EMAIL LIST BUILDING: WHY YOU NEED TO BE DOING IT NOW
Let’s talk about email marketing. You probably already have a good idea of what it is and a general sense of how to go about it, but for some reason it’s one of those things that you keep putting off time after time. Well we’re here to tell you that not only is it super easy to build an email list (once you know how to!) but it’s also a super effective way to connect with your customers on a deeper level, drive more traffic to your website and boost sales!
EMAIL LIST BUILDING: WHY YOU SHOULD BE DOING IT NOW!
WHY SHOULD I BUILD AN EMAIL LIST?
First and foremost, your email list gives you direct access to your customers and fans. Social media may be all the rage, but how many people do you actually reach through a Facebook posts? Unless you’re paying for ads, you may only be reaching a tiny percentage of your potential audience, and those who do see your posts may not always be interested in your products or services. However, when people sign up for your email list, you know they are already interested in what you’re offering and what you have to say. This gives you the opportunity to reach out directly and showcase your awesome work!
Secondly, an email marketing campaign has great longevity and gives you a ton of leverage. For example, emails and e-newsletters can sit in a recipient’s inbox until they are ready to be opened, saved to be re-read another time or forwarded to other people. Compare this to social media posts, which may only be a brief flash on a newsfeed before other posts take their place. Newsletters also provide you with plenty opportunities to promote multiple aspects of your business and drive traffic to various pages on your website.
Finally, email marketing keeps you on your toes. When you commit to putting out a monthly or weekly newsletter, you have to have great content, products or sales to promote, so you’ll be more inclined to keep creating. You may also want to share links to interesting articles, videos or websites that are relevant to your brand, which means you’ll have to do your research and perhaps even reach out to other people in your industry. And let’s not forget that email campaigns are a great way to initiate communication with your clients to find out what they really want and need.
HOW CAN I GET MY EMAIL LIST STARTED?
The easiest way to start collecting emails for your list is to create a sign-up form and simply ask your clients and followers to sign up. HOWEVER, the most effective way to build your list is to offer some incentive or “free offer” for people to sign up, such as an ebook, worksheet, member’s discount, or even a digital download of your artwork! We really like what artist Clare Haxby has done, she is offering an eBook on How To Commission Original Artwork.
People also like to know what you are going to do with their emails, so be sure to include details like how often you will send out updates or emails, and assure them that you will never spam them or give out their email addresses to other parties. Finally, an auto-responder is a nice way to follow-up with people, introduce yourself and ensure that the recipient actually did intend to sign up to your list. We suggest you even consider taking it a step further and setting up an email series telling your new fan about your work!
5 TIPS ON SETTING UP AN AWESOME EMAIL MARKETING CAMPAIGN
1. SIGN UP FOR AN EMAIL MARKETING SERVICE
Why reinvent the wheel when you can find tons of great customisable templates, schedule automatic send-outs, and track your results all in one place? There are plenty of great email marketing services out there, but one of the most popular by far is MailChimp because it’s incredibly easy to use and you can sign up for free with the option to upgrade (or not) later. MailChimp also has a ton of great features including automation so you can create an email series to testing your subject lines before you send out your emails and automatically sending campaigns at the same time of day in different time zones.
For those of you looking for a little more, check out ConvertKit. This tool was created by bloggers for bloggers. There is a lot of buzz at the moment about ConvertKit and the pro’s and cons of using it over Mailchimp. ConvertKit is a paid tool and we use ConvertKit here at Creative Founders because it gives us much more flexibility and we love it!
2. CREATE A GAME PLAN
Planning your content ahead of time will save you tons of time, keep you on schedule, and keep you more aligned with achieving your goals. Some things to think about in the planning phase include how often you want to send out your newsletter (Your send times really really depends on your business and your client’s needs), what content your audience will want to see or read, and what you want to promote. You may also want to consider various themes like seasonal content, holiday promotions and topics that are hot and trending.
3. MAKE YOUR CONTENT COUNT
Even though newsletters are great for promoting your products, and your ideal goal is probably to make some sales, at the end of the day it’s all about providing value to your readers. Nothing causes people to unsubscribe faster than thinly veiled sales pitches that don’t offer any inspiration, entertainment or valuable information. A good rule of thumb when crafting your email or newsletter is to gear 80% or more of your content towards what your clients might want or need and then just 20% towards promotions and sales.
4. STAY TRUE TO YOUR BRAND
Hopefully, by this stage of the game, you’ve put some serious thought into developing your brand in alignment with your vision, values and goals and what your target market might want. Just like your website and social media feeds, your emails and newsletters should be a reflection of your unique brand identity. When designing your template or writing your copy, be sure to include your logo and use colour palettes, fonts, graphics, and images that stay true to your brand personality.
5. BE CONSISTENT
A good email marketing campaign should aim to build relationships with your clients, and the best way to do this is by following through with your promises and meeting your client’s expectations. For example, if you promise to deliver a monthly newsletter packed with useful info and tips, stand by your statement and deliver just that every month. Stick to your schedule, provide great content, and never abuse your mailing privileges by sending out spammy sales pitches or cluttering up your client’s inboxes with multitudes of updates that they didn’t ask for or agree to.
