You’re Now in Business — Have you Built an Email List? EPS 248

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Why the heck does your business need an email list? It’s a no-brainer for any 21st-century business. Let’s dig into email marketing and build on our discussion of your avatar on episode 247.

When you send out a newsletter, you own that information as a piece of digital real estate — you can’t own any of the data you enter on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or other platforms. Face it, folks — you need an email list.

Remember that Facebook decides who does or doesn’t see your posts; and on Twitter, if your followers aren’t on Twitter at the time you post, they’re probably not going to see your tweets, unless they go out of their way to check in with your feed. Many social media posts go unseen — it’s a reality.

You can use your email list to reach out and nurture relationships with your tribe and audience. You can go deeper in an email, share personal stories about what you’re doing and what you’re struggling with, and share content that they can’t find anywhere else on your other platforms. Make your email content special and novel, not only just the stuff they see elsewhere. 

In his email newsletter, Keith shares links to his latest blog post and podcast, but also a personal reflection and greeting, an occasional call to action or special offer, as well as special resources that he only shares with this special group of fans/followers.

Consistently feed and water your community with quality and value. It’s one of the most intimate connections with your audience, and this is smart content marketing. 

Elizabeth’s business coach has cajoled her for years to consistently focus on building her list and hiring help to make sure that newsletter gets out on a regular basis.

How do you get people to actually see your emails?

The first paragraph of your newsletter should be addressed to your avatar — it should be a personal message that captures their attention and feels like you’re talking directly to them.

Subject lines are crucial — it’s the key to getting your list to open your emails. Wrap that gift in nice digital wrapping paper!

But how do you send emails? What service do you use? 

Don’t use your own email (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc) to email your list — this is frowned upon because you can get in trouble and be labeled as a spammer — your email address can even get blacklisted and shut down. You need to use an email service provider!

Keith and Elizabeth both use MailChimp, which is free for up to 2,000 subscribers. Aweber is another popular platform. They handle the analytics and the other bells and whistles that make such a service a goldmine of efficiency.

These email services also allow you to set up an autoresponder that sends them a series of emails after they’ve signed up. This type of “drip” marketing can be very effective.

The placement on your website of the box where people subscribe to your email list is important. It can be in your header, your sidebar, as a call to action in blog posts, and should be mentioned on your podcast or other platforms.

On Facebook, you can even have a sign-up button where visitors to your Facebook page can sign up for your list. Make sure your email sign-up box is in multiple places and pages of your website — not everyone lands on your homepage.

A good WordPress plugin for email opt-ins is SumoMe.
Opt-in Monster is another great plug-in.

And please, folks — never buy an email list! Not recommended!

Meanwhile, the statistics show that a popup on your website that requests your visitors to sign up for your newsletter can be very effective.

What if your list dies? Reengage them — RNFM Radio’s list is itself in suspended animation and needs email marketing CPR.

Authentic engagement is key!

Your time and attention are off the hook!

We want to thank each and every one of you for listening to the podcast!

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