Good Reasons For You To Start An Email List
First and foremost your email list belongs to you and no one can take it from you. If this isn't a good enough reason for you then someone better let me know because I am at a loss to find a better one.
Second and hardly outdone by the first is the fact that this is your best method for keeping in contact with your people. While some people say the money is in the list, I subscribe to the money is in your relationship with your list.
You Need An Email List!
Lately, everyone has been pushing the list building "you need an email list" message. I mentioned in my last blog post that I was one of those slow to accept that message. My guess is that some of my reasons are the same as they are for others. Beginning with hey, I have a list. Now! what am I supposed to do with it? Well, listen up and make no mistake about it, this is an extremely important point. If you have managed to get people onto your list they must hear from you soon. Before they forget who you are, or what it was about you that they liked, or why they signed up for it in the first place. How do I know? Because I lost 5 or 6 people a couple months ago, before I sent out my first newsletter, and that really hurts when you only had 15 people signed up, to begin with.
So if you haven't begun your list yet, then consider what goals you want to accomplish with it, or what your business needs are. How about new clients lining up for your service based business? Maybe you want engagement of a more personal nature with your audience? Do you want to be able to send them exclusive coupons to upcoming sales for your product based business? People want to be on your VIP list and get the bargains before anyone else. It makes us feel special, and we all want that. Maybe you have designed a challenge for your people, or an offer of a free email course for them, either of which is a great lead-in to your paid digital products. Well, your email list makes all of these things possible, but only if you use it properly.
Newsletters Can Be Much More Personal Than Your Blog
The easiest way to use that email list is through the sending of a newsletter. Your newsletter allows you to share more of your personality. It is here in small increments where you allow your followers to get to know you, give them a peek into your life, your world, and business. Here your voice shines through touching people, and where that know like trust process gets a major shot in the arm. Your newsletter is also a more informal place to ask your audience to share something of themselves with you. Having already mentioned your dog is named 1900, you can look forward to someone telling you about their oddly named pet, or why they raise guppies. The more authentic and real you are the more likely people are to respond, and those responses are gold. It's relationships you are building here, not rocket science.
Let's not forget what your goal is here. You need to help people with their problem. Whether it's a problem they know, and can't seem to get past, or one they aren't even aware of yet. They signed up for your newsletter because they believed you could be of help to them. I hear a lot of "people come for the info and they stay for you" floating around lately. But a fluffy newsletter just doesn't cut it any longer. People have enough stuff filling up they're inboxes these days, and are much quicker to hit that unsubscribe button than they were a few short years ago. So you absolutely must offer exceptional value or they won't "stay for you" for very long.
What Kind Of Value Can You Share With Your Audience?
1. | Why, you can share the top umpteen posts you read last week in a curated newsletter. (I recommend no more than 5-8 posts so as not to overwhelm)
2. | How about a nugget or two of new information or a new method of doing an old something? (make it actionable)
3. | Maybe you want them to read your latest blog post. (especially good if it has a content upgrade)
4. | How about whipping up excitement for your upcoming webinar?
5. | Give them access to your latest content upgrades.
6. | And yes, you will be pitching your products sometimes.
It's imperative that you give your subscribers reasons to look forward to opening up your newsletter but make sure that the above suggestions fit your overall goals. An unopened newsletter is a missed opportunity, so remember to entertain, educate, and above all else be of benefit to them.
So May I Just Add A Little Something?
No one is in any doubt that social media is an awesome way for you to extend the reach of your brand, and you should absolutely be using social media for your business. With so many ways for you to share your message, one or more platforms, are bound to be a good fit for you. Unfortunately, in an effort to keep themselves current,relevant, and useful, the social media platforms can, and do, change their algorithms occasionally. This makes it impossible for you to depend on always reaching your fans in the same way next month, let alone next year. Not to mention, if you break one their rules you can be barred from that platform. Still, if you play nice, there is plenty of goodness to be had when you leverage the power of social media for your blog/ business.
Have a lovely first weekend of fall and know that I envy anyone living far enough North to notice a difference already. It's just plain hot here in South Florida.
If there is something you want to know please ask, or if there is something you want to tell I'm all ears.
