Hop on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and even Facebook, and you'll find creators using social media to sell services, courses, and products.
It looks easy, right? Shoot a few videos, post 5 times a week and voila - sales, sales, sales. A platform like TikTok can allow businesses to build large followings and have numerous
#linksinbio with affiliate products, freebies, and Amazon stores.
But will you really build your business in a scalable manner?
Many small businesses ask, "Why spend all that time building an email list and paying for yet
another business expense?" Email marketing can seem time consuming and expensive, never mind seeming a little "old school".
If these are your thoughts, read on, so you can embrace one of the most traditional and effective methods of digital marketing.
CBH Energetics has spent years building and maintaining its email lists. There were times when we wondered, is this worth it? Are we bothering people? Do people really want emails now?
After all, we also have an inbox that can be inundated with advertising and all kinds of requests. We know what it's like to feel cluttered and overwhelmed in our inbox. We'll admit, the landscape of email has changed. Spam filters have become more sophisticated, and people are overwhelmed with the number of emails they receive daily.
You may think that people are opening emails less and less. That can be true, if the emails are text and information heavy.
When you make your email content as easy to consume as the latest TikTok you watched, your email open rates will soar!
The biggest pro to owning an email marketing system is this: You OWN your leads. YOU own those addresses.
Building a simple email marketing strategy can look like a newsletter sign up or an elaborate funnel with free offerings and webinars! Make the content relevant and valuable to your audience and your email community will look forward to opening every email they get!
Even as a small business, a simple email sequence can speak to your most engaged fans without the fear of losing them to a social media blackout.
In this post we will discuss:
- The basics of email marketing.
- It's limitations and effectiveness.
- The upside to using email lists.
- What about social media?
- The future of marketing without email lists.
And help you embrace the communication tool of email.
Build your email list with a simple strategy that is
DONE FOR YOU inside the Certification Course!
Email lists have been an integral part of marketing campaigns for decades! It is a method of reaching out to a targeted audience with messages that are tailored to their interests.
We use the term 'pain points' in marketing to describe the problems your prospective clients are looking to solve.
All types of businesses, both virtual and bricks and mortar, collect email addresses through sign-ups, subscriptions, or lead generation campaigns.
We know from experience that offering a free and valuable resource, that solves a problem for your community, is one step toward building rapport, getting feedback and creating conversation.
This leads to sales conversions.
Using your collected email addresses to send newsletters, promotional offers, or other value based content supports your community along with showcasing how you can help them!
That is the beauty of the email list.
One of the limitations of email lists is that people need to have properly opted in to your list. Businesses cannot reach out to people who have not given them permission to do so. By offering something that speaks to their needs, your ideal client will have no problem signing on to your list.
Another limitation of email lists is that they are subject to spam filters. Even if you have permission to send emails, your messages may end up in the spam folder, which reduces the chances of them being seen by the recipient.
A good email marketing platform helps you avoid that!
Holistic health practitioners are in the business of helping people. Any potential client needs to know, like and trust you. Building that trust is getting harder and harder on social media.
Email marketing allows you to connect with your audience, get to know each other and build a relationship.
And you can do that with a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly email. It's up to you, and what your audience wants!
A simple weekly newsletter keeps you in communication, and top of mind, with your audience. Delivering value packed information goes a long way in building trust with your audience, and eventually making sales.
You can get really detailed with email marketing, by segmenting your lists, based on demographics, interests, or previous interactions with your business and brand.
Or you can start simple, with that newsletter sign up!
Let's face it, your customer or client is pretty internet savvy. They need a good reason to sign up to your newsletter. Giving them a free resource is one way to welcome new people into your community, and onto your email list.
Do you have some great tips, recipes, or other resources you can give to your clients?
Turn that into a simple free resource, and offer it in exchange for an email address.
This is the beginning of a simple funnel strategy to align with the right people. The people who WANT and NEED what you have.
I know, we make it sound simple. There are a few nuances to getting started with email marketing, and each email platform is different.
The truth is, you need to be in multiple places for visibility, no matter if you are virtual, or in a physical location. You still need a social media presence. Businesses are turning to all kinds of platforms to reach their audience. Social media marketing, influencer marketing, and content marketing are just a few examples of tactics that are not going anywhere.
Yes, you can still do lip syncing to music, and dance on TikTok. These are all fine, if you enjoy them, and find they fit into your overall marketing strategy. These are ways to build your audience on social media.
However, that email list will deliver more of your fabulously intentional content to people that really want to hear what you have to say!
You'll also have a chance to build a deeper rapport with your prospective clients. While social media marketing allows businesses to reach a broader audience that may not have opted-in to their email list, it doesn't always equate sales.
The future of ANY kind of marketing and visibility plan
will involve a combination of different strategies. We firmly believe email marketing will continue to be a part of this mix. Whether it will be your primary strategy depends on your ideal client, and their demographic. It also will depend on your business plan.
You may need to embrace new strategies to reach a broader audience and build relationships with your people.
Whether or not that involves memes and TikToks, that's totally up to you!
With the rising trend of artificial intelligence (AI), you have the opportunity to personalize your messages and build your audience more efficiently. Chatbots are AI-powered tools that can interact with your clients and customers in real-time on social media - and shuttle them to your email list from your messages. They can help customers find information, answer questions, and even make purchases.
We aren't and nor should you. While it might
seem simpler to just be on social media, it might be harder to succeed in the long run. Social media marketing also requires strategy, planning, specific call to actions, community engagement and more.
It does give you the opportunity to embrace new tactics that may be unfamiliar to you. It definitely can build your confidence. But just like email, it requires you to invest in new tools and technologies that can help you build your audience and analyze your data.
If you already have an email list, you know the powerful communication tool you have in your hands. You're building trust and communicating by asking for replies, so you can understand your audiences desires.
If you are ready to embrace email marketing, what should you do first?
Besides finding an email platform that suits your needs, look at your current community. Reflect on what is going well, and where you may need to focus on next.
What does your current community WANT? What are they buying, right now?
It may not be what you think they want.
When you take time to reflect on your current marketing strategy, the person you want to connect with, and identify areas where you can improve, you will build your audience in an aligned way.
Yes this may involve experimenting with different strategies to see what works best for you and your business. This may involve testing different formats, free resources and getting more comfortable with a regular content schedule.
Email lists have been an essential part of marketing for years, and while some may argue their effectiveness is declining, to survive in the business world and feel aligned with your audience, creating purposeful content to nurture people just feels right.
The sales will feel better too.
If you are a wellness practitioner and don't have the time to create an email list, we get it. We've done some heavy lifting for you, as an affiliate partner with CBH Energetics.
Ready to bring email and comprehensive health testing to your practice? Work with us!
