As you've probably noticed, there are many ways to grow your online business. There are so many ways in fact, that you can easily become confused and overwhelmed. If you're feeling a little overwhelmed, you'll love this post. Today we'll show you how to incorporate a free resource that goes a long way toward helping to grow your business. Instead of adding to the confusing array of marketing options, we'll discuss the simple email as one of the best ways to grow your business.
While email advertising has been around for a while, it continues to be one of the most effective marketing methods available, earning businesses an average of $36 to $40 for every $1 invested, according to multiple studies.
As a business owner, it’s important to start collecting emails as one of the first steps you take when you start your business. Once started, you should constantly add new contacts to your lists so that you can talk to more and more people about your business.
This is how successful online businesses create the know, like and trust factor that is so crucial if you want to reach your business goals.
One of Your Biggest Assets
Believe it or not, an email list is a business asset that starts as a list, grows into an audience and expands to an entire community or ecosystem of people that you can communicate with on a regular basis.
The goal is to provide consistent value and insight about the things that matter to your audience. When you provide value you reap the reward that goes along with growing your business.
And with all the positive benefits email marketing provides it's one of the best growth opportunities that a lot of new business owners miss out on.
Here's Our List of Email Marketing Tips
Here are some of our best tips for starting and growing your business using email marketing:
1. There's no time like the present to start collecting emails
If you haven't started already, now is the time to get started with email marketing. And the good news is that you can get started for free!
If you have a WordPress site, you can start collecting emails with a few plugins and tools. For example, we use Thrive Leads, a robust WordPress tool that enables you to collect emails in a variety of different ways to suite a variety of needs.
If you don't have a site, watch this video to see how easy it is to use a free landing page with an email marketing system to grow your business.
Once you've started email marketing, the tips in this article will help you obtain tips that will help you grow.
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2. Actively promote your email list
Once you start collecting emails, the work doesn't stop there. If you're not constantly promoting your email list, you won't experience the growth you need to reach your business goals.
For example, you may lose people due to disinterest (they were interested, but their goals have shifted so they unsubscribe), you may have email addresses that no longer work, and people may unsubscribe for a number of other reasons.
Use a strategy that helps you grow by setting up an email marketing system that allows you to consistently attract more people who want your content. Then just consistently send people to your "system" using social media platforms like Facebook, TikToc, X (also known as Twitter), Pinterest and more.
You'll want to make signing up for your list as easy as possible. Now is not the time to get fancy with complicated sign up forms. Add a standard link to your list or opt-in form that appears on your blog posts, in your shop or on your product pages. Include a link in any groups you administer and make sure people are signing up to attend your webinars and participate in contests.
Include pop ups (but not too many because they can become annoying), floating sign up forms and quizzes that require a sign up to get the answers.
3. Provide an incentive for signing up for your list
Give potential customers a reason to subscribe to your email list. Include incentives (also called lead magnets, free resources, freebies, etc.) include things like a video, case study, an eBook, webinar, digital product, discount and more.
Keep in mind that you want your free resource to be something of value to your audience that they can use to reach their goals and improve their lives in some way.
For information, hacks and resources you can use to create a lead magnet check out our free tutorial.
4. Create email content your audience can't wait to receive
This is where knowing your audience and what they are looking for comes in handy. You might be asking how would you know what your audience is looking for?
To know what your audience is looking for, just ask. You can do things like conduct informal surveys, polls and questionnaires. To get the best results, don't make your surveys super complicated. Ask one burning question at a time, like "what is your biggest challenge when it comes to _______?".
Multiple choice questions are easiest to answer, but you can also request a short paragraph to get their unique perspective on things they need to accomplish their goals.
You can also perform market research into your niche and industry to learn what people in those niche areas are looking for.
Checking in on social media (live Q&A, groups and forums) is another great way to get feedback from your audience on a variety of subjects.
Create an Email Marketing System for Free
Watch this video to learn how to create a simple email marketing system using aWeber's landing page that is included with their free email marketing plan. Click the button below the video to learn more and get started.
5. Segment your email list
Segmenting your list is a great way to give people specific solutions that help them solve problems and avoid major challenges when trying to accomplish various tasks.
When you send emails that specifically address what people sign up for, you know that you are delivering value for your audience.
For example, if someone signed up for your list that talks about building furniture, you know that the people on that list are interested in the topic.
You can send them emails about a variety of topics related to building furniture, like the best equipment to use, the best types of materials, different styles of furniture, sell them digital diagrams and patterns and more.
6. A/B Test Your sign up forms, calls to action and subject lines
Performing A/B testing is like running a comparison between two items like landing pages, sign up (opt-in) forms, calls to action and subject lines. In your test, you would want to test two of the same types of things to see which one gives you the best results.
So for example you would test two subject lines that provide similar messages. You would change a term, keyword or the order of the words, or maybe place emphasis on a set of words to differentiate one subject line from the other.
Then you would set up an A/B test and let it run for a period of time to see which subject line receives more clicks and interaction. The version of the subject line that gets the most engagement would be the one you would use. This is called optimizing your content.
Testing is the best way to learn what's working for your audience. Did you know there are different types of sign up (opt-in) forms you can use depending on what you're trying to accomplish? For example there are floating pop ups, exit intent forms, 2 step opt-ins and standard opt-ins.
Watch this quick video to learn about various types of opt in forms and how they can be used to jazz up your sign up forms.
Different types of opt-in forms can come in handy and should be tested to see which ones work best for your unique audience.
It's also important to test subject lines and headlines to see which ones give you the best results. Using attention grabbing subject lines can make a huge difference when it comes to subscribers opening your email or not.
If you have a WordPress site, be sure to check out Thrive Optimize, an A/B testing tool that is included with Thrive Suite.
7. Always include a call to action
You should always have a call to action for your email list, like an image, a banner, a blurb that you say at the end of every video or podcast episode, and wording that asks readers to subscribe to your list.
For example, something like "if you received value from this content, please like and subscribe" and include a link or QR code that they can use to easily subscribe.
You should also have a welcome email (preferably a welcome series) that is "automatically" sent as soon as your subscriber hits the "subscribe" button.
8. Make emailing a priority
If growing your business is a top priority, (and it should be) you should make emailing your list a top priority. People who subscribe, should know when to expect your emails. If you send out valuable content on a regular basis, it can result in a higher open rate.
The goal is to have a list of people who know, like and trust your content. If they look forward to receiving your advice, insight and product recommendations, you will reap the benefits with more traffic, engagement, recommendations, interaction, leads and sales.
9. Make your emails responsive
Be sure to use email marketing providers that will make your emails responsive for a variety of different devices. People are consuming content on a variety of devices, including cell phones. Your emails should look good on any platform, whether it's small or large. If your emails are hard to read or sized in a way that makes your content hard to obtain, no one will read it and your subscribers may swindle.
10. Use automation tools to make sending easy
Use automation tools like Tailwind to make scheduling and sharing your content a breeze. You can schedule social media posts, products and services as well as calls to action that will encourage potential customers to subscribe to your email list, helping you reach a wider audience of people.
Use tools like ChatGPT to keep a flow of fresh ideas that you can use to promote your list. Keep in mind that the more you promote your list, the bigger your audience will become and the more people you can help.
11. Ask your subscribers to share and forward your emails
Ask your existing subscribers to share and forward your emails to anyone who might benefit from them.
Include an “Email to a Friend” button on your marketing emails. You would be surprised at how just asking can help you gain access to recipients' friends, family and colleagues to expand your list.
At the bottom of your emails, include a text-based link that says subscribe so that the people receiving the forwarded emails can easily opt-in too.
12. Collect emails at events
Be sure to collect emails at online or in-person events like trade shows, vendor events and craft fairs (by framing a QR code that people can scan with the cameras on their phones).
The QR code will take anyone who scans the code to your opt-in form that they can use to subscribe. Include QR codes on your social media banners to make it easy for followers to become subscribers.
To see how a QR code works, scan the image above by:
- Opening the camera on your phone or tablet
- Hold it over the QR code and it will scan the code
- Once it's scanned, you will see a button that shows our website.
- Click the button to see our opt in form
- You can view the form or sign up to receive our emails!
Include a QR code on your YouTube Channel banner, Facebook Page, Twitter and LinkedIn banners. If you have a link in bio or a Linktree account, add a link to your sign up form there as well.
If you host virtual events, be sure to create a banner that has a sign up link or QR code that attendees can scan to get on your list.
Access the free subscription flyer template shown above on Canva and add the link to your opt-in form, with your logo and website to make it your own. Once your flyer is complete, you can print and frame to use at your events.
13. Don't forget to mix it up
Providing one standard type of email will become boring and predictable, which could mean more unsubscribes. It's important to mix up the types of emails you send potential customers.
Types of emails to send your list can include recommendations, resources and tools you use to run your business, training (show them how to do something), stories, events, announcements, products from your shop, or new product or collections you're planning to roll out, new services you're offering and anything that will benefit your audience.
Every email doesn't have to be super long or mind boggling, just keep it simple and relate to your audience with valuable content.
For example, include a QR code on your YouTube Channel banner, Facebook Page, Twitter and LinkedIn banners. If you have a link in bio or a Linktree account, add a link to your sign up form there as well.
If you host virtual events, be sure to create a banner that has a sign up link or QR code that attendees can scan to get on your list.
14. Incorporate Social Sharing Buttons into Your Emails
Make it super easy for your existing subscribers to share your emails with their friends and family by including social sharing buttons.
These buttons will allow your subscribers to easily share your email newsletter not only with friends, family and colleagues but on their social media channels as well.
Maintaining Your List
While email marketing is a wonderful way to grow your audience, there will be a normal process called email decay that will set in. In other words, there will be a certain number of people who will unsubscribe from your list.
In addition to the normal decay that happens when people unsubscribe, from time to time, you'll want to purge your email list of people who are not opening your emails or interacting with your content.
This happens as a normal progression as people accomplish their goals and make the needed transformations that your business offers.
Before you purge your list, you can send out follow up emails that are designed to re-engage those subscribers who are not as active as they used to be. This gives them fair warning that they can re-establish the relationship if they want to keep receiving your messages.
Wrapping It Up
The goal is to ask your subscribers to help you spread the word by sharing your email newsletter and giving it a positive review.
That way once subscribers have left your list, you can continue to reap the benefits of helping their friends and family reach their goals.
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