Today on the blog we’re going to talk about newsletters. Now I know you probably think that newsletters are the “end all, be all” of building your email list, but I hear me out.
Now before you write me off as a complete crazy, let me ask you a question. I want you to answer it honestly.
When you sign up for a newsletter, are you really interested in what that particular business is up to?
Really?? What if they go on and on about what they’re doing? Do you think you’ll keep opening their emails? Chances are you probably won’t…unless that information is beneficial to you.
My friends, this is the KEY! Make sure that the information that you are including in your “newsletter” benefits your clients.
A lot of us create these lists in hopes that our clients will sign up and opt in, so that we will be able to ask them to buy from us when we are ready to sell them something.
The issue is that we really aren’t considering what our clients want.
So many gurus out there are telling us to start an email list – and they’re right! Here’s the key thing though: Your newsletter is not going to have as much traction as something that is specifically geared towards what your client needs.
Let me offer you an idea about what to do instead: create something of value for your potential newsletter subscribers.
It could be a PDF, a video training, or a webinar that will offer them a whole lot of amazing content (for free!) for signing up for your newsletter.
Just don’t necessarily call it a newsletter, please!
I have visions of a school newsletter that’s sent to parents telling them when the next bake sale is! But maybe that’s just me! That’s not exactly something your ideal customers are going to latch on to!
Instead, offer your clients something that they’re actually going to want to engage with! If they are willing to let you come into their inbox every week, then the least you can do is give them something in exchange.
Here are a few important things to keep in mind when it comes to email lists:
1. Offer your clients some kind of training as mentioned above
Make sure this training is geared specifically towards your services. Chances are that they will be interested in the services that you offer if they see that you have a training that they’re interested in!
2. Offer your client some kind of money saving incentive
This could be as simple as access to sales, a discount code, or something of that nature. Heck, yes, I’d sign up for an email list if I knew I could be saving money on something that I was interested in buying!
3. Continually provide value to your email list
I may sound like a broken record here, but if you are not offering regular value to your email subscribers, then they are not going to be as inclined to work with you once you do ask them to buy.
4. Keep your emails short and sweet, and make them easily scannable
Do not go on and on writing a big block of text with no bullet points and expect your readers to hang on every word. They’ll probably make it through the first couple paragraphs before looking for an escape route! It’s up to you to find ways to draw them into reading your content. Make it scannable!
5. Include a PS at the end of your emails
You may notice people doing this lately and wondering why. Well, it’s because most people (like me and probably you), don’t actually read the body of an email if it’s a huge block of text, and you’ll just skim over it. Your PS should summarize everything you said in your email and include a direct call to action.
6. Don’t stress about open rates and all of that jazz!
It’s more important that you are ending up in people’s inboxes regularly. If they see you in there, they’re not sick of your name popping up. It’s totally possible that they just may not be interested in purchasing from you now. But that doesn’t mean that they couldn’t become interested in the future, though! They want to make sure they still keep you around just in case.
I know building an email list is a slow process!
I’m not one of those people with a list of 100,000 subscribers just yet. Someday I will be if I keep at it. You will be too! Let’s support each other and cheer each other on as we work towards our goals.
Tell me the best tip you’ve heard when it comes to building a list in the comments. I’m all ears!
