Starting and growing your email list might seem insignificant in the throes of trying to manage your home life and attract more clients at the same time. But what if I told you that your email list has the potential to make or break your business in the long term?
It’s true. And that’s exactly why we’re talking today about email marketing and how it can help you grow your online business – now and into the future, without sacrificing your family life.
Sound like something you want? Let’s get started.
Links for This Episode
- Schedule your Mama Business Strategy Session
- Enroll in the Mama Business Blueprint
- Join the Mama Business Community
Podcast Episode Recommendations
- #26: 7 Online Marketing Tools I Use as a Busy Mom + One I Don’t
- #22: How to Create a Sales Funnel That Actually Works
- #17: 4 Emails to Send to Your BIGGEST Fans this Month
5 Benefits of Email Marketing for Online Businesses
Well hey there and welcome back to another episode of the podcast! Or welcome if you are new here! Either way I’m so happy that you are joining me as we discuss one of my favorite marketing strategies. And truly, if you aren’t using email marketing in your business yet – or if you are just starting out – this is a must do right now type of thing. Seriously, there’s no time like the present. So grab a pen and paper because you are definitely going to want to take notes.
What is Email Marketing?
Before we go any further, though, let’s talk a little bit about what email marketing is. Because, I’m well aware that any time you add the word marketing to something, it can start to sound a little intimidating. But I promise, it’s not.
Email marketing is essentially someone – your potential or current client or customer AND your mom, because the mom is always the biggest fan, right? Anyway, that person says, “yes I want to hear what you are up to, I want to hear all about your product or service, I want to get your free resources…” or something similar. Whatever their exact response might be – it’s along the lines of “you are awesome and I want to hear from you.”
So, they sign up to hear from you.
Then, if all goes well – they actually DO hear from you. You don’t just collect their email address and do nothing with it. You send emails consistently.
So, the best thing about email marketing is that each and every time you send an email it’s going directly into the inbox of someone who WANTS to hear from you. And, if you listened to episode ___ about sales funnels, you know exactly how important that is.
How Can Email Marketing Boost Business?
So, now that we know what email marketing is – in it’s simplest form, let’s chat about a few ways email marketing can benefit your business – no matter whether you are just starting out or have been going strong for years.
Awareness
The first way is when it comes to getting someone to understand what you do and why it helps them. Ideally, if someone has signed up for your email list they did so for a reason. Typically it’s because you were running a special and they wanted that coupon code OR they found a free resource of yours that they get in exchange for their email address. Whatever it is, they chose to exchange their email address for something from you.
And that’s amazing.
But once they are on your list – that makes them a warm lead. Someone who wanted something you provide – even if it was free – which means that they are likely an ideal client that would also benefit from your paid offer.
And because they are on your email list, you can continue to educate them. This could come in the form of helping them understand how your offer can solve their problem, poking at their pain points, and even offering them additional resources to help them get closer to their goal, whatever that might be. Either way, your – hopefully!!! – weekly emails give them a clearer picture of who you are, what your company represents, and why they should choose to work with you.
Engagement
The second way that email marketing can help boost your business is by encouraging engagement and this can be in any form. Have a new podcast episode? An email to your list can remind them to listen in. The same goes for any other content you might create. Blog posts, videos, etc. Anything that’s going to help get them closer to the result they want. That’s service. And it sets you up as someone they can really trust to show up for them, even if they aren’t quite ready to open their wallet yet.
Additionally, if you are offering a new product, service, course, or any other type of paid offering, you can get the word out quickly to those that are not only your ideal clients, but have signed up to hear from you.
My favorite part of all of this is that when you build a list and you serve week after week after week, people can’t wait to buy from you. And when you have an email marketing strategy in place, then you can do just that.
So, the first way email marketing can boost your business is by creating awareness and the second way is by promoting engagement. And that brings us to the third way which is automation.
Automation
Whew. Sometimes when I use that word my mind immediately goes to robots and other things that are cold and have no personality. But that’s exactly what makes email marketing so special. Let’s say that Jane comes onto your list because she wanted a freebie you offer. You send her the freebie, but you want to also help her become more aware of who you are and what your business stands for in the hopes that she’ll become a paying client.
But…you don’t have the time to send an email to her every day or every few days because she is not the only person on your list.
Enter an email automation. You can create a series of emails – personalized by you for your ideal client. Then, you can schedule them to send out over the course of a week or even several week timeline after Jane subscribes. You set it up once, and not only does she receive it, but so does everyone else that signs up for your list. This is referred to as an introductory email sequence.
Sure, it might be automated but, because you took the time to create it yourself, it reflects exactly what you want to share about yourself, your business, and might even offer some insight into why Jane herself (or anyone else on your list) should choose to work with you sooner rather than later.
Then, at the end of that email sequence, you can add Jane to your general email list and send her your regular emails – those blog post and podcast updates and sales emails, etc. – on a regular basis.
So, automation is definitely a great way to increase awareness and engagement from the newest people on your list, and it’s a set and forget type of strategy. Meaning that, unless something’s changed, you don’t have to go back and do much to it.
Another way you can use automation is when it comes to client or customer purchases. Need someone to fill out a form every time they become a new client? You can create an email, link to that form, and add them to a segment of your list so that they automatically get the next steps.
Just something to consider.
Re-Engagement
Okay, the next way that you can use email marketing to boost your business is when it comes to re-engaging past or present clients or customers. These are people that have already paid you for your product or service. The thing is that once you have a paying client , it’s significantly less work to keep that person then it is to go out there and get new paying clients. So, that’s where email marketing can come in handy.
I’m sure we will have a full episode about the logistics of making this work in the future, but depending on your business structure, you might offer current clients a deeper dive into a mastermind course or something that’s just for them once they’ve completed a previous course. For those that have purchased products, you might share a sale that you have going on for refills of whatever they purchased.
The sky is the limit with this, but don’t think that just because someone has already purchased from you – that they won’t do it again.
Top of Mind
The last benefit of email marketing that I’m going to share today, because honestly there are too many to fit into this one episode. Anyway, that last benefit is that when you send out weekly updates – or even monthly if that’s all you can manage – you stay top of mind with your followers.
That means that even if you are starting out and don’t yet have a paid product, you can serve them and they will remember that when you do have something to offer that they should open their wallets for.
Staying top of mind also means that if they run into someone that needs what you have to offer, you are the one that comes to mind, rather than the person who’s name they can’t remember and don’t even know is still in business.
So, email marketing – consistent email marketing – can be super effective for staying top of mind. I don’t know about you, but that alone is worth it to me.
Take Action and Reap the Benefits of Email Marketing for Your Business
Alrighty – whew. That was a lot of information, right? But I really hope that if you haven’t started your email list yet, that you now understand exactly how critical having this list can be for the future growth of your business.
Let’s quickly recap those five ways it can help boost your business:
- Awareness
- Engagement
- Automation
- Re-Engagement
- Top of Mind.
And with that we’ve come to the action part of this episode. And you know me, I love action, because action is where the dreams become the reality.
Today’s action step is this: Prioritize starting or engaging with your email list.
Honestly, most of the business owners I speak with say that their one regret or one of their top regrest starting out is that they didn’t start their email list sooner. Why? Because the longer you wait, the more people you miss out on having on that list. So…even if you don’t have a paid offer just yet, get that list started so they are ready and waiting when you do. And if you do have a list, but aren’t using it to it’s fullest potential, then now’s the time to do so.
And…here’s the deal. If you aren’t sure where to start – don’t worry. Join me on the next podcast episode and I’ll walk you step by step through exactly what you need to do to get started with email marketing. Click subscribe now so you don’t miss it!
Until then…just know that I’m cheering you on. You’ve got this mama. Have an awesome day!
