Why you Need an Email List & How to Start one
Why you need an email list
Do you remember the last time Instagram went down and everyone talked about how “you don’t own your followers” and that you NEED an email list? Everyone starts pushing their courses on email lists and trying to convince you why email is king.
They’re not wrong, though. As annoying as that is for the few days that it is a hot topic for, they’re right about one thing. Email lists are essential for your business. According to this article, email marketing is up to 40x more effective than social media.
You’re up to 40 times more likely to make a sale when you send out an email than when you post on your stories.
Why is that? Well, it’s probably because only a small percentage of people actually see your posts on Instagram. Not only that, but people aren’t always on Instagram to make purchases. This is not to say that they don’t, but I don’t think that is most people’s end game when they open the app.
When people give you their email address, they’re giving you permission to slide right into their inbox and sell to them. 99% of consumers check their email every day, making it hard to miss that promotional email or special that you’re running this week. 99% of your Instagram followers or even your Facebook friends are not going to see your posts or stories. Thanks to the algorithm, only a fraction of people see your social media posts, making email marketing the most effective. Luckily, you don’t have to fight an algorithm to get into someone’s inbox.
Let’s get specific with millennials since everyone loves to talk about us. 73 percent of millennials prefer communications from businesses to come via email. If your audience wants to reach and sell to millennials, (there are 75 million millennials, so you probably do), then email is a great place to start.
If you don’t have an email list, it’s time to start considering starting one. Whether it’s sending out the occasional sale, or a series of lessons, or a freebie, people want to hear from you. If you’re just getting started, here are some suggestions to help start and grow your list.
How do you get people to opt-in?
Have a newsletter subscription
You can do this by having it in the footer of your website, or by making a landing page! Most email providers (like MailChimp, ConvertKit, etc.) offer free landing pages. You can make yourself a little page for people to opt into your list, even if you don’t have a website! You can also include a pop-up on your website. While I know some people hate pop-up ads, one of my pages has over a 40% opt-in rate thanks to the combination of an embedded form and a pop-up form. Clearly, they work whether people hate them or not.
Share a freebie
If you have a free download, ask your audience to share their email addresses for free access to your download! This is a great way to serve your audience and grab an email address from them.
Host a giveaway
Whenever I host a giveaway on Instagram, they have to go to our website and opt-in as well. It’s easier to track the entries, plus you gro your list while giving the freebie!
Add an Email sign up at check out
If you have a website, add a checkbox to checkout, letting people opt-in when they make a purchase. If someone is purchasing from you, you’re going to want them on your list! This allows you to serve them more and offer specials in case the way to buy again.
Have a sign-up sheet at live events
If you’re paying for a booth at a show, hosting a live event, or selling something in person, have a clipboard with a sign up where people can sign up for more! Another popular option is combining #3 and #5, to give away an item in person, and to sign up guests provide their email along with some information.
Email is one of the most effective ways to reach your audience, serve them, and sell to them. If you’re not convinced that email is an avenue to consider for your business, I’ve got three more blog posts coming all about email marketing and the powerful tool that it can be!
Next I’m talking all about how to serve your email list!