The Dreaded "List"

Like any new blogger, I kept reading and hearing that I should build "my list" from the very first day, and like many new bloggers, I completely ignored the advice! When you first start out, your focus is on making the site look decent, getting to grips with tons of research and constantly refreshing your Twitter page. There's no time to think about lists with all that action going on.

So there I was last night, a month into this bog, and I finally decided to take the advice. The truth dawned on me that if I am to make this blog create a full time income, then a good database of contacts (sorry, I hate the word list) would be essential. Why? After all, the beauty of a blog is that it attracts hundreds, and in many cases, thousands of people to it every day, so why do you need a database as well?

Think of your website as a funnel. At the top, all your visitors pour in. On their way down, most slip out of holes in the side - these are the people who have popped in to search on a specific subject, or come in once via a link, never to be seen again. Some of the remainder may add you to favorites and come back from time to time, and further down the funnel a few will click RSS feed. When we finally get to the bottom of the funnel, we have the people who have really connected with either you or your content - these are the people who will sign up to your site or newsletter, or to use the vernacular, who will become your list. These are the people to whom you will be able to directly market your site, your books and anything you can faithfully recommend to them. In sales terms, they are well qualified prospects for business.

Let's move on to how we handle those people. The first thing we need is an integrated software, that will allow them to sign up to your site, and enable you to contact them when you want and in the format you want - you need some email marketing software. I researched this subject thoroughly, and most of the successful people in blogging use Aweber and it looks excellent, but I'd used Constant Contact before, and what I love about their system is that they give a 60 day free trial, with no credit card, which is ideal for a new blogger needing to keep overheads down in the early days.

Sign up is easy, and there's good a choice of buttons and forms to use on your site, and they work! Within five minutes of putting my form on, I had my first new name! I was able to customize the welcome form and email they receive automatically, and the system will give me great data, showing who opens emails, what links they click and if there have been any bounces. I can design newsletters, specific product promotions and incorporate pictures and logos, and then send them with one click! To see how slick it all is, put your email address into the box on the right and click join.

For the first few months, I will simply use the system to send a weekly email to my list, letting them know what I've posted and this will keep them coming back and contribute to my growing visitor statistics. In the medium term, I'll start adding additional information that I don't post to the blog to encourage more people to sign up, and in the longer term, once I have thousands of subscribers, I will use Constant Contact to directly recommend products I use and value. The take up will be good, because as I said before, they are people who have connected with me.

So, if you are a new blogger, don't hesitate! Start your list now, and start by getting the Constant Contact software and use it free for a couple of months - it's an essential building block for the future of your business, so don't wait until it's too late.

The small button below will take you yo their site, and remember, you get a 60 day trial free, and there's no need to give any credit card details - what can you lose?