are inexpensive. If nothing else, offer a sign up sheet and tell them they will only receive offers from you.

3. Convert leads

There are two types of lists you build: customers and subscribers. Until you convert your subscribers to customers, your most valuable list will always be your customer list so make sure you treat them right.

When setting up your marketing campaigns, make sure you offer a specific frequency for your mailings. Optimal is about twice a week although you have a choice to email more if you have more to share. Just make the information you send valuable. Stick to your schedule and let your customers and subscribers know what to expect.

Multiple contact is extremely important as it usually takes about seven contacts to sell your offer. You can easily speed up the process by exposing your visitors to your offer on the page telling them to confirm their subscriptions and then showing the offer once again on the confirmation page. Always use double optin email to prevent spam complaints.