Have you been emailing basically the same list for the last couple of years?

Are your sales slowing down?

The problem is likely you have not focused enough on list building. Email list building is an important aspect of any successful business, as a stale list can lead to slow sales. Your list doesn't have a to be large, but it should be continually adding new subscribers. Fortunately, there are 7 reasons to always be list building. In this blog post, we'll explore those reasons and how to keep your email list healthy.

What Is List Building?

Simply put, it is the process of creating a list of contact information of people interested in your services. This is done to enable you send newsletters, promotions, and nurturing campaigns to the mailing list with the intent to convert subscribers to clients.

Why List Building Is Important?

It is the one channel of communication that a business fully controls and owns. More importantly, when a business is consistent about email marketing, 59% of B2B marketers say email is their most effective channel for generating revenue (Emma). If that isn't enough, let's look at the seven reasons to always be list building.

7 Reasons To Always Be List Building

Reason #1 Increase the reach of your message

Social media algorithms are a way of sorting posts in a users’ feed based on relevancy instead of publish time (SproutSocial).

That means the social media channel is in control of who sees what ... not you.

Social media channels make a big deal about how many people are on their platform and how much time they spend daily on their platform. They don't all talk about how that translates to your reach. How many of your contacts are actually getting a chance to see your posts?

Ad Espresso reports the average organic reach for a Facebook post is 5.2% of the Page’s total likes.

Aamplify reports that a 2% LinkedIn engagement rate of your followers is considered good.

REACH means that your message is actually connecting with people.

Reason #2 More personal

Building a mailing list requires that you've made a connection with that person in some way. Either you've met them networking, downloaded a guide, scheduled an online appointment with you, attended an event, or any number of ways. The point is that they decided to get to know you or your business better. They've made the relationships "personal" by opting in to be on your mailing list.

The great thing is that you can now return the favor and personalize messages to them because you know a little bit about them. Who doesn't like being referred to by their first name? Sending emails that include the person's name will increase the know, like, and trust factor with people. This is something you can't do in social media.

Here are some must-do actions to build your list and personalize:

• Make sure to always ask for first name and make it a required field

• Add a newsletter opt-in question to online appointment scheduling

• Ensure all the ways people connect with you includes an opt-in question

Reason #3 New subscribers are the most likely to buy

74% of consumers expect a welcome email as soon as they subscribe (WordStream). If they've provided their email to your business, it is because your offer was valuable to them. It means they are feeling the challenges you solve, so don't miss this opportunity to engage.

New leads are most engaged within 48 hours of subscribing.

(VerticalResponse)

Reason #4 People spend more time on email than anything else

According to Adobe's email survey, they found that workers spend on average 7.4 hours per weekday on email! Also according to the survey, they found that people preferred receiving marketing offers via email (49%), followed by direct mail (22%). Only 8% preferred marketing offers via social media.

Clearly it makes sense to focus on marketing through email if you want more people to see more of what you have to offer.

Reason #5 Right message to the right people

As mentioned, with organic marketing on social media, you have no idea who is reading your posts, and you have no control over it.

When you email your own list of subscribers, you know that they have have opted in to hear from you. You also have the ability to tailor your emails to subgroups of subscribers based on factors such as how long they've been on your list, interests they've expressed to you, prior purchases, demographics, or other variables.

You can even include the option for subscribers to give you feedback about what offers they want to hear from you about, and those they don't want. Talk about customizing the content to their needs!

Reason #6 Drives buying decisions

I know I've shared this before because it is so important. For every dollar spent on email marketing, you will receive $42. That is one hefty return on investment (ROI). Because 60% of people say they’ve made a purchase as the result of a marketing email they received. In contrast, only 12.5% of people consider buying on social media.

How do you calculate your ROI? The equation is pretty simple... (Gain – spent)/spent = ROI. The way I determine "gain" is by how long someone has been on my mailing list before they engage with my as a client. If someone has been on my mailing list for more than 2-3 months, I include that in my "gain." Because I email twice a month very consistently, I know the are seeing my emails and building a rapport with me...even if we haven't spoken.

Reason #7 Builds trust by emailing valuable, educational material

Omni-channel marketing is a must. The top three marketing channels among B2B marketers are social media, email, and blog. While all three have their place, emailing straight to their inbox lets you provide value on a regular basis that builds trust.

What's Needed To Build Your List

So, what do you need to build your list? Really, it comes down to just three things: a way to invite your people to say yes to receiving emails from you, a tool to actually deliver the emails, and a free offer to entice them to give you their email address in the first place.

1 - Opt-in Form

An opt-in form is a simple online form where people can enter their name and email address to opt in to being on your email list. It can be a pop up box, part of a landing page, on the sidebar, or at the top of a web page.

2 - Email marketing tool

You need an email marketing tool that will make it easy to schedule and send emails to your list. What should you be looking for in an email marketing tool? The Work Smarter CRM makes emailing your list easy. Not only can you easily make your emails look professional, but you can also manage all your client information in one place so you can customize the email content you send. Also, having everything in one place makes your life easier.

3 - Lead Generation

We always hear about using Freebies or Lead Magnets to reel in new subscribers.It's a way to start wowing your client right from the get-go with valuable, helpful information. Not sure what to offer for your lead magnet? It can be as simple as a pdf checklist. Download my free 20 Ways to Build Your Email List, and you won't have to spend time wondering what to do.

There are lots of ways to bring leads into your business including speaking, lead magnet, ads, communities, social selling,etc.

Make building your email list a priority. You've got this!

Work Smarter Digital is an all-in-one CRM software for solopreneurs and small business owners. It serves as a one-stop-shop for client management and marketing, with functionality for invoicing, booking, social media scheduling, email drip campaigns, automated workflows, and much more. In addition to the software, Work Smarter Digital also offers Done-With-You services to provide users with added support and optimization for their growing businesses. Want to get the full picture? See our comparison chart here.

Schedule a complimentary strategy session to learn more.