Can it happen? All social media becomes exclusively pay to play. Or worse, it shuts down. Yes! Anything is possible when you are engaging and selling on a platform that is not yours. No! You have no control, and that’s an icky feeling.
Where does that leave you?
What you DO have control over? Your email list.
When used properly, it’s way more powerful at retaining customers and converting sales than social media. (And if you’re paying for visibility on social media, it’s definitely cheaper!) But you must nurture your list, and grow it while syncing your email content with the three elements of The Sweet Spot.
Why email is so powerful:
-You own your email list. No one can ever take it away from you. Treat it like gold.
-It is an extension of you: you are talking directly to your customers - who want to hear from you!
-When put together effectively, emails convert at a very high rate (translate: you’re selling).
Tips:
-Have a signup at your POS.
-Have staff add customers to your list (especially new ones!) when they are checking out.
-Have email sign-ups in multiple places on your website.
-Build your list with a giveaway.
-Segment your email list and send targeted emails.
-Weed out the non-openers (the quality of subscribers is much more important than the quantity).
Create converting emails:
-Make them conversational (short and sweet, like you’re writing a friend).
-Personalize (include your customer’s name).
-Have a call to action (what do you want your customer to do?).
-Include all of your store’s contact info, hours and social media links. Be sure to include a link to sign up for your emails (when your customer forwards an email to a friend - “Hey! Let’s take this class!” - they can easily be added to your list
-Test your email on your desktop and your phone before sending.
-Use your business name as the sender (not your name) and make the subject line short and compelling (not “Fall, 2021 updates”).
-Send emails through an email service, not your personal email account.
A few more email thoughts:
-Send your customers at least three emails a month.
-Don’t overload the emails with content and images.
-Check your links: sending a customer to a broken link often means you lose a sale (or just frustrates your customer who has to spend time figuring out how to sign up for a class).
-The average office worker gets 121 emails a day. How do you get yours opened?
How do you hit The Sweet Spot with your emails? Stay consistent: stick to your brand, your design and your communication style. Engage with your customers on a personal level and always have one main call to action (why are you sending the email and what do you want them to do?).
Email doesn't have to be a big, scary entity. Using an email platform that does much of the work for you saves time and money. Constant Contact is my preferred email platform (I've used them for over 15 years!). From predesigned templates to automation to easy reports and exporting data, Constant Contact has it going on. I'd love to help you get started, OR improve your open rate, just reach out!
And my six-week course, Email: Your Selling Machine, covers EVERYTHING email:
-Week one: signups and growing your list
-Week two: lead magnets and growing your list
-Week three: make the most of email platforms
-Week four: designing emails for selling
-Week five: your audience - segmenting for sales
-Week six: scheduling for success
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