I find social media platforms really overwhelming at times. Even to the point where I dip a toe in, but shut it down quickly and question why I popped on there in the first place. I wonder if your clients feel like this too. There are so many people telling you how many times to post on social media, engage with the platform, create reels, make sure you have different social media posts for each platform……. It is exhausting! Yes social media platforms seem to dominate the marketing conversation, but this is only one part of sharing your value with the world. There is a better way of communicating with your customers or potential new customers without having to stretch yourself too thin.
Today, I want to talk to you about the importance and the effectiveness of email marketing. I believe that building an email list is not just a ‘nice to have’, it is essential for your business’ long-term success. Here are my 5 reasons why all businesses should have an email list over and above a social media account.
1. Your email is a direct line of communication to your customer or potential customer. When someone subscribes to your email list (and we will talk about the different ways to get onto that list another day), that subscriber is giving you permission to enter their personal inbox and allowing you to deliver your message directly to them.
2. Building an email list for your business gives you ownership and control over who you talk to i.e. your audience. Unlike social media followers, who are essentially at the mercy of platform changes and algorithms, your email list is a tangible asset that you own. You’re not reliant on a third-party platform to reach your audience, reducing the risk of losing access to your followers overnight.
3. Emails have a much higher open rate compared to organic social media posts, this is highlighted by a study by Campaign Monitor where the average open rate for email marketing campaigns is around 20%- 30% whereas the average organic reach for Facebook posts is only about 6%. Plus a personalised and targeted email campaigns will drive higher conversion rates. More people engaging in your emails leads to more people buying your product or service which in turn brings more revenue into your business.
4. When you invest in your email marketing, you will have a unique opportunity to provide value, establish trust and nurture a relationship with someone who is interested enough to give you their name and email address in the first place. Building your relationship over time turns your subscribers into loyal customers and raving fans who will advocate for your business on your behalf.
5. And finally, building and maintaining an email list is relatively inexpensive compared to spending time and money on linked in, tiktok, instagram, facebook…….. The list of social media goes on! And I am only talking about organic social media. Adding social media advertising and other paid marketing strategies into the mix will quickly eat into your budget. Email marketing allows you to reach your audience at a fraction of the cost. According to the Data & Marketing Association (DMA), the average ROI for email marketing is $42 for every $1 spent.
It is so tempting to jump on the social media bandwagon, but I would like to encourage you to spend time in building the relationships with your audience over regular emails that you have the capacity to create and send. I am not saying you need to send 3 emails a day to the people who have shared their details with you but I am saying that spending more time with crafting a weekly or even monthly email with people who have given you permission to speak to them directly will lay the foundations for a business that is sustainable and has long-term success.