You must lay a foundation in order to be successful online, or in any business for that matter. Many people jump right into marketing and selling products without doing this first. The result is a disappointing result that could have been done differently.

Take a look at where you are when you come online. Do you already have a business that can transfer easily from offline to the internet? When I came online in 2005 I had been working as a classroom teacher, real estate appraiser, and real estate broker. This meant that I did not have a business to bring online. It was going to be imperative that I lay a foundation if I was going to be successful on the internet.

Ask yourself some hard questions, like what you expect your business to look like. You may decide to be active with clients, coaching them and interacting with them on a regular basis. You may also decide that you want to set up your business to run on autopilot as much as possible. Either way, you will determine how you wish to spend your time each day.

Start a blog and begin to let people know who you are and what you do. Post as often as possible so that you can find your voice. Encourage readers to leave comments and listen to what they are saying. Once people understand more of who you are and how you can help them, they will begin to respond to your business model and feel more comfortable doing business with you on the internet. Lay a proper foundation and your business will be off to a great start.

Remember that the reason to start an internet business is to give you the time and money to live the life you choose. Download a free teleseminar on building your online business by visiting http://OnlineWritingSuccess.com to learn how to write articles, blog, become involved in social networking and learn the technology needed to build a profitable online business.

Choosing a niche to work in on the internet seems to be one of the most challenging steps in getting started with an online business. I believe this is because our niche is just too close to us for us to see what area we would best serve. I have created a simple process to help you in choosing the niche you are best suited for, and that will earn you the most money in the coming months and years.

Make a list of what you are passionate about. This will include anything you like to spend time doing and also enjoy, regardless of whether there is any money involved or not. Think back to your childhood and younger years to remember your passions. I love dogs, photography, writing short stories, walking in nature, helping my friends choose a new computer, and many more things. Some of these passions began about forty years ago, when I was just a child.

Now make a second list of the things you have experience with. They may be related to jobs and careers, but may also include situations that you had no choice in. My experiences include being a classroom teacher, working in real estate as an appraiser and broker, surviving cancer, caring for an elderly parent, home schooling, being involved in charities and fundraising, and more. These are all a part of who I am and what I am knowledgeable about. Don’t leave anything off of your list, as it will be valuable in choosing the right niche for you.

Now make a list of where the market is for the areas you have written down. This will take some time to research. I recommend starting with Google’s free keyword tool. Keyword research is a valuable part of getting started online. This has helped me to choose the niche of teaching technology to people starting out online, as well as some smaller niches like dog training and cancer support. I believe it is important to have one main niche and two or three sub-niches that can bring you income and satisfaction.

Remember that the reason to start an internet business is to give you the time and money to live the life you choose. Download a free report on how to choose the right niche for you by visiting http://TheNicheFinderForCoaches.com and get started right away.

You’ve probably heard the following phrases more times than you can remember: “The Gold is in the list” and “You have to build a list”. So true. But what is better than a real-life story to drive the point home? A story is always better than “boring” theory, right?

Listen close to this amazing example. Even the niche will probably surprise you. Here we go… A smart marketer recently managed to get more than 2,600 subscribers paying him $9.95 a month in the Christian youth ministry niche. If you want to study the opt in page (squeeze page) that is currently making the owner roughly $26,000 a month, visit TeenLifeMinistries.com The whole foundation for this fabulous success story, has been the opt in list produced via the site just mentioned. The opt in list consists of more than 10 times the number of paying subscribers. The free subscribers can be drip-fed with the advantages of becoming a paid member over and over again.

Here are 2 great tips for you, if you want to take action and build your own email list fast:

1) You need to solve a problem or answer a question to get high opt in rates.

The reason why more than 30,000 Christian youth ministry workers have opted in, is that they were promised a solution to a very real problem. Their problem is obvious and it’s this: Preparing for the youth gatherings take a lot of time. No wonder the following is an attractive proposition: “Pay just $9.95 a month and get all the preparation work done for you, including lesson outlines with class handouts and discussion guides!”

So now you know it: Solving people’s “time problems” can become a $26.000 a month business, because of the fact that not having enough time is one of today’s main challenges for an untold number of people out there. In addition to solving people’s problems, you can expect to see very high opt in rates if you can answer a question for your prospect. If a searcher is typing “Tulsa plumber” into the search box, this probably means he/she is looking for a plumber in Tulsa, but not sure which one to choose. If you decide to put together a “Tulsa Plumbing Guide”, with advice on how to pick an affordable, quality plumber in Tulsa, you can be sure a lot of people will gladly give you their email address in exchange for that guide. You can create such a guide whether you’re a Tulsa plumber or not. Perhaps you’re not in the plumbing business at all, but just planning to sell these opt in leads to a Tulsa plumber, so that he can follow up with these prospects. Now to the next tip for generating a high number of opt in’s for your email list.

2) Use Video to Get Sky High Opt In Rates

The use of video has exploded online, but the majority is still not taking advantage of what has been called “the most powerful online marketing tool”. You should definitely consider getting an edge over your competition, by using video. Here’s a creative way of using video to build your list: Simply create (or have someone else create for you) a “teaser video” and put it on your squeeze page. A lot of smart marketers are already using this strategy to get phenomenal opt in rates. Here’s the way it works: The “teaser video” shows some kind of proof of the product’s (or service’s) effectiveness, or perhaps a description of what the visitor will get access to immediately after opting in.

Here’s an example for you: Lately, a lot of ClickBank product creators have made videos showing screenshots of earnings achieved by using the strategies they promise to share with you, if you just go ahead and buy that eBook. Think it works? You bet! That’s why they’re using it. Showing testimonials from satisfied customers has also worked extremely well, as part of the squeeze page teaser video. Even though there is a cost attached to producing such a video (unless you are able to do it yourself), here is the question you need to be asking yourself: How much will it be worth to me if I can double, or even triple my current opt in rate by using video? A doubling or tripling of your opt in rates is very realistic with video. It is that powerful.

I hope you got some valuable tips on building that list of yours. Now is the time to take action, if you have not started yet. If you are already building your list, you should definitely consider adding a video to your squeeze page. In other words: Why should you not use “the most powerful online marketing tool” available to you? Remember: Your smartest competitors are already using it with great success.

Charles Jahren is an expert in PPC, faculty member, and content manager for AdClickMedia.com. Watch this video where Charles reveals how Simple it is to Monetize your current Website Traffic starting now: http://adclickmedia.com/m/pub.cgi/article