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

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:

Why bother sending a newsletter on Christmas Eve?

You’re not going to be making or dispatching any orders on 24th December, and customers are going to be done with their Christmas shopping. So why would you take the time to send an email to them?

Connection. Loyalty. Authenticity.

Building your brand, your marketing content, and your business isn’t about making the sale every single time.

In fact, taking the time to thank your customers for their support this year and wishing them a Merry Christmas demonstrates that you’re a thoughtful human being behind a lovely creative business.

And it doesn’t have to be long or complicated. It doesn’t need to take you hours or write it or set it up.

Here’s my quick-and-easy Christmas Eve newsletter content checklist:

  • Subject line: Merry Christmas from {brand name}
  • Headline: Thank you for being here
  • Paragraph: Share your thanks for all their support and what it’s meant to you
  • Photo: Include a photo of you in a Santa hat or some key Christmas products
  • Sign off: Wish them a happy new year

Bonus points:

  • Share a couple of fun stats, like how many baubles you’ve made this Christmas (this increases your authority and integrity as a business), and how many mince pies you’ve eaten so far (this makes you relatable as a human!)
  • If you have a free printable colouring page or old blog post they might like to read, link to it

Keep it really simple

I know how things can go. You’ll read this and think “YES, Jenny’s right, I should send a Merry Christmas email, and I’ll create a fully animated stop-motion video for it, and then I’ll link it to some stupendous (but not currently planned or made) January sale and new product launch, and I’ll share a huge list of makers I want to recommend… Ooh, and I could create a whole new freebie too…”

NO.

Just draft and schedule a short and sweet email now using things you already have.

And feel free to let me know how good it feels to schedule something that’s going to have a big impact on your customer love.

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Enter The Forge

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