I know what you’re thinking: Why in the world would I want to build an email list? Does anyone even read emails anymore? Well, it may surprise you, but having an email list is one of the strongest tools your business can have.
Here’s why:
1. Direct Communication
Your email list is a direct communication channel to your customer. When someone signs up to your list they are giving you access to them. Unlike social media that can be shut down, your email list is fully owned by you. This essentially gives you full access to your customers 24/7.
2. Selling Stream
Your email list can become your main selling stream. Email is one of the most intimate means of social communication we have. If you build loyalty through your list, it will help convert them to paying customers.
Loyalty? Of course, you cannot simply email your subscribers with a “buy me now” offer whenever you need sales. You need to build loyalty. You need to give your subscribers value before you ask them to take out their credit cards. Consumers purchasing through email spend 138% more than those who do not receive email offers. Building loyalty will allow you to gain real paying customers that exclusively buy through your email offers.
The best way to gain loyalty is by giving your customer value and information they can only get from you. For instance, offer exclusive discounts and deals, tell your company story, or provide free and valuable content. You need to build this loyalty through value. Once you do so, you can start asking them to buy from you. It all comes down to your business and what you can offer.
3. Testing
Building an email list lets you test out your product with a sample of potential customers. If you have a new product in the works or an idea you’d like feedback on, you can simply make it part of your regular emails and this will help you see if the product/idea gets the response you expected. For instance, if you’re about to launch a new course or bring a new product in, you can send this to your list. By sending it to your list, you’re giving them the feeling of importance because they are getting it first and you’re also feeling out the market. If you go forward with this type of marketing, you HAVE TO offer a special deal; you can’t expect them to pay full price when you’re testing the waters.
4. Updates
As I mentioned, having a list means 24/7 customer access. If your business has any updates or news that are of value, that should be communicated to your email list. After all, they signed up because they want to hear from you. You don’t need to send daily updates. Depending on the nature of your business, you should aim for either once a week, every two weeks or once a month. People love value and love goodies, so make sure you give your list plenty of that!
Now, I’m sure this has been good enough to convince you the value of building an email list, but how do you really do it, and what tools can help you do it?
First, you need to join an email platform that gives you the ability to build your list and send strategic emails.
My two favourite platforms are MailChimp and ConvertKit.
Now, here is a little information about the two platforms:
MailChimp offers a free membership up to 2000 subscribers. In this free membership, you can design your emails, create automatons, and embed email signup on your website/ blog. After 2000 subscribers, the membership is $9.99 a month.
ConvertKit has the same functions as MailChimp, but it offers a cleaner and more modern look to its templates. Also, ConvertKit integrates a lot of other apps within its emails that allow you to link all your tools together. ConvertKit is the next level email marketing tool that also gives you courses and a guide to email marketing and growing your list while scaling your business.
Once you join one of these platforms, you can implement a pop-up box or embed an email box on your website. Now a key thing to remember is that people don’t join email lists without an incentive. Depending on the nature of your business and your niche, you will have a different approach to this part. If you’re an e-commerce business you may offer a discount, coupon code, or free shipping if someone signs up. If your business is more service-based and you choose not to discount your services, you offer them value.
By value, I mean something free that will make them want more from you. For instance, I provide my “Understanding your Brand” guide for free, and once you sign up, you get a document that is full of value that I provided from my expertise for free for you. There are many offers you can create for your customers to join your list.
Here are a few ideas:
- E-book
- Guide
- Templates
- Industry insight information
- Checklist
- Video training on a topic of your expertise
- A resources guide in your field
- A workbook
- A free webinar
Of course, this is a very simplified breakdown to a potential email marketing plan but its enough to get you thinking about the importance of building a list.
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