One of the things that was transformative to my blogging success was having an email list.
I like to think of it this way. Your blog is your little corner of the internet where you can share your ideas and help transform lives.
Your email list is your way of reminding your readers that you exist and a way of helping them continue on their journey from Point A to Point D.
Email Marketing Platform
The first step to email marketing success is to sign up for an email marketing platform. An email marketing platform will allow you to collect email addresses and send out sequenced emails to your readers.
I’ll be honest, I’ve tried most of the marketing platforms out there and they are all rather similar. I haven’t found one that really stands out as the be all end all of the email platforms.
Lately, I have been using Mailer Lite and I really like the system. It is simple to set up and it’s perfect for new bloggers because it is free until you have 1,000 subscribers or send more than 12,000 emails per month.
Opt-In Incentive
An opt in incentive is a free offer that will entice your readers to want to join your email list.
This free offer needs to add value to your reader’s life beyond what they can receive just from your blog content.
But, it also can’t be TOO valuable. You don’t want to solve all your reader’s problems with your free offer or they will never purchase your products.
Some of the most common opt in incentives are:
-A free ebook
-Access to a free course
-Access to a resource library
-A discount code for your product or service
Opt-In Form
Your opt-in incentive should be accessible from every page of your blog. It should be irresistible for your readers to enter their email address and receive your product.
This can be done by creating a form for your readers to enter their email address. Most email platforms have a WordPress plugin that makes it possible to create these opt in forms.
I’ll be honest though, it can be a bit cumbersome depending on which WordPress theme you are using.
Note: All the Elementor templates I create have built-in opt-in forms. All you need to do is edit them to collect email addresses to your specific email platform. It’s easy peasy!
Now What?
Once a reader is added to your email list they should be segmented into a sequence that is meant to convert them to Point D of the reader sequence.
Just remember, the first email they will receive should come right after they sign up for your list. This email will contain the free offer that they opted in to receive.
From beginning to trust you to using your knowledge/ products/ and services to fix their problem.
They have now entered your sales funnel!
The Blog Sales Funnel
Money, money, money, honey!
You’ve probably heard of a sales funnel before. It refers to the structure of taking all your audience and whittling them down to the people who pay for your products.
In actuality, only about 2% of the people who visit your blog will likely be turned into customers who buy your products or services.
I know that amount seems low, but it is still possible to be successful. Especially with multiple revenue streams.
Visual Sales Funnel
Here is a picture of the blog sales funnel. You will notice that it closely aligns to the journey your readers will go on when they read your blog, getting them from Point A to Point D.
Here is the entire sequence in visual format. We will use the name Mary as our reader’s name.
Mary subscribes to your email list through your opt in on your blog because she wants your free ebook on how to create the perfect smokey eye makeup look.
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Mary automatically receives the ebook 10 minutes later. She is super excited and is able to perfectly replicate your smokey eye look before her date that evening with her new boyfriend Sam.
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Mary is added into your email sequence and quickly opens your email when you send a guide to the best date night makeup looks two days later. She tries out one of your looks on her date the next night with Sam. Sam tells her she looks amazing.
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Mary continues to read your emails and use your makeup tips over the next few weeks. Her friends keep complimenting her looks and asking her to do their makeup for dates.
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After a few weeks, Mary receives an email from you about the new course you are offering on how to do makeup professionally for weddings and events.
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Mary is really interested because she knows she can trust you. You have already provided her with so much value for free. Plus, she has recently been thinking more about doing makeup professionally since everyone seems to love her look.
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She receives a few more emails from you outlining how this course could transform her life as well as some exclusive offers if she purchases her course soon.
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Mary decides to take the plunge and signs up for your course which then transforms her life and career.
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Mary continues to receive your emails and finds value as her new business starts to grow.
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A few months later you send out an email about a new course you are offering on how to expand a makeup artist business,
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And so on and so on and so on. Plus, now Mary loves you and may recommend your blog to her friends who then join into the sequence.
A few things to keep in mind with the sales funnel:
- Always stay true to your company mission and goals. It is easy to get caught up in just making money or being scared that your product is not good enough to sell. Constantly go back and reflect.
- Although it is a sales funnel, optimally you want a sales circle. You either want your audience to keep coming back to buy more products and services or you want them to refer their friends they end up in the sales funnel as well.
Other Ways to Use Your Email List
Segmenting your readers into a sales funnel is a great way to use your email list, but it does not have to be the only way. You can also use your email list to:
- Keep your readers updated about new info on your blog
- Promote affiliate links
- Draw attention to your social media profiles
Just remember not to be spammy and that every email should further the journey for your readers. I suggest only sending out at most one email per week.
I know this all seems like a lot of work. I get it. I’ve been there. However, the nice thing about an email list is that once it is set up it really does not become too much work. Also, this is another thing that you can easily assign to an assistant once you start scaling your business.
Summary:
- Having an email list is a must for increasing blog traffic and getting people to buy your products
- You need to create an opt-in incentive that your readers can’t resist
- Once your readers join your email list they should be segmented into specific lists
- Using your email list as a sales funnel is a great way to increase your business profits and further help your readers
