This article exposes bloggers why focusing on FeedBurner alone is not a good idea when it comes to list building and how this affects your entire business.

Did you ever ask yourself why there are just a few select bloggers making 10x times more money than the rest of the crowd?

Hint – it is because the majority are suffering from FeedBurner (aka RSS) myopia. Yes, most of the bloggers out there know very little about list building and email autoresponder marketing. They were “trained” to deliver content by RSS. And most, if not all, are taking avantage of Google’s Feedburner service.

I have nothing against Feedburner. It is a good content distributing platform and mailing list system. The negative aspect I cannot neglect is their limit.

Feedburner is not a list builder in the real meaning. It is not a fully featured autoresponder. It helps bloggers send blog updates by email, but it cannot follow-up with their subscribers like a dedicated autoresponder does.

Little hinges swing big doors. Follow-up marketing is the little thing that makes the big difference in list building.

A blog without a list is like a car without wheels. It exists but cannot function. The sad part is that people who relay on Feedburner for list building have no clue they are leaving up to 70% of the money on the table.

Read any email marketing report. Ask any autoresponder list owner. They have come to one conclusion (through trial and error) – follow-up is key. Sending one email to your subscribers is not enough. You have to send at least 7 e-mails to close the sale. List marketing studies show that up to 80% people buy on the 7th follow-up.

If you are smart enough [since you are reading so far, there is no doubt about it] you understand why Feedburner users are getting just 20% of the money they should be making.

As a general rule of thumb – pro bloggers use both. Feedburner and a dedicated autoresponder service.

Sending blog updates via FeedBurner is one aspect of list building. Creating email capture pages for follow-up purposes is the second and more importantly – this is where you giveaway something of value (for e.g. a niche-specific PDF guide) to get your prospect’s email address and send periodical content to make his life better.

The most exciting part of using autoresponders for list building is that you have the option to broadcast stand alone emails to your entire list in advance. If you plan to get on holidays next week and do not have Internet access, all you have to do is schedule your message into your autoresponder and load it weeks in advance.

You have just “hired” an workaholic secretary that makes no coffe but delivers the messages with ease to the right recipient, while you spend time with your family. That is how autoresponders work and why they are so loved by a few select bloggers.

Email broadcasting option is missing completely from Feedburner. And that is why I think your entire business is going to suffer unless you put on your glasses and “see” what I shared with you today.

Your “myopia” is cured now.

What list building plans do you have? What will you change on your blog now that you know this?