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email opens

Email Marketing: When the Opens are FALLING – Do THIS

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I’ve been an email marketer since the beginning of email marketing.  It’s just my jam.  I love writing, I love getting instant feedback – and yea, I’m not going to lie, I love seeing open rates in the 30’s and 40’s.

And then came Covid.  Everyone was Zoomed out and Emailed out.  There was very little room for fluff.  Unless it pertained to your job or your kid\’s homeschooling or staying in touch with a shut in loved one – no one wanted to look at another pixel on the screen.

My email open rates dropped – and dropped big time.  I even had some of my most loyal followers apologize to me that they haven’t been reading because well…life.

Here’s how I reacted:

  1. I added more emails.   If they missed one on Monday, they may get one on Thursday – or Friday.  I surely didn’t stop.  I ended up broadening my reach and collective open rates went up.  In other words – someone may not have read both Monday and Thursday – but they may have read one.  I’ll take it.
  2. I started videotaping my emails! Yes – you heard it.  I was always an email purist. If you don’t sign up for my list – you aren’t getting my email.  People do have time to listen to a short 3-5 minute video – so I did it.  Grab the replays on youtube.com/cindydonaldson.  I’m getting engagement from NON-email followers!  Double win.
  3. I didn’t judge or worry. I put on my big girl panties and my empathy hat – everyone is in the same boat. It’s not me.
  4. I didn’t change the structure or the time of my emails – my followers know my drill. Why add confusion?
  5. I encouraged followers to save them – toss them in a folder for later.
  6. I dumped in VALUE. Now wasn’t the time to sell them “stuff”  – it was the time to over-serve – I mean OVER SERVE.

I still 100% believe email marketing gives marketers the biggest bang for their buck – and that means brands.  The cost is in the time and creativity – oh and paying for a good platform, but the cost pales in comparison to a huge digital advertising campaign.

Here are my rules of engagement:

  1. Keep the subject line intriguing, genuine, and short. I love the 2-3 word ones.
  2. Keep it conversational – tell a damn story
  3. Tell them what the main goal is in the first paragraph
  4. Dump in the value
  5. End with something for them to do – a call to action
  6. For service businesses like mine – only sell a couple of times a year

It’s not that hard.  Write like you speak.  Don’t overthink it.

Email marketing isn’t going anywhere.  If you aren’t on my list – what are you waiting for?  Join HERE.

Email Marketing: When the Opens are FALLING – Do THIS Read More »

experience

How’s your Customer’s Experience?

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Ah, the customer experience. When you are the customer, it’s very easy to describe your experience with a business – what you liked, what you didn’t like, what you wish they did differently or did more of – the list goes on. However, as a business owner or employee – trying to figure out your customer’s experience – and making sure it’s a good one – can be really hard.

Let’s first define what “Customer Experience” actually means – it’s the impression your customers have of your brand as a whole throughout all aspects of the buyer\’s journey. It results in their view of your brand and impacts factors related to your bottom-line including revenue.

The two primary touchpoints that create the customer experience are people and products/services. Positive customer experiences are crucial to the success of a business – not only do you get loyal customers, but they can also refer you more business! There is no better marketing than a customer who is willing to promote your business for you via word of mouth and is a brand advocate.

Creating an excellent customer experience is something that you should obsess over.

When it comes to purchasing products and services, it’s not the business owner who has the power, it’s the buyer. Why? Because customers not only have the internet at their fingertips to research anything and everything, but they have options – usually both locally and online when it comes to purchasing products or services.

It’s not about getting just ONE sale from a customer, it’s about creating sticky customers – repeat buyers. If you want customers to continue doing business with you, then you need to provide a remarkable experience and make them WANT to continue doing business with you.

 How to you measure your customer experience?

  1. Send surveys – Use customer satisfaction surveys on a regular basis, and at meaningful times through the customer journey – to get insights into your customers’ experiences with your brand, people, and product/service. This is where that Net Promoter Score comes in handy! Analyzing NPS from multiple touchpoints across the customer journey will tell you what you need to improve and where you\’re providing an excellent experience already while showing customers you\’re listening to them and care about what they have to say.
  2. Look at customer trends – Look at your churn rate. How often and how many one and done customers do you have – and why? You need to understand if your rate of churn is increasing or decreasing and why so you can prevent it from continuing. Is it a faulty product, is your time to perform service to long, is it a bad employee experience, did they move, etc.
  3. Look at your FAQs and support tickets/returns. If you are constantly being asked the same questions from customers, be proactive, and put more information on your website or in your brick and mortar to make their experience better. Are you getting a lot of return requests or service issues about certain products/services? You need to analyze all this information and distill how you can make a streamlined and enjoyable experience for customers.

Want to make a great customer experience? Make a customer journey map, create buyer personas, establish a positive connection with customers, ask for and act on feedback, create helpful content, and build a community.

How’s your Customer’s Experience? Read More »

Mentor vs. Coach – What’s the Difference and Which do I Need?

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Whether you are stuck in a rut or crushing your goals – having a mentor or coach who helps you with your personal development can be a game-changer. The first step of course is finding someone you are comfortable talking to – but how do you know if you need a mentor or a coach – and what the heck is the difference?

A mentor or coach can support your drive for greater self-esteem, problem-solving skills, and enhanced confidence in managing challenges, especially in uncomfortable situations. But they really aren’t the same.

Mentoring is defined as “A process of direct transfer of experience and knowledge from one person to another”. We often think of a mentor as a seasoned professional who provides guidance and direction to a mentee—usually a junior–level person with similar interests who may aspire to the position of the mentor. The mentor has already achieved success within the industry and is voluntarily sharing their expertise with a colleague. This doesn’t just apply to the corporate world, if you are starting your own business, you may find a mentor who took a similar path to what you want to take or who is already in the industry you plan to work in. Mentors typically aren’t paid; they volunteer their time to help mentor others.

Coaching is defined as “A method of achieving set goals. A coach helps their clients achieve specific, immediate goals as defined by the organization or the client”. If you are an employee, your company may hire a coach to help you, but as an entrepreneur, you may hire a coach to help you with a specific goal or skill. You may hire a coach to help you launch a business, write a book, improve on your social media or writing skills, etc. Coaches are paid for their work because it’s their job – their main business is coaching others.

Key differentiators

Relationship: Mentoring is oriented around relationships – yes, you might focus on learning things and improving competencies, but over time it becomes more about the bond and rapport you develop vs. business issues.

Coaching is more task-oriented. A coach is there to help you become more proficient in certain areas or skills you are lacking – for example if you suck at doing presentations, you might hire a public speaking coach.

Drivers: Mentors are development-driven, focusing on the future by sharing their past experiences and what they learned to help the mentee.

Coaches are performance-driven, focusing on the present, and improving or acquiring new skills that can be used immediately.

Duration: Mentoring doesn’t usually have an end date; it’s understood that there is a significant time commitment from both parties as you move from acquaintances to building a strong fellowship – mentoring can last years or even decades.

Coaching typically has a defined end date. You set a specific schedule to meet and it ends when the trainee masters the skills or goal that’s been defined. Of course, you can keep adding new goals to work on, but there is a defined start and end for each commitment.

Key take-a-ways:

  • Mentoring is a long-term process based on mutual trust and respect. Coaching, on the other hand, is for a short period of time.
  • Mentoring is more focused on creating an informal association between the mentor and mentee, whereas coaching follows a more structured and formal approach.
  • A business mentor has the first-hand experience of the mentee’s line of work. A business coach, however, does not need to have a hands-on experience of the kind of work the coachee is engaged in.
  • The topmost priority of a business mentor is to help develop skills that are not just relevant for the mentees in their present job, but also for the future. For a business coach, the biggest priority is to improve performance that impacts the present job.

Need help finding a mentor? Did you know that there are actually 8 levels of mentorship – check out this cool article on how to find a mentor? Finding the right business coach requires some legwork as well, here are 16 tips to help you find the right fit.

Now that you understand the difference, go forth, and find your new coach or mentor. Thinking of starting your own business or need some coaching in marketing, sales, or operations –  we may be able to help!

Mentor vs. Coach – What’s the Difference and Which do I Need? Read More »

The Power of your Net Promoter Score!

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For those who don’t know, Net Promoter Score ®, or NPS ®, measures your customer’s experience, how likely they are to refer people to you, and predicts business growth. You’ve probably even provided information for this business metric without even realizing it during a survey response.

How is the Net Promoter Score calculated?

The NPS is calculated by using the answer to one key question, answer by using a 0-10 scale: How likely is it that you would recommend [COMPANY NAME HERE] to a friend or colleague?

Answers include the following response options:

Promoters (score 9-10) are loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and refer others, fueling growth.

Passives (score 7-8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings.

Detractors (score 0-6) are unhappy customers who can damage your brand and impede growth through negative word-of-mouth.

Subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters yields the Net Promoter Score, which can range from a low of -100 (if every customer is a Detractor) to a high of 100 (if every customer is a Promoter).

Why your Net Promoter Score Matters

Ultimately, you need to be aware of how your clients perceive your brand and products.  NPS data allows you to insight into the customer’s mind about their experience & journey with your company. If they aren’t a promoter, where can you improve, what went wrong, and why wouldn’t they recommend you to others? Your NPS is a prediction of your growth, so if your responses aren’t showing Promoters, then we have a problem!

How Can I use Net Promoter Score in my Business?

Net Promoter Score allows you to segment your customers by loyalty as well as identify unsatisfied or at-risk customers. It also allows you to benchmark against industry or competitor scores and uncover customer loyalty drivers. It is easy to complete with a fast one-question format and can be used to predict future trends.

Although the Net Promoter Score has gained huge popularity, there are some that criticize it. It can be seen to provide only a limited view of customer experience and the NPS question alone doesn’t provide any specific insights. This can be negated by adding open-ended follow questions or additional rating questions.

If you are part of our Red Barn Newsletter or a client, you’ve probably been sent a survey or two before and one of the questions we always ask is the Net Promoter Score question. However, we are firm believers in diving a little deeper and finding out why you answered the way you do. We always want to know what you like, if you find value, where we can improve – because if you don’t know the details, you can’t fix things and it can prevent you from getting a bad review on social media!

The Power of your Net Promoter Score! Read More »

feedback

How to Tell if You are Getting Sincere Feedback

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Asking for feedback is a pretty normal part of life, right? You ask for people’s opinions all the time: Do they like a new recipe you made, do they like this color paint for the living room, does this new shirt make you look fat?, etc. Do you always get the truth… maybe not? In fact, I recently saw this post on Facebook that said, let me know if you want to vent or you really want advice. It’s an honest question too because sometimes people just want validation and they really don’t want your opinion.

When it comes to getting sincere feedback at work, it can be even harder. Why? Well, to be honest, some people just don’t care to give you honest feedback. Some people don’t like confrontation, so they say great job regardless. There are others who are jealous and want you to fail, so they give you bad advice or won’t point out mistakes. Either way, it’s not sincere and it’s not helping.

People always telling you that you are doing a great job is nice to hear, but it’s really not effective and it’s completely unhelpful for growth and development.

In order to improve at anything in life, you need three things:

  • A clear goal
  • A genuine desire to achieve that goal
  • Feedback that indicates what they are doing well and what they are not doing well

Not only is sincere feedback hard to come by, but low-quality feedback is not useful, positive feedback is undervalued, and negative feedback delivered unskillfully can actually cause physical pain. When delivered thoughtfully, however, sincere feedback can provide you with actionable data needed to become more effective.

If you make strides towards receiving sincere feedback, try these steps:

Create a Safe Environment for Sharing.  You can do this by showing your peers that honesty doesn’t have repercussions. Be curious about them and ask them questions, show vulnerability, and let them know you want to learn. Acknowledge your weaknesses or mistakes – we are all human.

Be Skillful. Just asking for feedback rarely results in useful information. Try asking more specific questions like “Was I talking too fast”, “Do I talk over people or cut them off”, “You know Jason well, how can I better connect with him” – this helps people break down feedback into bite-size pieces.  

Ask for the Good and Bad. When you only hear the good or only the bad, you miss out on a lot of specific information that’s useful. If you just hear the bad, you won’t know the good things you do and risk making changes to those when you shouldn’t. If you just hear the good, you won’t know what bad stuff to fix – you need both for feedback to work. Also, just getting praise does not give you enough information to understand what you are doing effectively – “great job” doesn’t say the same thing as “Hey, your slides are kick-ass, but you should probably just slow down your presentation by 5 seconds”.

Be Receptive and Attentive. When getting feedback, focus on the person giving it so they know you are listening and value their opinion. Even if you disagree with some feedback, don’t challenge or debate them, or you may decrease the likelihood of that person offering you feedback in the future.

Say Thank You. Even if it wasn’t the most helpful information, always say thank you. The person giving you feedback likely spent a good amount of time considering your performance and how to thoughtfully discuss it with you.

Evaluate, Plan, and Act. Review all the data, consider what parts to work on, what parts to disregard and plan to fix what needs fixing. Pick one or two capabilities you want to improve, get really clear about what “improved” looks like, and then map out the action steps that you need to take. If you struggle with the action part – check out this blog.

People who are great leaders are great listeners and great learners. They are always looking for more information and ways to improve themselves. Getting and learning from feedback isn’t always easy, but it is necessary if you want to become better.

How to Tell if You are Getting Sincere Feedback Read More »

Three P's

The Three P’s – Policy, Process, Procedure

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The Three P’s are kind of a big deal here at Red Barn. However, many people don’t quite understand what the difference is between a Policy, a Process, and a Procedure. In fact, many people use the terms interchangeably, and often incorrectly. Regardless of how you use them, it’s important to know that they are a vital part of your Operations. How can you hold yourself and your team accountable if you don’t have everything outlined, documented, and available?

Everything we do at work is governed by the Three P’s. Having unclear, undefined P’s is not so bad if you are a solopreneur, but if you have employees, vendors or contractors, and clients – you need clearly defined and documented P’s for everyone to follow.

So what do the Three P’s stand for?

The policy is the Rules and Standards that your company adheres to.

The process is the What, Who, and When.

The procedure is How and Where.

The Policy

Policies are at the top level of the Operational System. They state the principles by which your business will operate. You should aim to have a written Policy for every one of your business operations.

The Policy defines the RULES within which everyone involved in the activity will operate. It can also define minimum STANDARDS to be delivered. An example of a policy may be that the time clock is required to be used to document working hours – no handwritten time slips will be accepted.

The Process

The Process sits one level down from the Policy. It outlines how the rules and standards set by the Policy will be achieved by listing the tasks to be done, who does them, and when they do them.

The Process is the WHAT, WHO, and WHEN. An example of this would be that all hourly employees (who) are required to use the time clock to document their working hours (what) by punching in and out at the start and end of their shift and lunch breaks (when). Managers (who) are responsible for checking the timeclock log (what) on a daily basis (when) for missed punches.

This isn’t where all the details live. It’s simply just the tasks involved in the process. The process should make sure it covers all the rules and standards defined by the Policy. Not every Process needs to have a Procedure. The Procedure is where the details live, so if you need more information outlined than listed in the Process, spend a little more time documenting the Procedure for each task.

The Procedure

Procedures support the Process by defining exactly how you want each task to be executed.  It lists the step by steps tasks to complete the process. It captures the HOW the task is done and WHERE to find the resources to do the task.

The level of detail to put into your Procedures depends on your level of comfort, who will be doing the task, and any requirements based on your company’s industry and certifications – like manufacturing and ISO certifications require very detailed procedures.

In our example of using the time clock, for the hourly employees, we would detail how to use the timeclock – do they swipe a card or enter a code, what buttons do they need to push to get their punches to register, what is the process if they miss a punch, are their rules on how early or late they can punch in without discipline, etc. You must also outline the tasks for the Managers – how do they check the log, what do they do if an employee is too early or late, how do they record a missed punch, etc. Who do they contact if there are issues with the timeclock?

A Procedure addresses a single task performed by a single person, so it should be relatively succinct, but complete enough that the person doing the task does not need to ask questions.

You will note that the Procedure is strictly the set of steps, and where to find the resources needed to complete the task. There’s no When and there’s no Who because that information is in the Process. The Procedure is designed to be picked up and carried out by anyone assigned to the task.

Spending time documenting your Three P’s will result in improved efficiency, less confusion, and mistakes, and allow you to delegate tasks or onboard new employees faster. Overall, better operations mean happier customers.

The Three P’s – Policy, Process, Procedure Read More »

burnout

Are you suffering from Burnout?

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Burnout is a real thing and can happen to anyone. Does the thought of going to work on Monday morning leave you already feeling exhausted and frazzled by Sunday at noon? Does your 8 hour workday feel like you’ve been battling in the trenches for 8 days straight? Are you finding it hard to get motivated once you are actually at work?

You might shrug it off as just going through a rough patch or a busy time – but you could be suffering from burnout! Burnout can manifest itself differently for different people, so there isn’t one centralized definition. However, in May 2019, the World Health Organization updated and added more detail to their entry on burnout. Previously defined only as a “state of vital exhaustion,” it’s now classified as a “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

It’s important to note that burnout is specifically work-related and is characterized by:

  • A sense of exhaustion or depletion
  • Mental distance from or negativity or cynicism about work
  • Decreased effectiveness at work

If you’ve ever heard the saying you can’t pour from an empty cup – that’s a great analogy for burnout – you have nothing left in the cup or proverbial gas tank to accomplish anything.

So we have the definition, but what are the actual signs of burnout?

  • You aren’t excited about work anymore. Projects that you used to get excited, energized about, or make you feel fulfilled seem boring or a chore. You aren’t getting satisfaction from your work.
  • You are going through the motions. You have stopped putting in any effort or caring. You are doing the bare minimum to get by.
  • Your performance is going downhill. You are making errors you wouldn’t normally make or are missing deadlines that used to be easy to meet. You just want to get the task done; you don’t care if it’s done to your usual standards.
  • You are exhausted – all the time. You feel physically and emotionally depleted and drained. Even getting out of bed to go to work is a challenge.
  • You start having physical ailments. The symptoms can be different for everyone, but can include insomnia, chest pain, headaches, getting sick more often, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, and even GI issues.

What to do if you are suffering from burnout.

Once you’ve come to the realization that you are suffering from burnout, what do you do? The simplest and easiest step is to take some time off, but that alone won’t solve the issue – it just gives you a little breathing room. Most often you’ll need to make a more significant change like changing your attitude or changing your workload or work situation.

Often times you can recognize negative habits and thought patterns and work to stop them when they happen. If you associate with being a perfectionist, you are more likely to suffer from burnout.

Changing your work situation can have a few different options. The easiest might be adjusting your workload. If you have too much on your place, burnout can happen. Talk to your boss to see if you can lighten your load. If it’s the job or company itself, it might be time for a change. Moving to a different department and doing something different for the same company could make a big difference. Otherwise, it might be time to look for a new job elsewhere.

Burnout is hard to recognize, and it doesn’t go away on its own. Identifying and then addressing burnout requires some conscious thought and effort and the only one who can ultimately fix it is you.

Are you suffering from Burnout? Read More »

Can you sell something you don’t believe in?

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Imagine you got each of the emails below from someone you know who wants to sell you something.

  1. [FIRSTNAME] OMG, you have GOT to go to this website RIGHT NOW and buy this WIDGET – it’s AMAZING and it will change your life. Truly, it’s that great – I grabbed one for myself and just emailed my entire family to place an order before they sell out.
  2. Em, hi [FIRSTNAME] – my company sells widgets that are better than the widgets you already have. They work really well. Go to our website to place your order.

Which “sales pitch” sounds more convincing?

Unless you are some type of alien being, my guess is you chose #1.

The Sell – It’s about Passion and Serving

 #1 gets the hands-down FOR THE WIN because the person trying to \”sell\” you something isn’t selling at all.  She 100% believes in the product, but more importantly her “sales pitch” was more about helping her friends and family have the same awesomesauce experience she had.

#2 Is probably more the classic salesperson who simply isn’t confident in the product. They are just looking to sell the damn product and try to make a buck.

Without belief – the sell is a lie.

 If you are a salesperson who is struggling – step back and look at the product and/or service you are trying to sell.  What is your belief scale?

  1. You need to believe in the product
  2. You need to believe in yourself
  3. You need to believe that you yourself would use the product and would 100% feel comfortable telling your closest friends and family to use it.

If all 3 don’t apply – you need to up your belief level or quit.  It’s that simple.

Customers can smell BS from a mile away

Let’s cut to the chase and be honest. We’ve all been pitched by the snake oil salesperson – haven’t we?  The robodialers who just get on the phone and dial for dollars – they don’t even know what they hell they are selling.  Or how about the owner\’s daughter who was pushed into a sales role and doesn’t want to be there, doesn’t give two craps about the product, and here you are on the other end expected to buy from them.

So if you wouldn’t buy from the snake oil person, don’t be a snake oil person.  What is snake oil anyway?

Going back to the beginning of this article and example #1.  True sincerity doesn’t need any fancy marketing materials or even a sales pitch – it speaks for itself.

I guess that’s all that needs to be said on the subject of can you sell something you don\’t believe in.  Believe to Achieve.

Can you sell something you don’t believe in? Read More »

How to handle a Bad Review or Post on Social Media

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Working your brand on social media is GREAT until it isn’t – ugh, a bad review comes in.

As business owners we are all human, which means we make mistakes.  Perhaps we were late delivering on a promise, or a job we promised to be perfect ended up taking a wrong turn or we have an employee that does something inappropriate – it happens more often than we like, or think.

So what happens when the dirty laundry shows up on social media in the form of a bad review, a nasty-gram post, or the troll that just goes all out and posts everywhere how horrible you are.

Well there is a right way…and a terribly WRONG way to handle it.

  1. Own it. If you’ve done something wrong, if you have an unhappy customer just own it.  Don’t make excuses, don’t blame someone else. As the owner, it’s your role to take the hits 100% of the time.
  2. Understand that most unhappy customers just want to be validated and have you take ownership (see #1).
  3. Address the situation PUBLICALLY – so say, “Annie – I’m so terribly sorry you are upset and this happened to you, I’m sending you a private message now so we can get to the bottom of it”. Of course, pen the response according to the situation.
  4. Take it OFFLINE – you don’t want to get in a pissing match with someone in a Facebook feed. Take it off line – call them, email – whatever it takes.
  5. Get to the bottom of the issue – because we all know it could just be they were having a bad day and a minute little mishap has now turned into catastrophe! If you can – make amends.
  6. If you can fix things – ask them to kindly remove the post. It’s better if they do it versus you deleting it.

And more…..

What if they are a troll just trying to make your life miserable? Delete the post and block them.  That’s not to say they won’t find another place to vent. You can’t fix it all.

What about bad Google Reviews?  Unscrupulous competitors will leave negative fake reviews just to be jerks.  Even if it’s FAKE do the following:

  • Address the complaint and apologize for whatever they are complaining about
  • State you can’t seem to find them in your records as being a customer
  • Offer to fix whatever is the problem, give them contact information to whomever is the “fixer”
  • Flag or report the review as fraudulent

NOTE: *Even if you flagged the review, prospects and customers may still see it, or it may not be removed—this is why you ALWAYS respond.

 The big answer: RESPOND.  100% of the Time. 

 If you ignore or just delete, it’s only going to fuel the fire.  If you find yourself in a bad situation and the complaints are piling up – this of course is a bigger problem.  Turn off the review option on social media and watch Google, Yelp and other platforms like a hawk.  Be honest – “we are overwhelmed with orders and are doing our best to catch up” – etc.

In the end, negative reviews are usually overpowered by the GREAT ones! So It’s in your best interest to get as many 5 Stars as you can. So the best response to a negative response is not to have any in the first place.  Make sure you understand your customer journey, your staff is properly trained and your operations are in check.

Struggling?  Give us a call.  We won’t manage your negative press, but we will get you in tip-top shape!

How to handle a Bad Review or Post on Social Media Read More »

How to grow your email list

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Email is not dead.  In fact, email is by far the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to connecting with your tribe – especially email automation! So how do you grow your list? The key is you need to do it consistently and always be adding to your list.

Just the facts:

  • 91 percent of US adults like to receive promotional emails from companies they do business with (MarketingSherpa)
  • Email is almost 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined in helping your business acquire new customers. (McKinsey)

Where to start to grow your list?

Everyone starts at zero – everyone.  So to grow and build a list of thousands will take some time.  Here are my tips:

  1. Understand that 90% of your email content is to serve – not sell. This is all about building credibility and gaining trust.
  2. Understand that you need to be consistent and that in fact – more is better. We suggest a weekly email to your list – and more if you are in the middle of a launch.
  3. Choose your email platform – don’t use Outlook, Gmail, etc. – you need to be able to see the metrics.  Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Drip, Infusionsoft/Keap – choose what works for you.
  4. ASK people to join. All email platforms offer a sign-up function – so share that URL everywhere on social media – and ask them to sign up.  You can incentivize them if you like!  When I do public speaking I offer to donate $1 to the local soup kitchen for every new email sign up.  It works 🙂
  5. Put a sign-up form on your website – this makes it easy for people to find and sign up for your list.
  6. Use lead magnets such as downloadable checklists, quizzes, e-books, free mini-courses – anything that brings value and someone is willing to give you their email in exchange for it.
  7. Make sure you deliver GREAT content. If your content sucks – your email engagement will too.  Not sure what to write – survey people on your list, your customers, etc.  I do it often.

Remember you own your list – you don’t own your social media followers. What does that mean? Even if you have 100k followers on social media, you are relying on the platform and their algorithms to market to your people. You can\’t export their contact info and use it elsewhere. Email marketing should be a huge part of your marketing mix!!

Need some help?  Grab a spot on my calendar and we can hash out what’s working and what isn’t!

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