What happens to your business if Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. all were to shut down tomorrow? Would your business survive? Do you have another way to reach your audience?
The truth is, we don’t own anything we put out on social media. The individual platforms do. So they can shut down your account at any time, and you’d lose access to your entire audience. But the one thing you actually OWN is your EMAIL LIST. I am a huge proponent of email lists for a few reasons but really at the end of the day it’s because it gives you DIRECT access to your target audience - right in their inbox. With social media algorithms you can’t guarantee your target audience will see your posts (less than 5% of your followers actually see your posts unless you have a crazy high engagement rate). With email you KNOW they’re receiving the email, and you can actually see WHO is opening and clicking through your emails as well. It’s an extremely valuable tool to shape your marketing and grow your business.
So my first question for you is, do you have an email list? If not, none to worry! I’m going to share a few tips about email lists and automations you can put into action now!
Selecting an email platform.
There are so many platforms out there to choose from that selecting an email platform can seem overwhelming at first. But in my opinion there are 3 truly to choose from based on your business type and current status of your biz. If you are an eCommerce brand for instance, I would recommend Klaviyo. It integrates nicely with Shopify and there are a ton of automations that are automatically created for you use as cart abandonment, thank you emails, reengagement and more.
If you’re a service based business just starting out I’d recommend either MailChimp or ActiveCampaign. MailChimp is free for up to your first 2,000 subscribers, and ActiveCampaign I believe is $25/mo. I currently have my list in MailChimp, but I prefer the automation sequence and all the advanced features in ActiveCampaign so it’s on my list to switch over to soon. It’s kind of a toss up to me which one you choose to start out with, but if you just want to get started and don’t want to do a ton with your list at first except slowly build the contacts, then I think MailChimp is a great place to start.
Create a freebie to grow your list.
Freebies, or downloadables are really great ways to grow your list. Create something of value to people that would make them want to input their email address. Because come on, we all know that if you share your email address you’re likely going to get promotional emails for the rest of your life now ;). So this has to be GOOD. For example, I created my Get Your SH!T Together Strategy Guide. I walk you through the exact process I take my clients through to help you organize, strategize and prioritize your business (get yours here). It’s a 13 page workbook that has questions to walk you through each step of my process.
Now you may be wondering, WHY would you want to give away such valuable content if that’s what you do with your clients? Here’s the thing. You want to give value to people so they learn to know, like and trust you and want to come to you for more. Sure, that process is extremely helpful - IF YOU ACTUALLY DO THE WORKBOOK :) BUT, the secret sauce is ME. Likely people will find some clarity in what you provide but then want to hire you to help them continue to solve their problem(s) and help them even more. So think about what you could create that would provide value to people so they WANT to keep reading more from you, with the goal to eventually hire you.
Set-up a welcome automation sequence.
Welcome people to your email list! Once they download that freebie, welcome them to your list and create a few follow up emails that give value, but also showcase some of your services and more about YOU. Follow up to offer help for whatever your freebie was helping them solve. Maybe offer them a discount for your services/products, give additional value, etc.
Personally, I don’t like when people spam my inbox every single day once I’ve signed up for their list, so I would suggest a follow up maybe a few days later, then another week later, and maybe one more a week after that? Nurture them. Don’t hard sell to them immediately, but showcase your value and expertise. Automations really make life easier overall because you literally set it up ONCE and then let it work FOR you. So every time someone downloads your freebie, or signs up for your list the automation sequence starts and value-added content is delivered straight to your potential customers inbox and you didn’t have to do a thing. Outside of a welcome sequence, you can also set up other automations for specific events, launches, etc.
4. What Should I send to my list?
Ah the golden question right? What should I send to my list? My clients often tell me “I don’t have anything to send them, so why have a list?”. But you see, that’s where they’re wrong :). I try as much as possible to repurpose my content. So, for example, this blog post is on my website, and also broken down into bite sized bits spread across my social media channels, and it’s also sent out to me email list with a teaser and then “read more” directing people back to my site. This ONE blog post is used to reach people in SO many different ways.
I help my clients find a way to repurpose their content too that they’re already sharing other places and an easy way to do that is through your email list. You can share a killer social post that got high engagement, a blog post, a themed weekly or bi-weekly newsletter with a variety of content, course or webinar launch details, a specific series ONLY for your email list members, exclusive content, etc. Email is a great way to integrate a variety of marketing tactics to reach your target audience, grow your list and increase business and therefore revenue.
5. Other ways to use your list based on your business type.
There are SO many ways you can use email lists. It really is dependent on your business. If you’re an eCommerce biz you will likely rely a lot more on your email marketing to not only reach new and potential customers, but also to re-engage your current customers to create repeat buyers, obtain reviews and pass info along to friends and family. If you’re a service based business, you likely will use this for building that know ,like and trust factor, offering value, sharing info about upcoming launches or new services, exclusive discounts, etc.
Email lists are SO important and such a powerful tool in your business. Remember, you OWN your email list. These are people who have clearly expressed an interest in what you do - they are your WARM leads. Pay attention and give love to this list and grow it. I promise it’s worth your time, energy and effort, in that it WILL pay off.
Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.
After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.
Katelyn is also a soon-to-be wife, stepmom, dog mama of two furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.
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