3 lies about email marketing
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Learn what’s holding you back from creating a powerful and successful email strategy – and what you can do about it!
3 lies about email marketing
You’ve no doubt heard that email marketing is a big thing. If not, check out this article about why you should be using email marketing in your business.
The thing is, as you start and grow your business you want to be strategic about how attract clients. Maybe you currently rely on referrals? Or perhaps you use social media to get in front of the right people?
I’m not going to say you shouldn’t be doing that. It’s all part of the strategy. However, building an email list should be a something that is always going on behind the scenes of your business.
I’m sure you’ve learned that you need to capture your readers email address by offering something free (yet valuable) in return, and if you’re stuck on that piece, check out my Opt-in series for more information on how to do that.
But once you’ve got your audience’s attention, what do you then do with it?
I know many entrepreneurs that have managed to implement an opt-in but they fail to follow though. And by that, I mean they fail to email their subscribers consistently!
Entrepreneurship is a roller-coaster ride. There are days you feel like quitting (but you don’t because after all your entrepreneurial spirit has got you this far) and there are days when you feel on top of the world.
And there are all the emotions in between which don’t just impact your business, but they have a knock-on effect on your health, your relationships and your happiness. There are many reasons why you’ve possibly yet to commit to email marketing but there are 3 things that I see day to day that holds people back.
Lie #1: The money is in the list
Now you may think “why would believing this lie hold me back?”
Well, to tell you the truth it’s all about how you approach your email marketing. Yes, having subscribers on your list will generate revenue if you’re making offers to them, but there’s a false belief that the money is IN the list.
It’s not. It’s about the relationship you have with your list. And there lies the secret.
Your subscribers are not just numbers in a list or addresses in your email platform. They are living, breathing human beings with pains, needs and desires. If you are not communicating to your list as these wonderful humans who trusted in you to give up their most precious commodity -- that being time -- then you are holding yourself back in your business.
You need to rewire your brain about who you are serving. You’re not just in it for the money (maybe you are, and if that’s the case nothing I say will help you) - you are here to make a difference and make money.
Your readers are taking the time to read your emails, to hear from you (as an expert, a leader or a sidekick) to learn what you can teach and hopefully take you up on your offers. Talk to them as if they are your friend. The one in need of hearing all the valuable things you need to share. Build your relationship. Take the time to open up and share your good stuff.
That is how you build the know-like-trust factor. So stop thinking of your email list as numbers. Perhaps take the time to go through a few subscriber emails and read their name and imagine their life. The one on the top of your list…. That’s who you are talking to.
Lie #2: You need a big list to make money
This is untrue. Yes, the more people you have on your list the more money you can make (but not if you haven’t implemented what I talked about in Lie #1.
But you don’t have to have a big list. In fact the reason this lie is holding you back is… you may have only 20 people on your list but remember they are real, live human beings. If you’re neglecting them because the number isn’t high enough then you are not connecting and building trust with those 20 people.
It’s about making a commitment to those 20 people who trusted you enough to give you their email address. Those 20 people could be your next 20 clients, if only you would take the time to connect with them. If you are engaging with your readers (however many are on your list) and you are providing value to them then you are laying foundations for a wildly profitable business.
You can make good money from small lists. There’s proof all over the internet if you search in google “how to make money with a small list”.
It all comes back to the relationship you have with your readers. That doesn’t mean that you have to be all lovey-dovey with them. You just need to be you. And don’t hold back. If you do that, you’ll attract like-minded individuals who will be eager to hear what you have to say. The readers who will open your emails, click your links and yes, who will buy what you offer.
Lie # 3: Email marketing is sleazy
Well, to be honest this IS true -- IF you do email marketing in the sleazy way. And I’m not condoning that at all. It does work, sometimes. But if you’re still reading this, then I’m guessing you have some integrity and want to market in a way that feels good.
And the thing is, selling comes down to that. If it feels off to you, it will feel off to your readers. If you don’t believe in what you’re selling, no-one else will. You have to believe in what you’re selling to get behind it and push it to the max.
You don’t need to sell, sell, sell all the time. Offer valuable information and engage with your readers. But you do need to communicate why your products are worthwhile and why they should trust you.
Your products can change lives, right? If that’s the case you need to find a way to effectively communicates this to your readers. And that my friend is not sleazy.
Let’s change the world!!