Email Marketing 101: 5 Steps to Get Started without Feeling Overwhelmed

Sarah Brumley

Sarah Brumley

When it comes to achieving success in your business over the long-term, an email marketing strategy is exactly the right place to start.

In fact, most business owners tell me that the one thing they regret most when they were just starting out is that they didn’t start their email list sooner. Don’t let that be you!

Join me today as we chat about the basics of getting your list up and off the ground – so that you can continue to grow and scale your business dream in the years to come.

Ready to get started? Then let’s do it.

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Email Marketing 101

Well, hey there and welcome back to another episode of the Mama Business Podcast. This is going to be an action filled episode, so make sure you grab a piece of paper and a pen because you’ll definitely want to take notes. Or, if you are out on a walk or taking the kids to school, then go ahead and listen, but come back to this episode when it’s time to implement. Because, if you’ve been with me long, you know that action is where the dreams become the reality. And you want that dream to become reality, right?

I thought so.

With no further ado, then, let’s jump into the nitty gritty of getting your email list up and running with five steps for success.

Step #1: Engage An Email Platform That Grows With You

The first step in this process is to engage an email marketing platform that will work for you now, but also grow with you in the future. This platforms should allow you to:

  • Create sign up pages and forms
  • Create custom designed emails
  • Create automations and sequences
  • Segment your subscribers
  • Tag subscribers
  • Track metrics

…among the very least.

Over my years of working with clients with their email marketing as well as running my own business, I’ve used a lot of different platforms including, but not limited to:

  • ConvertKit
  • ActiveCampaign
  • MailerLite
  • Mailchimp
  • Flodesk
  • AWeber

…and a few others I can’t remember off of the top of my head.

Honestly, I can’t recommend ConvertKit enough. It’s user friendly – a lot of email marketing platforms are not – and their customer service is amazing. Plus, they have a free plan up to 300 subscribers and their paid plan is very competitive for all of the features offered.

So. Step one is to pick an email marketing platform that will grow and scale with you. ConvertKit will do that and if you use my link sarahbrumley.com/convertkit, you can get a free trial as well.

Step #2: Set Up A Landing Page or Form for Sign Up

The second step is to set up a landing page or a form so that people can actually sign up. Most email marketing platforms have this as an option. If yours doesn’t, it might be worth switching to one that does just for ease of use.

A landing page is simply a page that a person can “land on” that has information about what they are signing up for. Then, there is a form – a place for them to enter their name and email address – and actually submit that to be added to your email list.

If you want to check out an example of mine, you can head to sarahbrumley.com/goals and you can see what a landing page looks like.

Now, a lot of people prefer to embed a form directly on their website and this is a good option as well. This form is something that will be created within your email marketing platform, preferably ConvertKit, and then you’ll be able to copy a bit of code and add it to your website page or even a pop-up form.

Personally, I find that having the link to a landing page makes it easier for myself and those I’m sharing it with, but there is a time and a place for both.

Okay. So that’s step 2, which brings us to step 3, which is to determine why people will subscribe to your list.

Step #3: Determine WHY People Will Subscribe

Are they subscribing because you are simply awesome and they can’t wait to hear from you about anything and everything you might have to say? While this might be true for some people, it’s not always the best approach.

Instead, you may want to offer something in exchange for their email address. This could come in the form of a freebie you create – like a top 10 list or a worksheet or something to that effect. You could also offer a coupon code in exchange for their email sign up. You may also get people excited by sending out tips or tutorials in your emails each week. That alone could make it worth it for someone to give you their email address.

None of this is necessary, but it does make it easier to get people to commit to your list. Plus it makes it easier for you to do step 4 which is to share your email list sign up link.

Step #4: Share Your Email List Sign Up Link

The idea of “if you build it they will come” does not apply here. If you build it and tell no one about it, they will not come. So, you have to tell them. Where and how you do this can vary depending on your business type and what you are offering in exchange for their email address.

Have a freebie for achieving goals as a busy mama in business? Share that in your blog posts, podcast episodes, create a Pinterest pin, add it to your Facebook story, or wherever else you might hang out. Make sure to let your potential subscriber know what amazing thing they are going to get in exchange for their email address.

Now, before you back away from this episode because you definitely don’t want to promote yourself and your email list – stop right there. You have an offer that someone needs. They need it to change their life. And they can’t have what you offer if you don’t share it. So don’t be selfish. Share about your email list so that they can get engage more with you and what you have to offer them.

This applies to you as well if you have an email list that’s been sitting for awhile. Get it back up and going by sharing a new freebie or incentive to get people on it and even sharing it with their friends.

Step #5: Start Emailing + Create a Consistent Schedule

And that brings us to step 5 in this process and the final step we are going to chat about today. And that’s to start emailing your subscribers on a consistent schedule.

Now, let me just be clear. This starts when you have ONE subscriber…and I don’t care if that subscriber is your mom. Because, the truth is that no one knows how many people you have on your list except you. But if you treat your small list like it’s not good enough and practice that thought process long enough, it’ll carry through your entire business career. So, whether you have ONE person or 5,000 – treat them like your biggest fans. Because they absolutely are.

And if you are looking for ideas of things to share with your biggest fans – then check out episode ___. I give you several ideas for things you can send to your email list this month to create engagement and serve them well so that they can’t wait to open their wallets for your next big offer.

As with anything in business, consistency is key. So, create a plan now for how often you’ll email your fans AND you might even want to create a plan for how often you’ll share your email list with whatever platform you like best.

Action turns dreams into reality, but consistent action gets you to that reality a heck of a lot quicker. So, make a plan and stick to it.

Get Your Email Marketing Strategy Started Today

And while I’d love to say there’s ONE specific action you can take from this episode, I just don’t believe that’s true. This entire episode is a guide to help you get that email list off the ground. So, maybe that alone is the action step? Get your email list off the ground.

Do it. Because the sooner you do, the sooner you’ll see those big results you are looking for in your business – without sacrificing your family life at the same time.

I know from personal experience that I am more likely to accomplish what I set out to do if I am accountable to someone. So DM me on Instagram and share your email list link (once you’ve created it) as well as why your ideal client should definitely be on it. Honestly, I want to cheer you on throughout the process but you never know when I’ll run into someone that needs the EXACT thing you offer. I can’t share if I don’t know, right?

And…until next time. Have an amazing day.

Before we call it quits today, I just wanted to remind you that spots are limited for the Mama Business Mastermind launching in January 2023. If you have big dreams for the upcoming year – this is your opportunity to achieve them, with the support of a community of likeminded mamas. So, if you want to 10x your business growth in 2023, get your application in at sarahbrumley.com/mastermind. The future you will be so happy you did. Once again, you can submit your application at sarahbrumley.com/mastermind or follow the link in the show notes.

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