Welcome to The Marketing Coach podcast, the go-to destination for small business owners and marketers seeking to boost their traffic, leads, and sales without the hustle or headache.
Tune in to this episode as I share my top three secrets to list building and email marketing.
You’ll learn tips to expand your list, increase your reach, engage your subscribers, and skyrocket your sales!
Inside this episode, you’ll learn:
- The surprising truth about email marketing visibility compared to social media.
- Why email marketing can yield 5-10 times more visibility than social media posts.
- The importance of providing value to your email list beyond just pitching products or services.
- What to provide to get people to happily join your email list.
- Strategies for delivering valuable content that resonates with your subscribers.
- How to build trust, loyalty, and goodwill with your email subscribers.
Links Mentioned in the Episode:
Please Leave a Review
If you liked this episode, please support the show and leave an honest rating or review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app.
Keep Listening
- Episode 25: How I Get One Month’s Worth of Work Done in Two Weeks
- Episode 24: How to Deal with Haters, Trolls, and Angry Customers
- Episode 23: Marketing Strategies Every Business Needs in 2024
Transcript with Timestamps
This transcript was generated with AI assistance and may include minor spelling and grammatical errors. For the best experience, we recommend listening to the audio version of the podcast.
00:05
Welcome to the Marketing Coach podcast. I’m your host, Angie Gensler, and I teach you how to get more traffic, leads, and sales without the hustle or headache. Let’s get started.
00:17
Hey guys. Today I wanna share with you three secrets to email marketing that will help you take your business to the next level. These tips are gonna help you build your list and provide immense value to your subscribers, which will in turn grow your business. But before we dive into these secrets, I wanna share a little bit about why I’m so passionate about email marketing. You see, email marketing isn’t just a tool for sending promotional messages or sales pitches. It’s a powerful way to connect with your audience on a much deeper level, and it’s an audience that you actually own. When you build your email list, you own those contacts. Someone can’t take them away from you, but with social media or other platforms, you don’t own them, and those contacts can be taken away from you at any given moment. Over the years, I’ve really seen firsthand how building and nurturing my email list has transformed my business and provided me with sustainable revenue over the years.
01:18
It’s been really great. And the other beauty that I’ve seen is that through the many changes made on social media, which let me say, when I started my business, Periscope was huge, which probably a lot of you don’t even know what Periscope even is. It hasn’t been around for a while. But at the time, Periscope was really huge. Google Plus and Vine still existed, which they don’t anymore. And at the time, TikTok didn’t even exist. No one even knew what the heck that was ’cause it hadn’t even been invented yet. And let alone no one knew what short form videos were or what that even meant. But through all these crazy changes that have been happening on social media in the last five years, my email list has always been mine. I’ve owned it. It hasn’t changed. It hasn’t been taken away from me, and it has continued to provide a steady stream of revenue for my business.
02:14
So that’s why I am so excited to share with you the secrets that I’ve learned along the way. So whether you’re just starting out or you’re looking to level up your email marketing game, I hope that you’ll find this episode both inspiring and actionable. So without further ado, let me dive into the wonderful world of email marketing and share my three email marketing secrets with you. The first secret I wanna share is that email marketing gets five to 10 times more visibility than social media. Now, you may be thinking, wait a minute, isn’t social media supposed to be the holy grail of online visibility? And isn’t that how I’m supposed to reach the masses? Yes and no. Now, while social media platforms certainly have their place in a comprehensive marketing strategy, and it’s a great way to reach more people and new people, it is important to know that research shows that your social media posts are only seen by anywhere from one to 6% of your audience on average.
03:19
That varies depending on the platform you’re on, the type of content you’re sharing, and the type of account that you operate. But one to 6% of your audience. Now that sounds ridiculously low, but consider this every second. There are millions of posts, tweets and updates, flooding, people’s social media feeds, and amidst this constant stream of information, it’s so easy for your social media posts to get lost in the noise, which means that it barely reaches a fraction of your intended audience. Now, on the other hand, email marketing provides a much different landscape. So when you send an email to your subscribers, you are entering a much less cluttered space and you’re competing with far fewer messages to get that end user’s attention. Now, sure inboxes are crowded as well, but compared to the frantic pace of social media, it’s a much calmer environment where your message has a better chance of standing out and reaching your intended audience.
04:24
Now, research shows that emails are seen on average by about 25% of your audience, but this really does vary depending on your personal email open rates. So my open rates consistently sit at around 40 to 45%, and they’re actually even higher with some of my email automations. Now, this isn’t just a coincidence. It’s not that I’m just lucky or I’m in the right niche. I actually take the time every single week to keep my list clean and healthy, and I focus on sending high quality content that provides value to my audience. So you may not be seeing 40 to 45%. Keep that in mind. That is kind of rare, depending on your industry. Data shows that most open rates hover around 20 to 25%, but with good list management and engaging content, it is possible to achieve much higher open rates, which I have proven with my 40 to 45% average open rates with these high open rates.
05:23
This means that your emails can get anywhere from five to 10 times more visibility than a social media post. Now, visibility isn’t just about avoiding the noise, it is also about engagement. So think about your own behavior when you’re scrolling through social media. How often do you pause to really read and engage with each post? Chances are not very often. Social media browsing tends to be really quick and superficial with users Just skimming through that content at lightning speed. Email, on the other hand, demands a different kind of attention. When someone opens an email, they’re typically in a much more receptive mindset. They’ve actively chosen to engage with your content by opening their email and clicking on your message. Now, this level of intentionality translates to higher engagement rates and higher click click-through rates compared to social media posts. Another aspect to consider is the lifespan of your content.
06:22
Now, social media posts have a notoriously short shelf life. They appear in users’ feeds for a brief moment before being buried under a mountain of new posts. Emails, on the other hand, can linger in inboxes for days, weeks, even months, waiting for the perfect moment when the recipient is ready to engage with that email message. And don’t forget about the algorithms. Social media platforms are constantly tweaking their algorithms, which can significantly impact the visibility of your content. One day your post might reach thousands of people organically and the next day it’s virtually invisible unless you pay to boost it. With email marketing, you have more control over who sees your message and when they see it. So while social media definitely has its place in your marketing toolkit, I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to villainize social media because you know, I’ve been teaching social media for years.
07:18
I have a social media content club service that provides people with done for you content. I definitely think that social media has its place in your marketing strategy, but I don’t want you to underestimate the power of email marketing when it comes to visibility, which means that you should always be list building. List building is so important that I am planning to teach a live list building bootcamp later this spring. It’s going to be four days of live trainings teaching you step by step how to get your first 1000 email subscribers. It’s gonna be really affordable and super high value. So if you wanna be one of the first to know when registration opens for the Build Your List bootcamp, then head over to angie ginsler.com/bootcamps to join the wait list, and you’ll be the first to know when registration opens. And speaking of list building, the second secret that I wanna share with you today is that you can build your list faster with a lead magnet, not a newsletter.
08:21
Now, you’ve probably heard the term lead magnet thrown around in marketing circles, but what exactly is it and why is it so crucial for growing your email list? Let’s start with the basics. A lead magnet is essentially an irresistible incentive that you offer to your website visitors or your social media followers in exchange for their email address. It’s like dangling a shiny carrot in front of them, enticing them to take action and join your email list. Now, having a lead magnet is so important because your ideal customer is bombarded with marketing messages all day long and their inboxes are overloaded. They’re probably wary of giving away their precious email addresses unless they feel like they’re getting something valuable in return, the average person actually gets 121 emails a day. Can you believe that 121 emails a day, which means a join my newsletter blurb on your website.
09:19
It’s not gonna cut it. No one wants to sign up to receive more emails, and that’s where your lead magnet comes in. By offering a high quality piece of content or a valuable resource for free, you are demonstrating your expertise, you’re building trust with your audience, and you’re giving them a reason to want to get your emails. So whether it’s an ebook, a webinar, a checklist, a toolkit, a free trial, the key is to offer something that solves a real problem or fulfills a specific need for your target audience. So for example, let’s say that you’re a health and fitness professional. Instead of asking your website visitors to sign up for your newsletter, you could instead offer a free seven day meal plan. This not only provides immediate value to your audience, but it also positions you as an authority and an expert in your niche.
10:13
Another benefit of lead magnets is their ability to attract high quality leads. So because you’re offering something of value related to your niche or your industry, the people who opt into your email list are more likely to be genuinely interested in what you have to offer. And this results in just a more engaged and responsive email list, which ultimately leads to higher conversion rates and increased revenue for your business. Now, you may be wondering, how do I create a high quality lead magnet that actually converts? Well, I have good news for you. That is actually the topic of my next podcast episode. So make sure that you hit the subscribe button so that you get notified when that episode is released. The third secret I wanna share with you today is that your email list is not strictly for pitching. It’s about providing lots of value to your subscribers.
11:08
Now, I get it, as entrepreneurs, it can be really tempting to view our email lists as nothing more than a vehicle for making sales. After all, you know, we’ve worked hard to build our lists and we wanna see a return on that investment. But here’s the thing, bombarding your subscribers with constant sales pitches is a surefire way to have them searching for that unsubscribe link instead of pitching all the time. Your primary focus should be on providing value and lots of it. Think of your email list as a direct line of communication to your most loyal and engaged audience members. These are the people who have raised their hands and said, yes, I want to hear from you. And now it’s your job to deliver content that delights, educates and inspires them. So how do you provide value to your email list without constantly pitching?
11:59
First and foremost, focus on serving your audience’s needs and their desires. Take the time to understand their pain points or challenges, their goals, and then tailor your content to address those needs. Whether you’re sharing valuable tips and insights, providing exclusive access to resources or tools, or you’re showcasing success stories from your customers, the key is to make your emails as relevant and valuable as possible. Next, don’t be afraid to mix things up while it’s essential to provide consistent value, that doesn’t mean that every email has to be the same or follow the same format, or be a lengthy manifesto. Experiment with different formats such as quick tips, how to guides case studies or even some personal stories. And then track your click through and unsubscribe rates and see what resonates most with your audience. Another effective strategy is to engage with your subscribers directly. Ask them questions, request feedback, or invite them to participate in polls or surveys.
13:03
Not only does this create a sense of community and a belonging with your email subscribers, but it also provides really valuable insights into what your audience wants to hear from you. And finally, remember that it’s okay to sprinkle in the occasional promotional email, but here’s the key. Make sure your promotions are aligned with the value you’ve been providing so far, and they’re framed in a way that emphasizes the benefits to your subscribers. So instead of focusing solely on the features of your product or a service, highlight how it can solve a problem or help your audience achieve their goals and meet their needs. Now, if you’re on my email list, you know that my emails tend to follow a similar format each week. And you know, I said earlier to mix it up, but I did all the mixing up, all the experimenting, all the testing years ago, and I have learned over time what works with my audience, what they wanna hear, the type of content they like, and what resonates with them.
14:03
So my emails follow a more newsletter style format, and I always include a free piece of helpful content such as a new blog post or a podcast episode. Sometimes I’ll include links to important news or updates related to social media or marketing. And sometimes I’ll share links to different webinars or resources that I think my audience will find helpful. And in every email, I always include a soft pitch to one of my paid offers. And that’s because every email provides so much value on its own that it is appropriate to include a very soft and short pitch on something that solves a problem that my readers have. Now, this works with my newsletter style email, but that style doesn’t really work for everyone. So if you prefer to send emails that focus strictly on one topic and they tell a story or teach something valuable, then make sure you’re only pitching about once every three or four emails that you send.
15:01
By providing a lot of value to your email list and avoiding the temptation to constantly pitch, you’ll build trust, loyalty, and goodwill with your subscribers. They will start to look forward to your emails. And then when you do pitch them, either they will be thrilled at what you’re offering because it solves a problem that they have, or it won’t annoy them because they’re so used to you providing value that they look forward to getting your content and your emails. Building this trust and loyalty with your email subscribers is ultimately what leads to long-term success and sustainable growth for your business. So those are the three secrets of email marketing that I wanted to share with you today, and that reps up today’s episode. I hope you found it helpful and you learn something that you can apply to your business this week. And if you’re interested in learning more about the Build Your List bootcamp, head over to kinsler.com/bootcamps.
15:58
And before we part ways, remember that perseverance, not perfection, is the key to success. If you keep taking action, your success is inevitable. I’m cheering you on.
If you liked this episode and learned something new, make sure you rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast. And if you haven’t given the Social Media Content Club a try yet, head over to Angiegensler.com/content club to start your seven-day trial of done for you, copy and paste content directly from your phone. You’re going to love it. Well, that’s it for today. Have a great day, and I will see you in the next episode.
