These are strange days - and for a lot of businesses - slow days.

So what can you do right now to help your business grow even though your doors might be (physically) closed? Build your email list.

Here are some common reasons why you might not have bothered too much with your email list in the past:

1. You’re incredibly busy and decided to spend your precious marketing time investing in your social media presence
2. You don’t think people will want them
3. You don’t know what to even put in an email
4. You don’t know how to set it up

Below, I will address why none of those reasons should get in your way.

Social media

It’s true that as a business owner your time is finite. It’s also true that social media should be an important part of your overall marketing strategy. But social media isn’t yours. If Facebook and Instagram went away tomorrow - how would you communicate with all those followers? If they were already on your email list it wouldn’t be a problem - so build your email list.

No one will want them

We all get 1000 emails a day with people wanting our time, our money, or for us to come pick up the 17 boxes of stuff that’s been kept in the attic for the last 12 years (Yeah, I’m looking at you, Mom). So why would someone want an email from you amongst all of that noise?

Well--click rates are getting lower on emails (about 14% last year). However, according to Campaign Monitor a whopping “38% of US consumers reported being driven to action due to email.” So...clearly lots of people still want emails.

Look at it this way. Say you have 1000 people who get the email. Only 14% open the email - so that’s 140 people. But then 38% of THEM actually take action on the deal you’ve offered? That’s like 50+ sales!

People aren’t always ready to commit the first time you offer them something. But get them on your email list - send that valuable deal/information/belly-laugh to them on the regular - and you’re going a long way towards building a relationship and getting the sale.

What do I even write about?

It could simply be a coupon or an announcement. But my advice is to periodically email people with NON-salesy things, too. You can make it short and sweet - 3 parts is perfect. Personally, I like to do some kind of client highlight, some small educational section, and then either a personnel introduction or a funny gif or something like that at the bottom. But you can do whatever you want!

How do I set it up?

The best way to collect emails is to set up something called a “landing page.” This is usually separate from your website, but looks a bit like a really, really simple version of your website. It has one, maybe two calls to action, and its main function is to collect names and their email addresses. Once you have this in place, you can direct followers to it from social media, a postcard, etc.

If you need help setting something like this up - contact us today. We have a variety of packages that might work for you.

amy mertz in form creationsABOUT AMY
Amy Mertz is our Creative Director and copy writer. When not in the office you can find her chasing down her hilarious toddler, searching the land for great coffee and baked goods, or espousing the current books on her nightstand.