Why Your Email List is an Essential Part of Your Business (and How to Start One Today!)
As entrepreneurs, we wear countless hats. Content creator, social media manager, graphic designer, copywriter…just to name a few. With so many priorities tugging at us every day, it’s only natural that some items are going to slip through the cracks, and I’ve found that email marketing can be one of the first to do so.
But, establishing and connecting with your email list is truly an essential part of your business, especially in the online space. It’s your opportunity to connect with your audience and to help them get to know you better. It’s your means to going deeper with your community than you can in an Instagram caption or face-to-camera Story. And, it’s a way to serve the people who want to hear from you and prime them for offers you may have for them in the future.
If you’re still not convinced, maybe some data will help motivate you to take action on those email addresses you’ve collected (or just thought about collecting):
61% of people prefer to be contacted by brands via email over other mediums. (OptinMonster)
Email marketing ROI (return on investment) is 4200%. (Campaign Monitor)
Email is 40% better at converting (getting people to take action) than Facebook and Twitter. (Slideshare.net)
A big misconception about email lists in online businesses is that you need to build your list to “x” size before you can launch a paid offer. But, the reality is that launching is the biggest driver of email list growth there is for ANY online business. When you launch something, you will be getting more eyes on your business and your offer, and you can leverage that visibility into getting people to join your email list to learn more or even get a special discount by joining your email list. As you continually launch, your list will grow each and every time.
Now that we’ve covered why you should be starting, using, and growing your email list, let’s dive into how to do it!
STEP 1: Sign up for an email marketing system. There are a ton of amazing companies out there, but we recommend (and use!) FloDesk. With this tool you can make beautiful, informative, and unique emails with ease. (Grab a 50% discount with our FloDesk affiliate link HERE)
STEP 2: Think of the perfect freebie to share. A “freebie” is a free offer like a download or tool, a secret discount code, a template someone could use to customize, or even a secret blog post or podcast episode. Once you have your offer created, you can drop it somewhere that only those with a link can access it.
STEP 3: Create Your Opt-In Page and Confirmation Email. Your opt-in page is simply the sign-up page where someone enters in their email address to claim their freebie from you. This can be made right inside of FloDesk with “FORMS” , where you can customize one of their beautiful templates with your own branding. You want to keep this page short and simple - all you need to collect is their name and email address. The more work it is for them to opt in, the less likely they’ll be to finish the process.
Include the title of your freebie, the promise of what the end result or transformation is, 1-2 sentences about what the person gains from joining your email list, and then the sections to collect their name and email.
Now, the confirmation email can be created right inside FloDesk as well. This is the email they will receive right after signing up that says, “Hey, you signed up, here’s the link for the amazing free thing you just signed up for!” Again, keep this simple, but be sure to match their excitement, give them any helpful instructions they may need to access the freebie, and then link the offer. That’s it!
STEP 4: SHARE IT! Now that you’ve made this amazing free offer, be proud and tell people! You can share the link to the FloDesk form on your LinkTree, in a blog post, on Stories, and on any other platforms where you could include a link.
Ok, now for the real final step…start emailing your email list. When someone signs up for your list, they genuinely want to hear from you. Don’t let time go by without connecting with them - remind them why they’re part of your audience and community. Not sure what to say? Here’s our list of 20 content ideas that will get you sharing amazing content with your list all next year!
On Purpose,
