Are You Guilty of Email List Neglect?
Do you have a sad, neglected email list full of people who wanted to hear from you, but you rarely contact them? Or maybe you just never got round to setting up an email list?
If you’ve got active social media feeds then maybe your email list seems superfluous, but it’s really not. I want to encourage you to actively grow and engage with your email list, here's why.
1. You're In Control
On social media you’re borrowing someone else’s platform and playing by their rules, which can be changed at any time. What happens if the algorithm changes and your reach declines significantly? Or (for my Hong Kong friends this is particularly relevant) what happens if a social media platform gets banned from or chooses not to operate in your country?
Email is not going anywhere, and you have much greater control over how and what you deliver to your followers by email than you do on social media. You can write an essay or write just a few words, use as few or as many images of whatever size you want and you can choose from a huge range of email providers to find the one that suits you.
2. High Engagement
It is not unrealistic to get 30-50% open rate for your email list. Do you get a 30-50% engagement on your social media?
3. Emails Build Relationships
You can build relationships with your clients and leads through your emails. The format, length and design or your email is totally flexible, so you can express the personality and values of your business. Reading an email is a very direct connection and it's an opportunity to let people get to know you or your business better.
4. Automation, Work Once and Benefit Forever!
With automation, you can put in the work once, and have the results work for you for years. Spend some time creating an automatically triggered welcome and nurture sequence for your new subscribers and they will be getting to know you and your business while you are busy with other things. This really works well!
Plus, the moment when someone subscribes to your list is the best time to get them engaged with your business. A few months down the line they may have lost interest. Get in touch with them straight away, this is your opportunity to build a relationship.
5. This is Your Chance to Stand Out
So many small businesses do not actively engage their email list, or they do it badly, be the exception to this and you will really stand out from your competition!
What do you think? Love or hate email marketing? Let me know in the comments.
I hope you found this post useful! Let me know if you have any questions and subscribe to our email list for more digital marketing tips and ideas.