If you're a creative entrepreneur or blogger, you may not have given much thought to creating an email list. "Isn't that for big retailers and marketers with product launches?" you might ask.
While email is certainly for those people, it's FOR YOU too.
Email is one of the most effective ways for any brand, Etsy shop owner, or blogger to connect with their readers, fans, and customers. Today on the podcast, I hope I can bring that point home!
The purpose here isn't just to convince you that having an email list is important, but to hold your hand and show you how easy it can be to set up that list and start growing it. You can SO do this!
On second thought, holding hands feels a little weird. Why don't we just chat in the kitchen while our kids wreak havoc around us? That's a more realistic picture.
(P.S. I fully expect some hugs and high-fives a year from now when everyone reading this has a thriving email list. Nope, it doesn't matter how much you complain or drag your feet, we're doing this, and as I love to tell Holden: the sooner you start the sooner you'll be done and you can go play!)
On the podcast:
- Startling stats on the effectiveness of email marketing (it's not dead... not even close!)
- 4 Places on your Site where your Email Opt-in Box should be
- 5 Ideas to Help you Create that Irresistable Opt-in Offer
Stats on Email Marketing (convinced, yet?)
- "91% of consumers check email at least once per day." (ExactTarget)
- Email open rates average 18-30% depending on your Industry (MailChimp)
- Compare this to 5% of your Twitter followers viewing one of your tweets (on average) or 6% of your Facebook fans seeing one of your posts. (Andrew Bruce Smith & TechCrunch)
- "For every $1 spent on email marketing, the average return on investment is $44.25" (Experian Email Marketing Study)
4 Places Where Your Email Opt-in Box Belongs
- Your Homepage (If possible, put your opt-in box in the header area, if that's not possible, put it at the top of your sidebar. For etsy shop owners, this means putting a link to your opt-in in the header of your shop.)
- About-Me Page (This is one of the most-viewed pages on your site. On it, you've hopefully explained the benefits of readers being there, amp things up by giving them an added benefit - a great freebie as an email opt-in. Sarah and I are STILL working on our About page. . . . . shame, shame, I know your name!)
- Designated Landing Page just for your email offer (2 Things are achieved with this one. Eliminate distractions by making it VERY clear what you want your reader to do. Second, you can create some great images that talk about your amazing opt-in and then share, pin, and tweet those out so that others will head on over and opt-in. Here's our landing page.)
- The End of Every Post (Readers who make it all the way to the end are engaged. They're interested in what you have to say. This is the perfect time to offer them something more. Better yet, if you're able, create an offer that's unique to that post's content. Example, a post on photography tips could end with an offer for a checklist to ensure you snap great photos every time.)
5 Ideas for a Compelling Opt-in Offer
- Resource List (Clay Collins of LeadPages says that when they analyze the data from the millions of Leadpages in their system, the ones that perform best aren't necessarily the biggest or most valuable, they're just the ones that readers perceive as the most useful. Everyone wants shortcuts, so if you offer a concise list of the tools that other successful people are using, that's a slam dunk. You don't have to be in the business space to do this. It could be a list of photography props and equipment, or the tools you use to refinish furniture. Your video course or e-book might be amazing, but everyone is short on time, so they may choose not to opt-in simply because they won't have time to consume the content.)
- Guest Post, then Offer a Related Opt-In on Your Site (Abby did this by posting on MoneySavingMom about her Home Binder and then offering a step-by-step guide on creating labels in Word as her opt-in. She had just convinced her new readers that staying organized was important, so of course they wanted to grab her free tool that would help them to stay organized.)
- Give Away part of the Product for Free (Jocelyn gave away a month of Library Lesson plans for free. Victoria is giving away a chapter of her YA novel for free. In both cases, the offer helps you to gauge interest in your product and create fans who are excited and ready to buy when your product is finally available. Those who sign up can give you valuable feedback as you hone your product as well.)
- Checklist (Again, this is a stream-lined, time-saving, super-helpful kind of offer. Provide a checklist for starting a blog, or the simple things every mom can do each day to stay sane. There are a million possibilities, and I just know there's a checklist that relates to your niche.)
- Comparison Chart (Once again, you're compiling information in a concise way that can be insanely helpful to your readers. They don't have time to sift through tons of blog posts. Provide everything they need to pick a Photo editing program or the right tools for creating incredible artwork.)
Resources mentioned:
SPI 78: Rapid List-Building with Clay Collins of LeadPages
The Nathan Barry Show Episode 2: Email Marketing with James Clear, Brennan Dunn, and Corbett Barr
Derek Halpern Twitter versus Email Experiment (you have to watch the video to hear about it)
What do you think? Are you convinced that your email list is important? If you have questions on getting started, putting your opt-in box on your site, or creating a great offer, don't worry! We'll be tackling email marketing for the next two weeks of 52 Weeks to a Better Business. Join us, we'd love to have you!
~ Beth Anne
