You've Got Mail! Email Marketing Is Here to Stay
Do you have an established email list?
If not, you’re going to want to keep reading this because email marketing is not dead!
It actually results in more sales than all the social media posts you may be focused on. Not only is email marketing a great way to get those sales, but you also want to make sure you don’t put all your eggs in the preverbal social media basket when it comes to connecting with your audience. Social media platforms can change their policies on a whim and leave you with no way of reaching your customers or future customers.
I get it though.
Email marketing can be an overwhelming task that you know you should be doing but are not sure where to start.
Here are the first steps to start setting up an email marketing system.
1. Decide on which email marketing platform you want to use to collect emails.
There are many options available and it’s important to do your own research to determine what is best for your needs. A popular option is Flodesk. It’s very aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. If you’re looking for an email platform that will provide exceptional data and analytics, I highly recommend Klaviyo. The insights are dynamic and will allow you to get a good grasp on who is opening your emails, when, and much more. I will say, there is a bit of a learning curve with Klaviyo, but nothing you can’t watch a help video to learn. I’m currently using and discovering ConvertKit. To me, it marries the aesthetics and user-friendliness of Flodesk and the aesthetics of Klaviyo for a super decent price. If you decide to check out CovertKit, use my link and get up to 1,000 email subscribers for free. (Please for all things wonderful and good, do not use Mailchimp. It has a very low open rate and it's not as user-friendly as the other platforms.)
2. Add an opt-in to your website
Once you’ve decided on the email system you are going to use, it’s best to add an opt-in form to your website to start collecting emails. This can be a pop-up, a banner at the top of your website, or woven throughout your site, asking those to join your email list. Take it a step further and provide a 10% off coupon or provide them with a freebie when they subscribe. The freebie can be a free digital download like an iPhone wallpaper, meal plan template, or design guide. You can really get creative here!
3. Brainstorm
Okay, but what exactly do I include in my emails? Hey, great question! Make a list of everything you could email them about that is not asking for a sale. Some ideas could include:
Showing three ways to use or style one of your products
Sharing what customers enjoyed most in last month’s subscription or latest holiday product
Interview a customer/client and have them share their experiences with your services and/or products
Create a fun quiz and ask them to share their results on social media by tagging you. (Make sure you then engage with those posts!)
Share your latest blog post or share a blog post or podcast from someone in your niche that would be relevant to your customers
Get a little personal and share your story of why you started your business.
Remember, done is better than perfect. If you wait until you feel like an “expert” at email marketing, you’ll never start. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used Google University to learn something I had no clue about. Baby steps forward are still moving forward.
You got this!
Want extra help with your emails? Let's work on an email package customized for your needs or grab my Email Essentials bundle with swipe copy, 100 email topics, 50 subject lines and more!