How to make the most of your email list
- Lucinda Brassey
- Apr 24, 2024
- 5 min read
Are you working your email list, or is it growing digital cobwebs?
You’ll hear every marketer out there telling you how important it is, but why?
It’s cost-effective: when done right, you’ll get a lot more money out than you’ve put in.
Personal communication: it allows you to craft personalised content that will evoke a reaction and encourage customers to take action.
Customer retention: regular email campaigns are the perfect touchpoint for maintaining a relationship with your current customers. And to encourage them to make a repeat purchase.
Measurable results: you can easily keep track of what’s working and what isn’t by monitoring open rates, conversion rates and click-through rates. Clear insight like this is invaluable and not something you can get so easily through platforms like social media.
I know it can seem like an overwhelming task to muster up the inspiration for a new campaign. . .
But if you’ve put all that hard work into building your list in the first place, don’t let it go to waste!
But I don't even have an email list!!!
If this is you – don’t panic. There are plenty of ways to grow your list, whether that’s through your other content or creating a lead magnet.
If that’s something you need help with then click on the below to book a free discovery call with me so we can come up with a plan of action together.
None of this has to be the monster you’ve built up in your head - you just need to get yourself started.
So, let’s go!
1 - Know who you're talking to
You should already have an idea of what kind of people you’ve got on your list, but when it comes to the content of your email campaign have a think about:
What they care about
What’s going to hit a nerve with them
What sort of things will keep them engaged
For instance, you could have a perfectly crafted campaign written around your experience as a professional rock climber. But if the bulk of your list is made up of novices, they’re likely to become disinterested in anything that seems out of their reach.
Knowing who you’re talking to is going to be the backbone of how you create your campaign, so don’t skip this step. If you need help to define who that is, then download my free brand voice guide here which covers the basics of this to get you started.
2 - Split up your list
If you’ve got a large email list then it’s going to be worth splitting it so you’ve got specially crafted content for each group. So, if you’ve got a mix of advanced and rookie adventuers – split up the list accordingly.
It’s important you make them feel that you’re speaking to them directly rather than to everyone. The more relevant you can make it to each group, the more engaged they’re going to be.
And the more engaged your readers are, you're less likely to lose out on sales from people unsubscribing.
3 - Get personal
And that doesn’t mean telling them your deepest darkest secrets, but you should be real.
Share your stories with them, and give your readers something you know they’ll relate to. Even better, share your customer stories – some insight into a customer’s experience will help build your credibility and trust with someone new.
And use their name. You’ll sometimes have to pay a bit more for this depending on what email software you’re using, but it’s worth it. Think about how many times you’ve been more drawn into opening an email because you’re name was included in the subject line.
I’d use their name at the start and end of the email too, it’s simple but makes the reader feel you’re talking to them directly.
4 - Keep it short and simple
We all get bombarded with dozens of emails a day, so you don’t want to be another email that’s opened and closed within seconds. Or not opened at all. . .
If it’s feeling too long for you, it’ll feel like that to your reader - if that’s the case then break it up over a couple of emails instead.
As for the whole structure of the email try:
A short and snappy subject line. Tools like Send It Check are helpful if you’re struggling with this.
Good quality images. If you’ve got some great shots of your own from past adventures then use these over generic ones.
Short paragraphs that are quick and easy to read
A clear Call To Action at the end – don’t give them multiple options of what to do next.
If you’re still unsure how to start, take a look at emails you’ve received in the past that you’ve found effective or engaging.
5 - Automate and test
Automation can feel like a pain in the backside to set up if you’re not technically adept, but believe me you’re going to save yourself a lot of time and headaches in the future if you do.
You don’t need a super fancy, crazy expensive system to do this. Platforms like Mailchimp and Mailerlite are designed to be easy to set up and use. Plus they come with design templates which can make life a whole lot easier if you don’t have much experience.
Split testing is a great way to see how effective your emails are, so if you’ve got enough people to test on it’s worth trying the following:
Using different subject lines
Play around with the images
Try out different CTAs
If your list isn’t big enough to split up at the moment, still track things like open rates and click-through rates to make sure what you’re sending is hitting the mark.
As a rule of thumb, a decent open rate is 17%-28% but that’s all going to depend on your specific niche and the number of people you’re reaching out to. Campaign Monitor has put together a useful guide on this which I’d recommend taking a look at.
Finally, whatever you do - don't waste your list!
Think about it – a list that’s going unused is potentially hundreds of customers you’re letting get away. . .
So whatever you do, at least give it a go. It’s not going to be an overnight success so keep trying, keep refining, and keep going.
And if you don’t have a list yet – make a start on building one. It’s going to be a brilliant way of building relationships with future customers and it’s worth putting the time in now.
I’m here to help if you need support in building campaigns or growing your list, so just click on the below to book a free discovery call with me.
Lucinda
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