Posted on

What is List Building and Why Do You Need to Start Now?

List BuildingIf you’ve been working online for any length of time, you’ve heard people talking about their lists. They compare size, opt-in rates, click-through stats, and, of course, profitability. If all that sounds like a foreign language to you, don’t worry; we’ll start at the beginning.

What is a List?

A list is simply a database full of email addresses (and often names) of your readers or subscribers. You collect those emails from your website, and something called an autoresponder service takes care of storing those names for you and gives you the option to send emails to that group.

What is List Building?

List building is the process of building that list of names and email addresses. One of the easiest ways to make your list is to add a signup form to your blog. Autoresponder services like Aweber will give you the tools you need to do this. Using a simple form, you set up your list and create a form (using one of the hundreds of templates) that works well with the theme and look of your blog. You copy the code Aweber will give you for your form and paste it into your blog design.

Down the road, you may want to look into other ways to build your list, like creating opt-in pages, for example. List building is one of those things you wish to work on and get better at. Ultimately, the bigger your list, the higher your online income will be.

How Can You Benefit From a List?

There are quite a few reasons why you should consider building a list. The first is that you can now bring people back to your blog. How many times have you come across a great site that you loved, then clicked through to another page, and 20 minutes later you’ve forgotten all about that new site you meant to spend some time exploring? It happens to all of us – including your site’s visitors. But if you capture your visitor’s email address, you can reach them later and bring them back to your site.

I’m sure you’ve also heard the expression that the money is in the list. If you have a mailing list, you can occasionally email the list with product offers. Those could be your products or something you are recommending as an affiliate. Either way, being able to email a list of people about those offers is one of the best ways to monetize your blog.

When is the Best Time to Get Started Building a List?

That’s a question I hear quite a bit. When should I start building my list? The answer is as soon as possible. If you haven’t already started, start now. Don’t worry if you’re not getting a lot of traffic to your blog yet. Even a few visitors can turn into a couple of subscribers, and that’s a great start. Then as your traffic grows, your list will grow with it.

What is List Building and Why Do You Need to Start Now?When it comes to building your brand, your website is one of your most powerful tools. Contact Dr. John Elcik at identityXperts to handle all of your web design needs. We can be reached by phone at (561) 543-2892 or email: jelcik@identityXperts.com.