email marketing

A Little Better: When Facebook Goes Down, Use Email Marketing

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Today’s episode is for small business owners who don’t want to be hyper reliant on social media, and who are looking for calmer, more confident ways to market their business. (Hint: it’s email marketing…)

So Facebook went down. Again. There have been a few incidents recently. And personally there’s a sigh of relief. I like an excuse to put my phone down and connect with the present moment and what’s in front of me!

But it’s also a bit discombobulating, especially if you’re a business owner in a sales period.

First, I want to say that I am not one for scaremongering. Facebook – and Instagram, same family – are sticking around. They’re unlikely to disappear at the drop of a hat. Like all technology, they are constantly innovating, and sometimes that means down time. It’s part of the process.

However, it’s a good reminder, especially at this time of year, to have some contingency plans. Things can change. Servers can go down. And while it’s unlikely to be over Black Friday weekend (they rely on advertisers too much to risk that), as a business owner, we want some other options.

Here’s the big contingency plan: email marketing.

I am a huge fan of email marketing, as I’ve shared before on this podcast. And one of the reasons is exactly this: you have way more control over it than social media. Even if you use Flodesk and Flodesk goes down, you can grab your list and use it through another platform.

And you’re not so reliant on algorithms, either.

So I like email for the ownership element, but I also like it because it converts.

It really, really helps your customers to sit and actually place the order. Which, at Christmas, is highly, highly effective!

Yes, that conversion is boosted by seeing your product on social media. But the emails are the catalyst.

Email marketing is more intimate, more likely to convert, and builds loyal, repeat customers.

The dream!

What to do if you’re slightly freaking out and short on time

If you have an email list (even if it’s only small), but haven’t been great at sending emails out – schedule a few over Christmas. Send one out this week and see what happens. Reintroduce yourself.

If you have a very small list, or no list at all, start building it. Create a download or offer that customers need to sign up to receive, and start collecting those email addresses. Add a sign up box at checkout so that you’re collecting email address of customers who are buying already – that’s the low-hanging fruit.

The best time to build an email list? Five years ago. The second best time? Now.

Resources:

And if you’re feeling all adrift, book a strategy session with me in October to contingency plan, get support with your content, and get organised.

I hope that the best thing to happen when Facebook goes down is that you put your phone down, put the kettle on, and just do whatever it does that makes your heart sing.

Episode 8: Email Marketing For Makers And Creatives

Why you need to consider email marketing if you have an online shop

Email marketing converts at 40% higher than social media marketing. That means you’re 40% more likely – on average – to get a sale from the time, effort, and money you put into it.

You can build a loyal, repeat customer base with email.

AND you cultivate a database and connection with customers that you own – no algorithms or third parties to contend with.

If you’re intrigued about email marketing, make sure you check out The Better Business Collective, where I teach email marketing and provide dozens of template emails for you to send.

And take a look at these resources, too:

A writer’s secret to good marketing content

Not everyone’s a writer. When you’re running your own business, you kind of have to do everything yourself, so writing emails, blogs, social posts, customer emails, product descriptions, etc is likely on your daily to do list.

If you feel like you spend hours working on words, trying to craft something that’s going to engage your audience, convert viewers to buyers, and improve your business, I have a little tip and some suggestions for you today…

Did you know that, back in 2008, I graduated with a degree in Creative Writing?

It’s true. My passion for books and words and finding ways to express thoughts and feelings took me back to my place of birth (Leeds) for a university degree in writing. Since then I’ve been writing as part of my job for about 13 years.

And while part of me still holds a glimmer of hope that one day a novel or a screenplay will emerge, I am beyond happy that writing is something I have done professionally, and use daily in my work (and life).

A writer’s tip: Write the way you speak

We spend our early educational years learning about spellings, words, grammar, and the approved structures of the English language. It’s important. I love a bit of grammar. And don’t even get me started on punctuation.

But when it comes to words that have an impact, you need to write the way you speak.

We don’t need full sentences, perfectly punctuated, with adverbs and formal syntax.

We need you to say it in a way that makes sense to us as we’re scrolling and going about our business.

The way we talk has flow and friendliness, and that can add so much sparkle to your copy.

Here are some things to try:

  • Record yourself talking about something (a product, an experience, your brand) and transcribe what you hear
  • Have a conversation with a friend or fellow business owner, asking each other about what you do – again, record it or take notes on the words and phrases you use
  • Ask a friend (or even a lovely customer) to talk about you, your work, and your business – they could send you a quick voice note that you can use as inspiration for words and phrases you like
  • When you’re checking pieces of writing, like a social post or product description, literally read it out loud to make sure it flows (in your head gets you one star, reading it aloud gets you five!)
  • Listen to good podcasts, audiobooks, and TED talks – you’ll learn about the rhythm of storytelling, and you might even find some words and phrases you like!

Honestly, saying things out loud as you write and create will make your words so much more powerful to your audience! And you’ll start to feel more confident in them, too…

Can’t wait to hear how this goes for you – keep me posted!

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Enter The Forge

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