Why We Love Email Marketing (And You Should, Too!)

Imagine for a moment that you’ve logged into Instagram only to realize that your account is flagged, and you no longer have access to any of your followers. In a state of panic, you log into Facebook and realize the exact same thing is happening there.

What do you do? How are you going to communicate with your clients? What does your business look like without access to social media?

I know it seems drastic, but I have news for you, it’s happened to hundreds of businesses and you need a back up plan in place. So, does your digital marketing strategy include fail-safe methods?

I’m talking about email marketing.

OK wait, I can already hear you saying: “Email Marketing? What’s the big deal there?”
To that I say:

• A client list that is yours forever

But I get it, you’re busy and there may be a myriad of reasons that you might not be comfortable with email marketing. So, let’s have a peek at what might be holding you back?

The myth that email marketing is dead

This is my favorite one so let’s dispel that right now. More clients use email and rely on it daily to communicate than they do on social media – yes, even Millennials. Need a fact for that? Here it is:

91% of users check their emails daily, and those users have reached 2.6 Billion unique users worldwide.

Your fear of the unknown

Sure, trying to build your email list might seem scary or even complicated if you’re unsure – but you built a BUSINESS!! Here’s an infographic for you that breaks down the 10 steps that will get you on your way to your first campaign. See, not so intimidating!

Check out this infographic

You’re skeptical of the benefits

You already have a million things to do and now I’m telling you to add something else to your pile? Why would you want to do that!

Look, I get it.  But I’m telling you, email marketing is a game-changer. Here’s why:

It ties your content marketing together

• Use it to promote your blog
• Call on your subscribers to join your social media promotions/contests
• Send out product emails to promote new launches
• Launch referral programs
• Surveys

Offers unbeatable ROI (on average $44 for every $1 spent)

Connects with more clients than social media

OK, we’ve addressed the top 3 concerns you have about email marketing.  It’s time to create a campaign that will leave your clients wanting more.

It’s All About That Opt-In Baby.

There are two types of visitors that will be landing on your website and social media pages. The first is familiar with your business/current clients (warm leads), and the second are those who found you through search/ads (cold leads).

The challenge for both lies in converting them from web page browsers to email subscribers. Just how do you do that? It’s all about that email opt-in.

Take some time to brainstorm the reasons you sign up for newsletters these days.  What would it take for you to sign up for another email?

Using that motivation creates a free offer, discount code, or promotion that will be tempting enough for new leads to sign up for your newsletter. Once you have your offer finished (and this is important) make your sign-up process super easy.

Placement Matters

When your goal is converting your visitors into subscribers where you place your opt-in form is important. While there are many different options I’m going to focus on the three that clients will notice first.

1. Welcome Gate
This is the pop-up’s less annoying cousin.  Once your client lands on your site, a fade-in full-screen image comes into view with your email opt-in offer. There will be a little arrow at the bottom of your image so your client can easily continue on to the rest of your site. Your message comes across in a visually appealing way without the harshness of a pop-up.

Check out an example on Jeff Bulla’s website.

2. Floating Bar
The number one reason you’ve spent all this time on an opt-in is to have clients & new visitors sign up,  and to do that they have to be able to find it!  That’s why the floating bar is so awesome.  No matter where you scroll your clients will be able to see your offer!

3. Header
The header is the most classic option and it’s the one you’ve likely seen and experienced first hand!
A good rule of thumb when you’re designing a header opt-in is to keep it simple, bright, and on-brand.  You want your clients to know exactly what you’re offering and to feel drawn to sign up immediately!  Aim to have a visual element along with compelling copy like this example.

Quality content is priority #1

Now that you’re well on your way to starting your first email marketing campaign try to keep a regular schedule, though the general rules of content marketing still apply – quality content rules.

It takes time and hard work to build up your list but only a moment for your subscribers to hit “unsubscribe”. The best way to stop that from happening is to send relevant, personalized information.

So, what happens if you get behind working on your business and realize you have zero content for your weekly newsletter? Don’t sweat it – life happens! Instead of patching together a second-rate email to your VIP clients, skip this cycle of your email newsletter and vow to get it together for your next round.

Timing is Everything

Depending on what part of the creative industry you work in, certain holidays will be more important than others. Do you have any promotions you do per year or an annual budget for discounts? Now’s the time to whip out your trusty content calendar.

If there are promos/discounts being advertised in-shop and on social media but your email marketing misses them, your subscribers are going to be wondering what’s up – it’ll be big whoopsie for you!

Many clients subscribe to online newsletters to get “special access” and if they feel like they’re missing out you’ll lose them. I can’t stress enough how timing is everything.

Let’s Get Personal

Email marketing allows you to get up close and personal with clients that you don’t know face to face yet. You’re able to group them based on geography, likes, dislikes, age, gender, etc and when you reach out to them it’s on a first-name basis.

That means you can personalize your:

• Message
• Images
• Promotions

Here’s why that’s important:

91% of email marketers get improved open and click through rates from email personalization – according to Hubspot!

No Novels Please

If you’re like me you can feel your attention span getting shorter, with an influx of 110 emails hitting my inbox every day and my Twitter feed refreshing every 15 seconds I’m on information overload. And I’m not alone. But what does this mean for you?

To get your message across your newsletters should have a direct message that keeps your subscribers focused and allows them to scan your information quickly. Make sure to include a clear “call to action” in the top third of the newsletter (above the fold) with a link to the appropriate landing page.

Always include links to any main pictures along with your social media icons and your contact information.

Final Thoughts

It’s easy to dismiss email marketing these days when you can schedule your posts to Instagram or just throw together a Facebook ad. But here are a couple of things to consider:

The average lifespan of a social media post is 8 hours (and that’s being VERY generous), and there are zero guarantees that your audience is even going to see it.
But when you organically grow your client base with email marketing that list is yours to keep.  It can’t be swept out from under you for a blunder made on social media or because you’ve chosen to open up your own shop.

And get this — if you’ve been building your list with the BookedIN appointment scheduling software, all those names, emails, preferences – they move with you – no matter where you go. So, if you’ve been hesitating because email marketing seemed outdated or you didn’t know where to start, the time is now.

Your business depends on it.