One of the most important aspects of having an active blog is building your email list. You want almost everyone who visits your blog to feel compelled to sign up for your list. Your email list is one of the most powerful pieces of your online business. It allows you to have a closer relationship with your followers.
So you need to think of your blog as a gateway to building your list which is essential. That’s why your blog needs to provide excellent, varied, regular and targeted content. Plus, don’t be shy, ask them to sign up. Make it apparent.
Excellent Content —
For content to be excellent it has to be well-written, and targeted to a particular audience. Everything on your site needs to be accurate and above average from the normal site content such as your about page, to the rest of the content you put on your page from a blog post, to articles, to images and more.
Varied Content —
If you put up the same form and type of content every week, people will get bored. Mix it up a bit and use slideshows, podcasts, video casts, eBooks, PDF downloads, apps and more. Your audience will be more excited to check out your content if they’re not sure what type it will be as long as it’s relevant to them.
Tip: You can re-use content in one form and transfer it to the new form. A blog post can become a podcast, can become a videocast, and can become an infographic.
Regular Content —
If you aren’t going to focus on putting up content on a regular basis, focus on at least 4 blog posts a month. By doing so, you’re going to get the bang for your buck you’re hoping to achieve. Shoot for at minimum 4 blog posts a month and you will reap the rewards with a bigger email list and higher targeted traffic that is ready to purchase from you.
Tip: To be sure you have plenty of regular content, brainstorm in advance using a calendar so you know what you need before you sit down to write it or hire a writer.
Call To Action —
Never forget your call to action. If you want people to sign up for your email list, you need to ask them. Your email list is the lifeblood of your business. If you build a targeted list you can give yourself a raise whenever you want to by promoting a sale, promoting your new blog posts, and getting your audience involved in product creation. The key is to ask them to do what you want them to do.
Tip: Make it a habit after every blog, podcast, videocast, and so forth to remind users of your newsletter and your other offerings. If they read all the way to the bottom, or listened all the way to the end, then they’re going to want to know more.
Using your blog to build your email list is one of the easiest ways to get action and a good return on investment from your blog. Fill your blog with useful, original, credible and friendly blogs that speak directly to your audience and you’ll discover that being a blogger is profitable and fun.
This is really great info. I have been blogging weekly, have joined a couple of blogging groups and am getting some comments but am finding some challenges with getting people to follow me. Also, I don’t have any call to action as of yet but am thinking about it. Also, I am working full time so have limited time. I will sign up for your newsletter. thanks
Thanks for your comment Kim. I’m glad to hear that you signed up for our FREE offer. It’s packed with a lot of information. I would recommend you print out the daily messages so that you can use them over and over again.
I’ve been in your shoes in starting a business while working a full time job. My best advice is to automate as much as possible so that you can spend your precious time with clients. Yes, it will take time at the beginning but if possible you can always hire and outsource a lot of it to companies like mine.
Keep in touch so I know how you are doing. 🙂