Email marketing has been a steady force in the marketing world for decades. Why is this the case? Because people still value email as a reliable form of communication and loyal consumers WANT to receive promotional messages from their favorite brands.
Because of its behind-the-scenes nature, it can be a little difficult to understand how to start using it in your business. So, this article is dedicated to walking you through the 4 steps of starting your email list!
What exactly does it take to start using email marketing and build a profitable community?
The first thing you need is an email service provider (ESP). An ESP is a platform that allows you to send bulk emails to your subscribers as well as manage and track them.
You're probably already using platforms like gmail or yahoo, but that is not what I’m talking about.
You’ll need a platform like Mailchimp, Mailerlite, ConvertKit etc,
Some of these are free and some have a monthly service fee as low as $9 per month.
You can have success with both free and paid platforms, but generally the paid ones provide more features and have a bit more power than the free ones. The type of features you’ll need in your ESP depending on what you do.
If you sell digital products you want to be sure you can easily track what subscribers have purchased and what actions they've taken based on emails. This is called Customer relationship management (CRM) and helps you easily suggest additional products, services and resources to subscribers based on what they’re purchased previously. A great email service provider for you will have a CRM element.
If you’re a service provider, you want an email service provider with the ability to create sequences and automate them. When you automate a sequence, a subscriber will take a specific action, like downloading a checklist you offer, and they’ll automatically receive a series of emails telling them how to apply the items in the checklist and next steps. This helps to continue educating your subscriber, it builds trust because you’re giving them valuable information, and it saves you time because there’s nothing else you need to do.
If you’re a content creator and you have content that goes out at the same time every week then you should be looking for scheduling capabilities in your email service provider. Scheduling emails ahead of time allows you to take the stress out of sending emails and helps you stay consistent. Bloggers can use scheduling to remind subscribers to visit their blog when you have a new post. Social media creators can schedule weekly email polls encouraging subscribers to choose a topic for the week. The options are vast
Choosing the right email service provider for you and your business is important for the success of your email marketing. Shop around before spending your time and money on a provider that may not work best for you.
Make a pros and cons list of the available email service providers and compare them on the following areas:
Price
Number of contacts and emails
Scheduling and Automation
Integration
Segments and Tagging
The next thing you’ll need is an offer. Your offer is the thing that you are selling or promoting. Most businesses are promoting a physical product, a digital product or a service.
The great thing about email marketing is that your offer doesn't always have to be something you're selling!
I use email marketing to teach, motivate and encourage my subscribers. I offer freebies that help my subscribers with their marketing and I’ve used my list to grow a private facebook group. Whether you’re promoting a paid offer or a free one, you should be using email to deliver something of value that your audience actually wants.
The final thing you’ll need to start using email marketing is a lead magnet. A lead magnet is a low or no cost offer that is so valuable to your audience that they can't help but give you their email address to gain access. Examples of a lead magnet are
The number one question when it comes to lead magnets is “Should I offer a lead magnet or not?”
The truth is that you don’t HAVE to offer a free product or service to get subscribers on your list.
When you are publishing valuable content on social media or your website regularly, that content serves as your lead magnet. Great content gives your ideal customer or client an idea of what they can expect when they join your email list. Offer exclusivity and first access to in-depth content when they join your list to encourage sign ups.
The number two question when it comes to lead magnets is “What kind of lead magnet should I offer?”
The answer to that depends on YOUR audience! Here are 3 things you should consider when creating a lead magnet
Check out this video to learn more about creating the perfect lead magnet.
After you’ve created a lead magnet that will attract your perfect customer or client, you need to create a landing page.
A landing page is a distraction free zone that encourages visitors to take action and share their information with you so they can access what you’ve promised.
You can create a landing page dedicated to your lead magnet, a lightbox (known as a pop up box) or a banner on your website that tells visitors about the lead magnet.
There’s one last step to start using email marketing: now you need to grow your list!
New email subscribers are the lifeblood of your email marketing. Without a constant stream (or even a trickle) of subscribers, your email marketing will not be effective in your business.
The best way to get subscribers on your list is to talk about it!
When planning your social media content, ensure that about 20% of your content is dedicated to talking about your email list or your lead magnet.
Wrote a new blog? Be sure to include a link somewhere within the blog, or on your website, for your readers to join.
When talking to clients or customers about your services, mention your email list. And if they are loving what you’re providing, ask them to tell their friends about it.
Early and often is the rule for promoting your email list. It is never too early to start growing your list, and discussing it often, whether actively or passively, ensures that your list will continue to grow.
So let’s recap the steps for starting your email list:
Step 1: Choose the right email service provider
Step 2: Decide on your lead magnet (or lead content)
Step 3: Create a landing page
Step 4: Promote your email list
Want a step-by-step guide on starting your email list? Click here to grab my Ultimate Email Marketing Guide!
So, which step are you working on right now? Shoot me a DM on Twitter to share it with me!
