The One Thing Ambitious Businesses Miss Out On

There’s a chance you’re not leveraging all weapons in marketing your business. Here’s how to fix the situation.

What if I told you that you’re sitting on an asset that has the potential to grow your business quickly?

That it doesn’t cost you much of anything, apart from some brain gym in the form of strategy work and you and your team’s time, and that it works especially well for service-based businesses that are passionate about their field.

Would you want to know how to leverage that asset right now?

Okay, I’ll tell you: you have access to an asset that can grow your business quickly, affordably and authentically.

That asset is email marketing.

Email Marketing Brings Better Results Than Social Media

When looking at the results, email marketing works better than content marketing on social media:

• More people see your email content than your organic social media content
• People are more likely to click on email links than social media ones
• Those who click are more likely to buy via email
• The return on investment is higher (in one study, a whopping 3800% via email versus 28% on socials)

Three Stages of Successful Email Marketing

One reason for the success of email marketing is that it allows you to reach your audience when it suits them — not when it suits the social media algorithm.

Despite these clear benefits, many small businesses set up their social media accounts and websites early on, but miss out on the potential of email marketing. When running Digital Presence Audits for small businesses, I noticed only a handful of participants asked for a review of their newsletter or landing pages.

In order to work, newsletter marketing requires long-term strategy and nurturing. It’s not about spamming your audience with sales campaigns from day one — it’s about intentionally building a tribe that resonates with your message and supports your business growth.

There are three stages in setting up a successful newsletter strategy: Newsletter Newbie, List Builder and Email Pro. When you know which stage you’re at, you can focus on the right things and build your strategy in an authentic and productive way.

A Newsletter Newbie — Get Started with Email Marketing

Are you an email marketing beginner who would like to start nurturing a loyal tribe of followers and adding value to your audience via email?

Newsletter Newbies…

• Have a subscription to a newsletter platform or are in the process of setting one up
• Have the beginnings of a follower database but the list isn’t growing consistently
• Know, in theory, that this is important but aren’t really sure where to start or feel overwhelmed amid all the different options

Focus Points for Newsletter Newbies

1. Create a freebie to grow your list consistently. It can be a downloadable guide, a free call, a webinar, a discount code — whatever is relevant to your future clients.
2. Set up an automated email sequence to introduce your brand to new subscribers. This allows you to start building a relationship based on trust.
3. Communicate with your list on a regular basis. Be realistic with what regular means to you: even once a month or every other month is a start.

List Builder — Convert Your Followers to Clients

You’re not a newbie anymore, and you already have a solid database of subscribers who you’ve been communicating with on a regular basis for a few months or even longer.

List Builders…

• Grow their lists steadily thanks to a freebie, networking activities and content marketing
• Receive positive feedback from followers and know the message is on-point
• Create new content easily but wonder how to use the list to grow their businesses

Focus Points for List Builders

1. Ensure your publication frequency is consistent. Send value-adding messages at least once or twice a month.
2. Fine-tune your nurture sequence. In addition to introducing your brand, guide your subscribers towards the next step on their client journey, such as an entry-level offer.
3. Plan and execute your first launch or promotional campaign.

Email Pro — Newsletter as a Means to Scale

The third stage of newsletter evolution is an Email Pro. Email Pros have been building their lists strategically for months, or even years, and know there’s more potential there.

Email Pros…

• Have run promotional campaigns in the past but feel unsatisfied with the results
• Have several different audiences and feel that some campaigns miss the mark, while others succeed
• Create a lot of content with ease but want to make a better return on investment on their time

Focus Points for Email Pros

1. Create another freebie and nurture sequence for a different audience segment. This allows you to attract different audience types and customize their client journey.
2. Set up automated sales funnels for evergreen offers. They generate passive income.
3. Launch regular, tailored campaigns. A loyal, nurtured audience can handle more promotional campaigns than a new subscriber base.

Get Unstuck — The Next Level Is Waiting For You

Wherever you’re at on the newsletter ladder, the next level is available and waiting for you.

The important thing is to work through one stage at a time: if you try to skip to tailored promotions or evergreen sales sequences too early, you will probably see more angry unsubscribers than sales.

Over time, email marketing allows you to speak to a wider audience and make an impact in more clients’ lives and businesses. How good would that feel?

P.S. Be among the 5% of entrepreneurs who leveraged their Digital Presence Audit to evaluate their email strategy. Schedule yours now for highly tailored advice and an action plan.