What’s An Email List? Why It’s So Important For Your Business!

Everywhere you turn, you hear the phrase “The money’s in the list”.

The list? What’s an email list?  Should I have one? Aren’t emails archaic! I’d rather use social media. That’s the rage right now!

Have you had thoughts like this running through your head?

Your online marketing business is doing OK but you’d like to see it grow. You want more traffic and more sales. Social media is bringing you tons of traffic, but few conversions.

Do you know what all the successful business owners do with that traffic? They turn it into an email list!

That’s because email is still the most powerful “modern” way to communicate with your viewers.

And when you understand the mind-blowing impact it can have on your business, you’ll want to start right away!

There’s so much to learn, but it’s easy.

Would you like to see where I learned how to create my own successful online business?

 

 

So, What Is An Email List?

It’s a list of names and email addresses from people who have given you permission to send them newsletters, promotional ads, discounts, coupons, mini-courses, etc.

They most likely used an opt-in form on your website or blog to subscribe.

Never collect emails other than by these opt-in forms. You only want to contact people who have given you express permission to do so.

You want your list to grow organically.  What I mean by that is you want to make sure your list is made up of people who want to be there.  They subscribed to your list because:

1. They are interested in your niche.
2. They are interested in what you have to offer.
3. They are willing to open your future emails.

An organic list is made up of “real people”. 

I know that sounds funny, but sometimes business owners take shortcuts and rent or buy email lists.

Most of the time these lists contain old or fake emails, with people who probably aren’t interested in your business.

And guess what they do when they get emails they didn’t want in the first place?  They flag you as a “spammer”.

That not only hurts your reputation but can prevent you from signing on with legitimate email capture services.

Did you know…

• Email is 40 X more effective than Twitter and Facebook combined, at acquiring new customers. McKinsey & Company
• Email has an ROI (return on investment) of 122% or 4 X higher than any other digital marketing platforms. Lyfe Marketing
• Marketers have seen an increase in email revenue of 760% from segmented campaigns. Campaign Monitor
• Spending on email marketing is expected to reach $3.07 billion in 2019, in the U.S. alone. Statista
• Email was used as a primary strategy for lead generation with 89% of marketers. Mailigen
• 72% of consumers favour communication from companies through emails. Sherpa

These are just a few of the many statistics out there, showing how important and how effective email marketing still is, and will be moving forward.

 

Here’s a great video by Derek Halpern on email lists. He’s funny and to the point!

 

 

Ok, So Why Do I Need One?

An email list can possibly be the lifeblood of your business.

These people have personally opted to receive your emails.

And if you used the double opt-in method to have them click to verify their identity, then they are very interested in what you have to offer.

Building customer relationships are very important for every business out there. And generating an email list is how you would nurture these relationships.

There are many advantages and benefits of an email list.

Here are 8 great reasons to build your own email list…

Advantage #1 – Ownership and Control

Your email list is the only thing you truly own and have complete control over. It’s a way to grow your followers and engage with them in a positive way.

Of course, social media is still an awesome tool to drive traffic to your business, but you have no control over these platform’s decisions to change algorithms or simply shut down.

Then where are you? No more traffic. No more sales.

Facebook’s recent algorithm change had a drastic effect on many businesses. Many had to start over. You now have to pay to have your ads seen by as many people.

But you own your email list. It’s not affected by the decisions of other businesses.

No matter what Twitter or anyone else does tomorrow, you still have your dedicated followers who will open your emails.

Email users are projected to grow to 4.3 billion users by 2022.  Statista

Advantage #2 – Easy and Cheap

Emails are easy to set up and cheap to mail out. Unlike the good ‘ol days of printing each ad and stamping each envelope, today’s automation makes is simple, fast, and often free.

And you’re in control of how often you send them out.

Do you have a new promotion to advertise?

Or maybe you want to stay engaged with your followers by sending them another valuable “freebie” (relevant to your niche)…

The wonderful thing about autoresponders (AWeber, GetResponse, etc.) is that you only have to write the email once and set it up to send out to your entire email list.

If you have a course or video to send out, the same thing.  Make it once and send it to thousands.

You can also pre-specify the schedule you want to use.

You may have a mini-course, for example, that you want to send every day for a week. So divide your course into 7 days, and away you go.

It’s the most efficient and affordable way to stay in contact with your followers.

That makes Email Marketing is the best long-term investment you can make for your business.  Your return on investment far outweighs the low cost of maintaining your list.

54% of marketers find email marketing to be the most effective and easy to execute.  Mailigen

Advantage #3 – Targeted and Purposeful

What better way than gaining your subscriber’s trust than using the personal touch.

You’ve already gained targeted viewers because they chose to fill in your signup form.  So now you can use the list for the purpose it was intended.

What was your original goal for your list?  To create more sales?  To deliver the current news?

Whatever it was, now you have the means to reach your goal.

There are some important priorities to consider, to make your list great!

1. Relevance – Not only should your emails always be relevant to your product or service, so should the followers on your list. The people on your list should be genuinely interested in your brand.
2. Quality – Though your emails should be of the best quality to engage your followers, you also want your followers to provide you with quality information, either through feedback or by analyzing your stats (are they opening your emails?).
3. Volume – After trial and error, you find the proper amount of times to email your followers. There’s a fine line between sending too many and not sending enough.  But don’t worry, you’ll figure it out. That’s what all those analysis reports are for…

Weekdays have the best open rates for email delivery.  GetResponse

Advantage #4 – Segmented and Personal

One of the great things about email is privacy. Your readers are essentially getting a one-on-one with you in the privacy of their inbox. What a great way to build a trusting connection.

For one thing, they wouldn’t be on your list if they weren’t interested in you and your business. So make the most of this.

Get to know them and what they need. It’s all about them, not you. I know you’re hoping for more sales, but if you get too pushy or salesy in your emails, they’ll just unsubscribe.

Grow that relationship by offering them solutions to their problems.

If your list is getting big enough, start segmenting it into groups of similar likes and needs. Your list as a whole may not always need the same thing.

Accommodating and fine-tuning the help offered to specific needs is a very personal way to nurture each group.

Segmented emails receive 39% increased open rates.  Mailigen

Advantage #5 – Measuring and Testing

Any reputable autoresponder you choose will provide complimentary analysis reports. From open rates to unsubscribe rates and everything in between.

As you study these reports, you’ll get to know which emails were clicked on most. Which had the best click-through rate,  or even how many were shared with friends.

All this information can give you strong hints as to where you can improve your emails.

Is your subject line enticing enough to open? Is the information you offer valuable enough?

And don’t forget the feedback you can get directly from your followers. By sending them questionnaires or surveys, you can let them tell you what they need. It’s a win-win!

42% of all emails are opened on an iPhone.  Marketing Land

Advantage #6 – Popular and Active

You probably hear about the fact that Facebook has 1.4 billion and Twitter has 100 million active daily users, but you never hear about the number of people using email every day.

Take a look at this graph by Statista…

These are the number of daily email users in the billions.

And it’s forecasted that by 2024, there will be 4.48 billion daily users of email!

That’s more than half the world’s population.  And now you know why so many big brand names out there spend thousands of dollars on their email “signup” campaigns.

Advantage #7 – Leaving vs. Returning

If you’ve ever looked at your Google Analytics, the scary fact is that at least 70% of your website visitors never return.  You can find that under the percentages of new vs returning visitors.

You know how valuable your visitors are.  I mean let’s face it.  They could have landed on the millions of other websites out there, but they landed on yours!

And what better way for them to return than for you to be able to send them an email inviting them back.

As you continue to provide them with helpful solutions to their problems, you’ll be creating a new fan.

Did you know that Google tracks user behaviour with cookies specific to your browser and device? Whole Whale

Advantage #8 – Sales and More Sales

We all know that sales are our primary reason for having an email list. I mean, that’s why we’re in business, to begin with, right?

When we do this right, we can boost our brand’s reputation, spread the word about our products and services, and increase our sales in the process.

That’s the power of an email list!

Adding the word “sale” can increase your open rate by 23%.  Adestra

 

 

Quotes From The Experts

 

Neil Patel, Co-founder of Kissmetrics, Crazy Egg and QuickSprout

“Out of all the channels I tested as a marketer, email continually outperforms most of them.”

 

 

Joe Pulizzi, Founder of Content Marketing Institute

“If I have one regret as a business owner, it’s not focusing on building our email list earlier in the process.”

 

 

Noah Kagan, founder of SumoMe

“AppSumo.com is a 7 figure business and 90% of our revenue comes from emails.”

 

 

Corey Dilley, marketing manager at Unbounce

“Unbounce’s email list is the biggest asset we have for driving new acquisitions.”

 

 

Nathalie Lussier, digital strategist at Ambition Ally

“You’re not just a status update that’s there and gone, you’re right in someone’s inbox…with work, family, and friends.”

 

 

What About Social Media?

That’s great!  You can generate tons of traffic from social sharing platforms!

But even these huge mega businesses see the value of email lists.  

They tell you their services are better than email in today’s market, but what’s the first thing you’re required to do when opening a new account?

Yup, you got it. Enter your email address…

Even though social media sites downplay email marketing, they know this is the most effective way for direct contact with their customers. It’s smart business!

Why You Shouldn’t Rely Soley On Social Media Traffic

Advertising on social media is like working on rented land. As long as the land is available, you have a platform to work on.

But what happens when the landowners no longer offer their land for use?

Do you remember platforms like MySpace, Friendster, and Google Buzz? And there are many more that either never caught on or just vanished overnight, taking your contacts with them.

Though most people are on Facebook or Twitter today, not everyone chooses the same platforms.

• Some may only use Snapchat or Instagram.
• You would need a marketing strategy for each platform.
• Not everyone accesses these sites each and every day.

The good news is that 91% of people use their email on a daily basis, compared to 57% on Facebook and 14% on Twitter. Optinmonster

If you have a large following on social media sites, then start trying to capture their emails.

Place a tab on your Facebook profile that says “email signup”, which opens as a standard opt-in page.

Or run a contest or promotion that requires them to add their email. Be creative!

 

 

Conclusion

So are you convinced yet? Do you want in?

Personally, I believe all business owners should have an email list unless of course, you never intend to sell products or services of any kind. But I’m sure most of you do, so…

When you decide to start, there are many things to prepare before you begin. Don’t worry, It’s not hard.

But it’s so much easier to get all your ducks in a row before starting.

I’ve written a thorough guide on all the steps from beginning to end, to help you out. Click on my article “How To Create An Email Marketing Campaign. A Beginner’s Guide”

Now I’m assuming you all have a business set up with your own website. Or do you?

Are you just researching and still need to learn about online marketing? If that’s the case, I can help!  For Free!

Can I make you my sincere recommendation?

Please come and check out where I learned all about affiliate marketing, and where I still run my business to this day.

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• Training by experts who’ve worked in the industry for over 15 years.
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And guess what? You can start for FREE! Isn’t that amazing?

Just sign up with your name and email address. No credit card info required to start!

Click on the button below and you can read all about it. When you join, I’ll greet you on the inside and help you for as long as you need me to.

 

Email marketing is the best long-term investment you can make for your business. It’s a list you own without interference from any other online entity.

Have you started your list yet? How is it going? Let me know if you have any questions. I’d love to help.

Your friend,

Suzanne