So we've already talked about how amazing the ROI is for email marketing - but it feels like something's missing, right?

Sure, getting $40 back on every $1 I spend sounds great, you're probably thinking.  But marketing emails don't mean squat if I don't have people to send it to - ! 

Well friend, that's what this post is about - how to find those people, and get them to opt in to your email list 😄

In this post we're gonna talk about 6 ways to organically (AKA without paying for ads) grow your email list ... 

... and one thing you should NEVER EVER do to grow your email list

Ready to jump in?

(P.S. If you're in a rush, feel free to skip to the summary section at the end! ❤️  )

When you're getting started with your email marketing and list-building, there's always an element of "the chicken and the egg"

Don't I need to wait until I have X amount of subscribers before I start writing a newsletter? - you may think.

Then, 5 seconds later - But if I don't have a newsletter actually going out, I can't get them to subscribe ... can I?

Here's my advice - JUST START.

Whether it's publicizing your (brand new) newsletter in a post on FB, or scheduling time on your calendar to write a newsletter once a month (to your beautiful audience of 7) - just START.

Starting could look like a lot of different things:

Just start getting forward momentum, and letting it build over time.  You do NOT have to have a 10k list by this time next week - just focus on taking the next right step.  Content marketing, like emails, are a slow burn - but remember, the average payoff is $40 for every $1 you spend (that's a motivator, right?)

And remember - until you hire someone else to do it, YOU are the marketing department of your company.  So, if you want your company's name out there - you're the one who's gotta do it.

(Sidenote: If you need to get pumped up about writing an email newsletter out to a tiny audience, watch this short video about how twenty one pilots used to play shows for 5 people or less)

"It wasn't really discussed - we just knew that we had to play with as much conviction for 5 people as we would for 5,000.  We wanted our shows to be more about others about ourselves."  -- Tyler Joseph, twenty one pilots

If your Facebook feed looks anything like mine, you're probably inundated with ads and posts about all these people who have +100,000 people on their email lists and can teach you to do the same in the next 67 seconds if you sign up now and send out 8 emails every hour, etc. etc. etc. ...

Ok.

Listen.

You DO NOT need a list of 100-freakin-thousand people for a successful business.  You also DO NOT need to email-bomb people on a multi-daily basis. You really truly don't.

(In fact, research shows that open rates and conversion rates tend to do DOWN as email lists become bigger)

Don't worry about those pretty vanity metrics - instead, focus on the quality of your list, and who's on it. 

What's that saying?  "It's not about how big it is - it's more about how you use it?" 😉

Here's what I mean by quality:

Instead of worrying about getting to 10k followers of any kind ASAP, instead focus on making sure that you're connecting with the right kind of people.

Yes, this may mean a smaller list - but it's also one that you'll be excited to work with, and with people who are much more likely to buy.

WHAT'S YOUR REVENUE GOAL?

Also, in case it helps, take a moment to think about this from the perspective of how many clients you need:

Say you create an email campaign to promote limited spots for clean-ups or tax prep services.  How many do you need to sign up in order to meet your revenue goals this month or quarter?

Or maybe you know you usually need to get about 5 inquiries before you get 1 buyer, right?

The average click-through rate (according to MailChimp) is about 2-3% - so guess what?  If you have an email list of about 200 people (WAY less than 10k), you'll probably get about 4-6 clicking through to learn more (woohoo!)

See how achievable that is??

So seriously, go ahead and release the need to grow a super-massive list ... because it definitely isn't a need

(P.S. Did you know it costs FIVE TIME MORE to attract a new customer, rather than keep an existing customer?  So don't feel bad about focusing on your current circle, taking care of them, and adding new people to your circle more slowly)

Now that we've talked about getting started, and focusing on quality people for your list, let's talk about HOW to get them on there. 

Because if your email inbox is anything like mine, it is CROWDED and you don't feel like adding anyone else to the mix.  I'll be honest, I never ever EVER sign up for an email newsletter unless I'm given a good reason to do so.

Enter the lead magnet (AKA freebie)

Basically, you are offering something of value (the lead magnet) for free - in exchange for their email address.

Essentially, you are "buying" your way into their inbox.

Lead magnets can come in all shapes and forms:

When you're trying to figure out what to offer, make sure that:

(1) It's relevant to your offerings
(2) It's relevant to the type of client you want to work with
(3) They can download and implement it immediately (give them a fast win, even if it is a small win)

Remember, it's worth putting in a little effort and thought here in order to get them on your email list, where you can easily market to them on repeat!

And, of course, if you need help designing one - or just need an affordable template for one - just lemme know 😉

The best way to manage, and get the most out of, your email list is with an ESP (email service provider) like Mailchimp or something similar.

(For example, did you know that research shows segmented and personalized email campaigns - made possible mostly by ESPs - increase revenue by as much as 760 percent? Yowza!)

Here are just a few of the tools and benefits you can get from most ESPs:

Some have more, some have less - it's all up to what you need and how personalized (and automated) you want to get.

There are an endless list of ESPs out there - with a whole range of pricing and tools - but here's a few that I've heard of, in no particular order, to help you get started:

Again - pretty please, try not to overthink which one you go with.  

A lot of them have free trials you can test out.  And you can always change your ESP at a later date if you decide you need more (or fewer) features.

Remember - JUST GET STARTED ❤️

So - by now, you should have a ready-to-share lead magnet, and an ESP set-up and ready to collect email addresses, right?

Now - start talking up that lead magnet and put that sign-up link  E V E R Y W H E R E

And I mean everywhere - if you're on a platform, if you've got a page or a profile:

(1) Get it on there
(2) Briefly explain the benefits of the lead magnet (and the contents of the email newsletter)
(3) And make it EASY for them to sign up

Don't forget, email marketing ROI is $40 for every $1 you spend - so don't be shy about this!

And feel free to get creative about where you put it.  Here's a few ideas to help you get started:

You never know quite where someone will come across you and your content - so make sure you make it easy for them to stay connected with you, no matter where they find you!

A QUICK WORD ON WEBSITE POP-UPS

Here's the quick word - use them.

"Mailchimp users have seen their list growth rate increase by an average of 50.8% after adding a pop-up form to their site."

50% - !! That's huge!

Here's the good news - you can get the pop-up power without being tech-savvy or annoying.

If you have a good ESP tool and website, you should be able to set these up.  You can even control when they pop up, and limit how many times they will see the pop-up, even if they navigate to other pages on your site.

(P.S. "According to Conversion Sciences, 10-15% of potentially lost visitors can be saved with a well-crafted exit intent pop-up" ... so again, use them!)

There's a problem I see a lot with my clients - they'll post daily about their business on their business page ... that only 17 people follow 😬  Therefore, only those 17 people are (maybe) seeing those posts ... and no one else.

Again, there's nothing wrong with having only 17 followers, just like there's nothing wrong with started out with an email list of 7 people. 

BUT - ! When it is that small, you will need to find ways to meet and get in front of new people and grow your list, even if it is slowly!

There are a LOT of ways to expand your professional network, including:

And guess what?  As you grow your network, you can naturally grow your email list, too:

It's going to feel really slow some days - but it's a great way to start building relationships, and adding the kind of people you really want to work with to your email list ❤️

I know - this one is tempting.  Especially if you have a one-digit list, or you've been grinding away at building a list for a WHILE and want something faster.

But seriously - don't do it.

Here's the nasty little grey area this falls under:

"A purchased email list is not only a guaranteed way to have your emails end up in a spam folder, but it is also illegal. There are serious ramifications involving both the European Data Privacy Act, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and the United States 2003 CAN-SPAM act. All of these laws place restrictions on the collection of users’ personal information as well as monitoring email opt-in sequences. If businesses are found to be in breach of these restrictions, there are substantial financial penalties." (yieldify.com)

And again, if the fines and law-breaking aren't enough, there are other ill-effects of trying to e-mail people who did NOT opt in, including:

Long story short?

Don't buy email lists.  Just don't.

Yes, it does take time and effort to build an email list, especially in the beginning.  But if you persevere, the reward is AWESOME!

So, one more time, here's the recap of 6 ways to organically grow your email list:

And what's the one thing you should NEVER EVER do to grow your list? (Say it out loud with me ...)

I PROMISE I WILL NEVER EVER BUY AN EMAIL LIST

Excellent!

Now - what is the next right step for you to start growing your email list? ❤️

Feel free to reach out and let me know - I'd love to hear!

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