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How to grow your email list

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:

Understand that 90% of your email content is to serve – not sell. This is all about building credibility and gaining trust.
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.
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.
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 🙂
Put a sign-up form on your website – this makes it easy for people to find and sign up for your list.
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.
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!

Email in Her Forties and Going Strong

Leave a Comment / Entrepreneur, Featured, Marketing, Must Read Blogs, Sales, Small Business / By Cindy Donaldson / January 17, 2019 / authentic, brand, Cindy Donaldson, Content, email, email marketing, FOMO, lists, newsletter, opt-in, opt-out, optin, optout, red barn consulting, spam, story

In 2018, marketing email celebrated a 40 year anniversary – crazy to think this was happening when I was in high school – but it was! The first mass email was sent in 1978 by Gary Thuerk of Digital Equipment Corporation to 400 potential clients. Mr. Thuerk claims that email resulted in $13 million worth of sales – more importantly it was an AHA moment. Email marketing worked and well – the rest is history.

I’ve heard email marketing is dead. For the 1000^th time (or more) I’ll say “Nope, still relevant and effective” to the naysayers.

I’ll also tell people – the more the merrier. I get looks, gasps, and OMG I can’t spam my clients with email.

If the content is GREAT, you aren’t spamming – you are bringing value.

Not everyone on your list will read every email you send out.

Yes, some will go to spam.

Yes, some firewalls will block you.

Yes, you will get some opt-outs Who cares?

How do you win?

Sanitize your lists. If they haven’t opened an email in 90 days – remove them. They aren’t interested.
Let them Opt in. We’ve all added folks to our email lists, and I’ve known more than one company who has bought lists. The BEST ROI from your email marketing will come from an opted in list or lists. If someone opts in – they want to get information from you. It’s really that simple.
People DON’T want to be sold to. People do want opportunities, they do want to solve pain points, they do want to add value and pleasure to their life. THEY want to make that decision based on information they’ve garnered and digested. If you are constantly asking for the sale and offering no value in return – you will get deleted. Go back and look at the emails you’ve read AND ones that you’ve taken action from. WHY did you do it? Your customers are no different.
Tell a story. Your email marketing should be conversational. People want to feel like they are sitting across a table from you at the little coffee shop on the corner, or sipping a scotch at the local country club – whatever that vibe is – they need to FEEL it when they are reading your emails. The best brands make you FEEL, they pull you in, and they are masters at FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) as in OMG if I don’t have this I won’t be part of the inner circle or my life will never be the same. Seems crazy – but FOMO has worked for as long as humans have walked the earth.
Be Authentic. Damn if I haven’t preached this for decades… but I’ll say it again. You can’t fake it – be authentic. Show your true colors, not the colors of your competitors – you can’t be a copy cat and win. Just be yourself – you will attract the right clients and the right time and the right place. Trust me on this one – just be you and let your team be them.

Happy 41^st Birthday Email Marketing – Damn we love you lots and wish you a long long life.

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