If you are looking to make money blogging and you are looking to build a business from your blog then you need to know something right now

Not everyone will buy from you the first time they visit your blog

That means if they don't come back you have lost a potential customer so it is crucial to ensure you spend time getting your blog visitors to sign up to hear from you on a regular basis.

In the world of working online a list is the name given to a group of people that have signed up to hear from you. Also known as a subscriber list, subscriber base - they usually sign up because you have offered them something like a free ebook, a free ecourse, tips and tricks

Or maybe they just want to stay in touch.

A list is the most important thing anyone can have online because without it you have no one to promote your products too which means you have no way of making money as a blogger.

Yes, you can just add a post to your blog and someone might come along and see it. Or if you have 10,000 visitors to your blog everyday people will buy what you have written about but there is an easier and longer term way of doing things and that is to build a list.

The easiest thing to do is to offer something in exchange for their name and email address.

On my blog Inspirational Guidance I offer a free newsletter

On my Mothers Belong At Home blog I offer a free membership site

You can also offer

• A free eCourse
• A free piece of software
• Free access to information on your blog

Whatever you offer the trick is it must be easy to access once the person has signed up

You only really need three things

1. A blog - start a Wordpress Blog

2. An autoresponder account that will collect and manage the details you collect. I use and highly recommend Aweber because they provide you with everything you need to look like a real pro online! To check them out click here

3. Something to give away or give free access to. You could (if you want to) start a membership site and use that to build your list by providing free access and then providing upgrades for people who will pay.

When you ask people to sign up for your list it is a passive way for people to get to know you but there is a far more web 2.0 interactive, user generated content kinda way to get people knowing about who you.

How you ask?

You start your own free social network!

For me running a social network is like list building on steriods (I've always wanted to use that term - hehe) because you are inviting your list to actively get involved with know you.

The best place to start your own social network is on a platform like Ning at http://www.ning.com

Ning provide everything you need to get started and provide an opportunity for your members to upload photos, videos, add blog and forum posts.

What you are doing is getting your network to help build you as an authority in your niche because from their activity your profile is raised!

You also gain an opportunity to leverage the power of social media by getting new people to connect with you who are already on Ning. Ning have thousands of visitors a day and with your site on their it means that you can find new subscribers.

Downside Of An Interactive List

Running your own social network is time consuming at the beginning. You need to be constantly on the site ensuring that people are participating. Once people do it becomes hands off a little but you still need to ensure you are visiting and adding content.

You also need to find the time to promote your social network and get people to join.

Despite these downsides there are far too many plus sides to ignore building your list this way.

If your site becomes super busy you can invite people to advertise and make money.

I explain all of this in my free ebook called Ningology that you can CHECK OUT here.

Firstly you have your blog so by blogging on a regular basis people will find you.

You can also

• Write articles and submit them to article directories
• Set up an account at Facebook, Twitter and all the other sites, make connections and have all your information on your profile.
• Visit places like Ning.com and join the social networks relevant to you then add the details of your blog on your profile (remember do not sign up for networks that contain loads of people who do what you do - but sign up to networks that contain the CUSTOMERS you want!)
• Join forums, Yahoo Groups and other networks that will contain people looking for what you offer.
  

Make sure you use a double opt in autoresponder service - that means people sign up and then have to click a link to confirm they signed up. Using this will help to avoid you being accused of sending spam emails.

Make it easy for people to unsubscribe - I hate having to jump through hoops to unsubscribe from a list and I usually just hit the TRASH button so any future emails go straight into my spam box! Allow people to opt out if they want to and they may always opt back in at a later date.

Do not under estimate the power of list building. You have very little chance of building a large business if you have no list!