Friendships build blogs.
Not numbers.
I did some house cleaning today.
I rarely check stats but got an intuitive nudge to check opens, star ratings and all that jazz.
Turns out I had a lot of dead weight on my list. No offense to any human beings. I mean the numbers were dead weight.
Since I am not big on clinging to anything – especially numbers – I deleted 70% of my email list today.
Why 70%?
Clarity.
Posture.
Do you know how bloggers do a mild list purge once in a while, deleting anyone who hasn’t opened an email in months?
I raised the bar with myself today, closing that window to a lot less than months. Try weeks.
I don’t play around; if folks are rabid fans, they open my emails either immediately or within a few days.
Maybe they go a few weeks sans opens if vacay time arises or if life intervenes.
But beyond a few weeks of no opens, if you haven’t opened my email you’re not digging being on my email list. Maybe we aren’t a match, or maybe you bookmark my blog, or perhaps you find me on Triberr. No big deal. I deleted 70% of those folks and other folks who sign up for too many lists today because…..
….where your attention and energy goes, grows.
This is exactly why I deleted a huge chunk of my list today.
Where Your Attention and Energy Goes, Grows
By giving my attention and energy solely to my active subscribers I will gain more active subscribers. I will also see greater online success because when you release non matches, perfect matches flow to you quickly.
I’ve retired to a life of island hopping via perfect matches; not poor matches.
Some folks couldn’t fathom how I deleted 70% of my list but if they weren’t active subscribers anyway, I deleted nothing. I deleted numbers.
Only ego, vanity, sick attachment or the terror of loss would goad you to hang on to numbers. There was no human connection. Just numbers on a screen. Doing nothing.
A number never:
- bought one of my eBooks
- bought one of my audio books
- bought one of my courses
- hired me
- commented on my blog
- promoted me
- befriended me
Human beings do that stuff. And human beings comprise the 30% portion of my list that actively engages virtually all emails.
Human beings matter. Numbers don’t.
This is why the saying “The money is in the list,” is not true.
The money is in your friendships and in the value you create.
More than that though…..
The money is in consciousness.
Money is an idea.
If you follow your passion, build your friend network and create helpful content, money will flow to you over the long haul, based on ideas that you act upon.
But the money can flow through an infinite number of channels. Not just one channel, your email list.
Sane People
No sane, normal person would refuse to buy something unless said thing was promoted through an email list.
If I like something and really want it, I buy it. No matter where I see it. Amazon. Twitter. Facebook. Offline. A blog. A business site. The source matters not.
This is why the money is not in the list. The money is in:
- consciousness
- service
- your friend network
- the value you create
I personally know a handful of top influencers who have helped expand my presence like mad. None are on my email list.
Their promoting me helped me drive traffic and profits through my blog. But the traffic and profits did not come through my list, but via:
- guest post opportunities
- features on other bloggers
- word of mouth marketing
Should You Build an Email List
Yes.
Definitely.
But never, ever, ever attach to numbers. An email list is an inanimate object.
The only subscribers who you should focus on are folks who open your emails, click your links, comment on your blog, share the posts, buy your stuff and hire you.
Focus on human beings. Not numbers.
Human beings grow your blogging business. Numbers are inanimate objects not capable of doing anything.
I Deleted Nothing
I deleted nothing today.
Even though I said I deleted 70% of my email list, since those 70% were not opening my emails anyway, I deleted what was not there.
Mere formality; letting go non matches for good.
If I deleted the 30% of my email list comprised of human beings who opened my emails and clicked on links, then I’d be showing detachment a little bit like the Buddhist monks I see here all over Thailand.
But alas; Biddulph is not Blogging Buddha.
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