So, today, I wanted to share a plan with you. A simple plan. Not some “new years” motivational email about your goals and all that. That’s the typical “new years email”. 🙂

We’re not going to do that.

Instead, I want to give you a simple plan to focus on for 2018 to build that online business you seek. No shiny objects. No writing a ton of blog posts with no strategy behind it. Just what’s necessary.

Simple…

Here we go…

It is 6 steps.

That’s it. Just the basics. And, get this…

Nowhere in here will you find any blogging. This one sometimes confuses my students, but just trust me. Blogging is important, but it isn’t the correct sequence of actions to worry about your blog when you have no business foundation yet. That is… unless you hate money.

#1 – Figure out who you will serve.

It all starts with your niche. But, we’re not talking about blogging niches here. This isn’t about your blog topic!

This is about who you will SERVE. People who have a problem. A problem you can solve.

It should be people you can help. No “fake it till you make it” here. Don’t go off and make an online marketing blog if you have never done it before. I’ve seen many do it. Don’t be them.

Also, it doesn’t have to be your “passion”. So many people try to find what they’re passionate about… and it’s cool if that works for you. But, if you want to build a business, who and how you will SERVE is way more important than your passion.

MORE INFORMATION: Ultimate Guide To Choosing Your Niche: Finding A Good Market For You

#2 – Build your email list.

Everything comes down, ultimately, to your email list.

Not your blog. Not your Twitter following, or your Instagram.

You don’t have to “be everywhere”. That formula usually fails because it is too overwhelming.

Focus on your email list. You can tack on additional pieces later. But, email email email. Everything you put out there should be about building your email list.

So, come up with some lead magnets. Make landing pages for them. Spread them far and wide.

MORE INFORMATION: Ultimate Guide To Building An Email List: List Building That Works And Makes You Money

#3 – Communicate to them.

This is a communication business. Doesn’t matter how big your list is if you rarely talk to them.

So, send email. Good emails. Emails they want to read. And more often. 

What most bloggers instinctually do on their blogs… do that in email.

Serve them. Don’t pitch them.

#4 – Figure out what they need and want.

Talk to your subscribers. Ask them questions. Get them to reply back.

Maybe even get some of them on the phone or Skype. (We’ve got a template for this inside the Lab)

Find out what they really need and want. You should be getting a good solid feeling for that as you continue to email them and hear from them, but you want to be sure.

Because, you’re about to make an offer. And the last thing you should do is try to sell them what you think they need. It is always easier to sell what they’re asking for.

#5 – Create and test a perfect offer.

You have no business if you don’t have an offer which converts. So, make an offer.

Not necessarily a product. Don’t go off and make some whole training course or something. Not yet. This is just about your offer.

Could be something as simple as a coaching call, or a service you’ll do for them personally. If you want to try selling an info product, then do it as a pre-sale. Don’t make it unless people buy it.

Your first offer is a test. It’ll sell or it won’t. If not, you make adjustments until it does.

#6 – Deliver.

Once you have an offer that converts, you must deliver on your promises.

And that delivery continues to extend to your email list. Your job is to enable the transformation. To SERVE.

You do that continually. You never stop. You may come up with new offers along the way. You’ll spin up your blogging, your videos, and everything else.

But now…

All of it is aligns around an offer that converts.

You’re on your way. 🙂

That’s it.

You do this in 2018, you’ll do very well.

All else is really a distraction.

It takes some balls to really practice that, tho. It is all too easy to spend most of your 2018 writing a ton of blog posts and reading other marketing blogs trying to find those “secrets”. It takes balls and self-discipline to ignore the noise and just focus on the basics.

But, focus and simplicity is where you get your power from. It is where results come from.

Not “hustling” like Gary V.

– David