Beware of trusting social media
Are you relying on social media for all your marketing?
While it's tempting to do all your marketing through social, it can be dangerous to go all in (at least without a backup plan).
Let me explain. The pro of social media is that you can reach anyone with it. Build an audience and you have the world at your fingertips. Who doesn't love the sound of that? For a business, it's sounds like the perfect situation. All you have to do is build a following and people will buy from you. Easy.
Expect it's not. This is the trap. The algorithm is ever evolving and you're putting your future in someone else's hands. Hands that don't have your best interest in mind.
Today, I want to share some ideas for how your small business can invest in an email list and how to get started.
Why email?
Against what most people believe, email is not dead!
It's an excellent channel to nurture and build loyal fans of your business. You're not looking for random social media accounts to follow you. You want loyal fans of your business who one day might buy from you.
Landing in someone's inbox is as close to sending them real mail you are going to get. The inbox is a personal thing. A place that only people who are allowed to be there exist.
Investing in email is important to creating a business that doesn't depend on the rulers of social media and the algorithm they have created.
Let's dive in!
How to get started
I want to cover (at a high level) some tools and strategies for getting started.
First, you need an email marketing platform. There are a lot that exist, but I highly recommend ConvertKit. Primarily for its simplicity in setting up. Plus it has a generous free trier.
Some other options:
Congrats, now you have a platform and are ready to start building your list! Here are 3 ways to get started...
- Start with a lead magnet. It's much easier to get people to sign up for your list if they get something in return. Most people don't want to just sign up for an email list. But they will if they get something that gives them a quick win. Much easier. Think about a lead magnet you can create that helps your customer solve a problem and provide value. Keep this short and to the point.
- Share your lead magnet everywhere. You must put this lead magnet in as many places as you can. Promote it on social. Include it on your website. Share it with new leads. Reach out to previous leads and see if this will benefit them. The goal is to build trust and establish authority with your prospect. Then it's much easier for them to come to you when they need their larger problem solved.
- Send emails consistently. Email marketing is a long game. You won't start seeing results overnight, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Because when you start building genuine connections in your email list, you will be unstoppable. Make sure to send emails on a weekly or twice a month basis. People need to see you in their inbox over and over again. Then when their problem is painful enough, they will reach out to you. Because you've shown time and time again, you can help them.
That's it for today!
I hope this was helpful in understanding why your email list is important as a small business.
Do you have an email list? If so, is it working for you?
See you next week.
Luke
