How to Serve your Email List
Last week we talked about how to start your email list, but what do you do with them once they opt-in?
Having people on your email list is a powerful sales tool, but we can't only sell to them. People will quickly start to ignore your emails or unsubscribe if every single one is just about something you're selling. Instead, offer them free content, tips, tricks, or inspiration instead of another sales pitch.
I recently made a Free Pinterest Checklist as a freebie, and while I WILL be adding that as an opt-in to get people to subscribe, it was a no brainer for me to send that to the people who have already committed to me. I'm not going to make them jump through hoops and re-opt in; I want to SERVE them and provide valuable content so that next time I am selling something, they're interested.
I'll be the first to admit that I neglect my email list.
It's easy to do, I know. You want to show up in people's inbox enough so that you're top of mind, but not so much that you're annoying. I have always struggled with this balance, and I tend to lean towards "less is more" in terms of emails. I don't take it lightly that people share their email address with me, and the last thing I want is to blow up their inbox with content they don't care about. Instead of sending a weekly email, I opt for a monthly email. If we're honest though, I don't stick to any rule here. Sometimes it's every couple of weeks; sometimes it's a little more than a month.
The number one thing for me is that I don't want my email list to be a stressor for me. I think a lot of people can relate to. I serve them when I can, share my newest freebie and blog posts, and of course, any sales that I have goes.
Here are some ideas for ways you can serve your email list!
Freebies
Share a download, checklist, or an exclusive look inside your product that is going to add value. For Twocan, I mentioned the Pinterest Checklist, and for CZ Invitations, I have a Free Wedding Planner that I offer to brides. The Free wedding planner is my opt-in that converts at over 45%. Between the pop-up on the page and the embedded forms, I get a whopping 46.19% conversion rate, meaning that 46.19% of people that land on that page, end up opting in. That's an outstanding conversion rate.
Giveaways
Whenever I host a giveaway, whether on Instagram or otherwise, one of the steps I require is opting in to my email list. Going back to the last blog post, why you need an email list and how to start one, you'll remember that email marketing is up to 40x more effective than social media.
If you're hosting a giveaway, let your subscribers be the first to know! Make it super easy for them to enter the giveaway, maybe have them simply click a button, which will tag them for the giveaway. (we'll get to this more in-depth in the next post!) But I use Convertkit because it has crazy good features that help you segment your audience and make the most of your list. I switched from MailChimp for both my businesses, and it has really upped my email game. More on this next week! If you want to check out ConvertKit in the meantime, here's my affiliate link.
Hacks
Life hacks, program hacks, workarounds, tips, and tricks, these are free things you can share with your audience. This could be a new way to use your product or a look at how other people are using it. For me, I share Pinterest and Tailwind tips and tricks, things that I have learned over the years or that might be industry-specific, things that not your average person would know. It can be about how you manage your time, what apps you are currently loving, anything you think might be beneficial to someone.
Everything you send isn't going to be beneficial to every single person on your list, and that's okay. These emails will help someone, and someone out there NEEDS to hear what you have to say.
Recent blog posts
Share with your email list what you shared with the rest of the world! Add a personal story or send a list of your favorite blog posts on the same topic. If they like this one, maybe they want more.
Upcoming or exclusive sales
I believe that your email list should get exclusive sales. They have given you access to their inbox and giving them exclusives is the least that you can do. It doesn't always have to be a sales pitch, either. But guess what? These people are on your list because they like what you are doing and selling, so when you have a sale just for them, they're going to want to hear about it!
Tough love and inspiration
You can add value without giving them a damn thing. Laney's current "Tough Love Tuesday" series that she hosts on Instagram stories is a good example of adding free value without sending a physical item or coupon code. If you’re sharing these things with your Instagram or Facebook following, why not your email list?
Maybe you've learned something from your years in the business, and you want to share that to make their lives easier. Something I always need a pep-talk on is not comparing myself to others. Whatever you feel like you need to share, can add value to people. Jenna Kutcher sends out emails every week, and a lot of them are just validating that where you are, your journey, everything, is okay. You never know who needs to here a pep talk, and if you're feeling inspired to share then you list is an excellent place to do that.
Okay, okay, but what if you want to sneak a few sales-y things in these emails? I think that's okay, but remember to serve more than you sell. A great way to slip these smaller sales items is with affiliate marketing. When I give tailwind tips, I, of course, link tailwind with my affiliate link. I mean look, I'm even going to do it here to show you how it's done.
If you send this fantastic tip or life hack, and they want to start using this service because of what YOU said, you deserve to get a little chunk of that sale! I personally don't think anything negative about affiliate marketing. I love sharing tools that make my life easier, so getting paid to do that is freaking cool. I would be sharing these things whether I got paid for them or not, so why not get a few bucks!?
If you're sharing a product or service, it only makes sense to link it so people can get to it later. If you want people's lives to be easier, then make it easy for them to find! Adding an affiliate link is nothing to be ashamed of.
So you can *sell* while adding really good value to people's lives.