Building an email list is one of the best, easiest, and least expensive ways to stay in touch with your customers and prospects!
But some business owners make it too complicated. And they often think having the biggest list possible will bring them all the riches. Yet, truth be told, it’s not the size of your list that you should be focusing on, it’s the quality of your list. I’m sure you’ve heard that before. It’s worth repeating!
Did you know that for every $1 you spend on email marketing, you get a return of almost $40? That’s a huge ROI!
So, I’m not going to talk about how to grow your list today (that’ll be for another blog post soon). I want to talk to you about using the list you already have in order to make the most impact. These tips are ideal if you have at least 100 subscribers. But they’ll still work if your list is smaller too. So how do you attract a more engaged email audience?
#1. Segment your List
Look at your general or default email list. This is where most people start, with a generic list and everyone thrown onto it. What you’ll want to do is separate the names on this generic list and start dropping them into more meaningful “buckets”. That’s email jargon for other lists.
Here’s an example of how this works.
Let’s say you sell a natural skincare line with several products. You might have a general or default list, with everyone on that list. Now I want you to separate out the buyers to a “Purchasers” List. And create another list of non-purchasers with the name, “Prospects”.
Next, we’re going to dive deeper. Let’s focus on the “Purchasers” list. Create a list or bucket for the specific product the purchaser bought. Let’s say it’s a facial scrub. Put her on the list “Facial Scrub”. What if the facial scrub has a scent and she only purchases the Lavender scent – break the list down even further. Put her on the “Lavender “list.
Do you see where I’m going with this? Keep drilling down.
You’ll see the same person on several lists. That’s ok. Here’s why I recommend you do this without hesitation.
If you add the same person to several lists and send an email to them, they will NOT receive a duplicate email for every list that they’re on. Your email service provider will send only one email message to them (unless they signed up with more than one email address – this does happen). I know because I sometimes use two different email addresses by mistake and I get duplicates from lists I’ve subscribed to.
Let’s say a customer loves the lavender-scented facial scrub. They’ll be more likely to buy (in multiples) if you have a sale only for that list. Because you’re talking to them and it’s right on the mark for relevancy.
21% of people will unsubscribe from your list if the content isn’t relevant to them. According to a survey done by MarketingSherpa.
You’re also going to make sure the link to buy takes them directly to their favorite product. You don’t want readers to get distracted or waste time looking for things if you insert a link to your home page.
Remember, the attention span of humans is teeny, tiny! The quicker you get them to where they want to go, the better. For them AND for you!
#2. Create Freebie and Micro Offers that Attract your Target Market
Think about the struggles your ICA (ideal customer avatar) is experiencing. What solution do you provide for their immediate problems? An easy way to figure this out is to do some of your own research.
Try to remember the last few weeks or months of conversations you heard and questions asked. Or that you observed either by phone, email, or on social media. Can you recall a common thread of pain points that you can reduce? If not, do the research now. Create a survey or a poll on social media. Look for these conversations online. Follow the hashtags of your target market or your core content.
Once you’ve done the research and analyzed the data, you’re armed with the information you need. Take the data and use it to create a free or low-cost offer. Include their pain point in the title and the solution inside the offer.
When people sign up to receive your freebie or micro offer you’ll know it’s content your audience wants. Whether it’s a download, a checklist, a video lesson, a guide, etc… Isn’t that what you want?
#3. Follow your New Email Subscribers on Social Media
Wherever you market your offer, each time you do that push, you’re going to get an influx of new names on your email list. It doesn’t matter if it’s through organic outreach or if you use a pay-to play-strategy.
Export the new list of opt-in subscribers from your email service provider. Use a spreadsheet of your choice.
Go search for these subscribers on social media. Follow and friend them. What better way to get to know them, their business, their likes, and where they are in their life or business journey?
You’ll learn even more about what their needs are and be able to better serve them. Engage with these new prospects. Find ways to make a connection. Leave comments, likes, and voice messages in their DMs. Remind them that they signed up for your freebie, thank them, and ask if it’s been helpful to them. Let them also know that they got a new follower – win-win!
To further engage, ask them if they have any questions for you. Of course, remind them what the freebie was about.
So tell me, are you going to try out these ideas? Maybe you already use them and see how valuable they are. I’d love to know. Any time you can find an opportunity to be more relevant to your subscribers, the better.
Did you know? People who receive emails from brands they like actually want to hear from them more often.
Want more ideas?
Download my free guide to help you get more leads on your email list.
