This is the second installment of a four part-series on helping you navigate away from common mistakes when launching an email marketing program. In this series, you’ll learn the key stages of successful email marketing—preparation, growing an audience, creating and sending emails, and analyzing results—and the pitfalls to look out for within each stage. For even more tips and inspiration to help you get started, you can head over to The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing.
In part one, you learned the value of preparing for your email marketing programs. Asking yourself ‘why’ and dedicating necessary time will provide you with focus and the best, long-term results. Now it’s time to talk about growth.
Particularly, part two will focus on common mistakes that will cause you to grow your audience with the wrong people.
Part Two: Growing Your Audience
You’ve already added your friends and family to your email list. Now it’s time to get serious about growing your audience.
You may have heard about Right Time Marketing; delivering the right message, to the right person, at the right time, via the right vehicle. Email is a critical channel to succeed at “right time” marketing. Tactics that take minutes can help you find that right audience for growth. But you’ll be blocked from that success if you fall into these mistakes.
You focus on quantity over quality
Remember, it’s about the right person/people. Sometimes focusing on ten quality subscribers will result in more success than chasing your next 100. Leverage your research from part one to determine who it is you wish to attract and who it is that you can provide the most value to.
You’re not using a sign up form
Using a pen and paper. Asking for a business card. These are great ways to capture and collect email addresses. But there is a better, more targeted way that will help you get the specific audience you’re trying to attract.
Installing a sign up form on your website or blog is one of the most effective ways of connecting with the right audience. Your email marketing service should provide these sign up forms. Additionally, some easy-to-use form providers include Sumo and Jotform.
However, you need to make sure to offer something of specific, relevant value to make sure you’re maintaining a quality audience. Use this email marketing guide to find other ways to leverage your sign up form and grow your quality audience.
You’re using a sign up form, but not providing value
According to Justin Rondeau from DigitalMarketer.com, “Nobody wants to ‘join a newsletter’ so stop asking. Give them something in exchange for their information, which is really a currency in the digital age. Make sure they are getting something valuable in that exchange and they’ll love you for it.”
A great starting point is to develop a checklist that your audience would find valuable. It can be as easy as a list of resources, tips, or how-tos that you link to in a Google Form after they provide their best email address.
You’re too modest when promoting your content
You’re providing a valuable product or service to a targeted audience of users, remember? Including a link on your business card or LinkedIn profile is great. An occasional tweet to your followers is ok too. But start thinking of ways you can make your site/sign up form more integrated with every touchpoint with your potential customers.
Add a link in the profile of your brand’s social media pages, include your sign up form in the footer of every blog post, even consider adding a persistent ‘pinned’ post that links to your site and is always present.
Start engaging in other platforms where your potential customers are educating themselves. Quora or Reddit provide very targeted ways show off your expertise while listening and engaging with niche audiences.
Now that you have an idea of how to begin building the right, quality audience, it’s time to consider how to nurture and build strong relationships.
Ready for Part Three?
Part three of this series will focus on what to consider when creating and sending engaging content in your emails. You’ll learn which key mistakes to avoid so your emails get opened and generate engagement.
If you need more step-by-step support for getting your email program started, check out the comprehensive, ultimate guide to email for beginners.