How to build an email marketing strategy you can be proud of
As an entrepreneur and business owner, one of your primary concerns is earning enough revenue so that you can continue to be an entrepreneur and live a comfortable lifestyle!
Nowadays, many business owners are getting distracted by different marketing methods, but are not making enough traction to be worth the time and energy they are spending.
Whenever a struggling entrepreneur approaches me for advice, one of the first things I ask them is, “How is your email marketing going?”
Many will sigh, chuckle or wipe the sweat off their forehead and admit that they haven’t sent anything to their list in weeks OR they don’t have a solid email marketing strategy.
I quickly reassure them that email marketing is NOT dead and that they are missing out on an incredible opportunity by not fully utilizing their email list. Some would say the most important way to earn revenue as a business owner, practically on demand, is to build a healthy email list full of prospects.
Are you intimidated by email marketing and don’t know where to start? Have you tried it a few times and been unsuccessful? Here are my top strategies for successful email marketing that you can start implementing today:
Strategy One: Bring In Subscribers With An Irresistible Offer
In order to have a good email list, you need a steady stream of subscribers. The easiest way to get subscribers is to give away something and require only an email address to get it. You want to create something that really stands out to your target audience. Common opt-ins include eBooks, pre-recorded webinars, eCourses, reports, tools, tips, etc.
A lot of business owners are hesitant to give away something really valuable for free. But remember, the better the offer, the more subscribers you will attract which will help you grow your list and earn more revenue.
A couple of tips for your offer: make it stand out with a great headline and a professional cover/banner. Give social proof that lots of people are signing up for it, and the power of FOMO (fear of missing out) will get you more subscribers.
Strategy Two: Put Your Irresistible Offer Somewhere Lots Of People Will See It
There are a lot of platforms where you can drop your opt-in where potential subscribers will see it. Consider where your target audience is hanging out the most. Instagram? Facebook? Twitter? LinkedIn? Browsing Google? Your blog? Put your opt-in wherever the most potential clients will see it. Test it for a while and if it isn’t working, adjust your offer. Keep adjusting until you create something people really want. This doesn’t mean writing an entire new eBook or eCourse. Sometimes simply changing the title or making a better cover will do the trick!
You can also try putting a pop-up or banner on your website (people hate popups so make it worth their time!) If you have an effective popup you can 10x your amount of daily subscribers.
Strategy Three: Set Up An Autoresponder Series For New Subscribers
Using a good email marketing program like ConvertKit (you can try it for free), you can set up an email series that will automatically be sent to new subscribers! Once you set this up, it can run forever without you even thinking about it! I like to call this a “welcome series” and will write up 3-4 emails introducing them to my brand, thanking them for subscribing, letting them know what I have to offer them and giving away lots of goodies. If they like the first few emails they get from you, they are much more likely to open stuff from you in the future.
The biggest thing you want to remember when creating a welcome series is to provide VALUE, VALUE, VALUE. Make it worth their time to open your emails and read them! As you know, everyone is getting tons of emails every day. You want yours to stand out. You want them to open your welcome series and immediately think, “Oh, I really like this. This is valuable to me.” This is the key to creating engaged, active subscribers!
Strategy Four: Create A Consistent, High-Quality Email Marketing Strategy
As your list continues to grow, you want to become consistent in their inbox. I like to stay in touch with my email list once a week. This is regular enough that they know who I am and expect me but isn’t over the top or annoying. I also make it a priority to provide them (you) with high-quality content that is valuable and can have a positive impact on their life and business.
If you don’t have the time to write weekly emails, consider hiring someone to help you. Make sure your emails stay personal, personable and high-quality. Do not spam, do not email every day, and do not make every email a sales pitch. Treat your email list like a relationship, where you have to fill up their “bank account” before asking them to make a deposit into yours!
Tip: it looks much less spammy to have your emails come from YOU than your BUSINESS. When they see your email it should say it is coming from your name and not your business’s name.
Strategy Five: Plan Ahead
We talked a lot about planning ahead in marketing last week, if you missed it, click here! I like to plan ahead my email marketing strategy at least a month or two in advance. When you do email marketing on the fly, you might get some sales and make some progress, but it is often more stressful and less organized. Planning in advance gives you the opportunity to be intentional with your strategy, your content and your offers. You can also more easily plant seeds for soon-to-be-launched products or services.
Many entrepreneurs and business owners who commit to their email list make up to 80% of their revenue this way!! It is definitely time well spent and has both long-term and short-term benefits.
Not ready to run an email marketing strategy on your own? Need some help with the technicalities? Wondering where to start? I would love to chat with you!
My calendar has limited open space every week and they always fill up fast! Claim you spot now.
Have a great week,
Robyn Bennett
PS: Remember you really don’t have to do this alone, please reach out and let’s work together to help you reach your goals, click here and let’s chat.