7 reasons your mailing list beats social media
Social media is a powerful platform, full of potential customers. However, through the endless amounts of content, it can be difficult for businesses to reach their audiences and make an impact. Email marketing on the other hand, could be the way forward.
Let’s face it. A hefty percentage of the population is on social media and it’s not surprising that the majority of us are on approximately 4 social media platforms now (insane, right?) There’s many benefits to social media - not least because it allows businesses to raise brand awareness and create a relationship with customers digitally - however, there are also many limitations. From many months of trial and error, I have found that the mailing list beats social media and is one of the best marketing tools out there for businesses. Even with all the positive outcomes, email marketing is often overlooked by many businesses across the UK, leaving a potential archive of customers in the dark.
Why is your mailing list so important? A mailing list is the best way to build strong relationships with potential customers. Compared to social media, a mailing list is more intimate, allowing you to connect with them one to one and be right there in their inbox.
Mailing lists have many benefits and will help you to build your customer base and increase conversions for your business. Keep reading to find out more about how you can implement mailing lists into your marketing strategy.
Social media or email marketing - which one should you choose?
It might seem like a battle against the odds at first, but it doesn’t have to be one or the other! An impactful marketing strategy should tap into all different relevant platforms and work together simultaneously. BUT.. You shouldn’t put all of your eggs into the ‘social media’ basket. Not only is this dangerous for your business growth, but it also can be detrimental for your own confidence and mental health.
It’s not hard to see how it can negatively affect us mentally; it has been found that the average person spends 136 minutes a day on social media… A DAY! That’s a lot of content to consume for one person in a short amount of time. In fact, 38% of adults think social media is actively harmful, with four out of five social platforms making their anxieties worse.
And for the social media managers and the lone-wolf business owners who have to manage their social channels, it can be so easy to get lost with all of the trends and competition on the platforms. This can make for an extremely overwhelming experience.. Luckily, email marketing offers a gentler approach to marketing and offers many benefits for your business and brand. But don’t worry, I will go into more detail down below!
1. Your email marketing list is full of warm prospects.
With the endless scrolls of content, it’s so easy to click the follow button on social media to just forget about the brand a couple of days later. But, your mailing list is full of warm prospects: it’s BURSTING with people who have made an active choice to hear from you and your marvellous brand. Your subscribers took that extra step to interact with your brand and get more information about you. And due to this, they are more likely to be genuinely interested in you, meaning they are more likely to convert. BINGO!
2. The control is in your hands.
Posting on social media comes with a lot of guidelines such as posting images of a certain size and fitting into word counts which can be extremely difficult and time consuming. You also have to tailor your content to improve the chances of it being seen and successful under the pesky algorithm!
However, depending on your email marketing provider, you can have loads of fun with your email marketing with techniques that cannot be used on social media. You can add in brand elements such as embedding videos, gifs, storytelling, images and much, much more. You won’t be limited to a rubbish word count either. It’s time for you to create an email campaign that completely represents you and your brand, with no limitations, whilst also eliminating the stress of combatting that algorithm. Oh… the feeling of freedom!
3. Your social media accounts can disappear overnight.
Imagine putting all that work into your social media accounts and then overnight… Poof! It’s gone. Often, business accounts are taken down from IG for absolutely no reason. I’ve tried to work out exactly why, to see if there’s a common trend, but I can’t seem to figure it out. And, it’s virtually IMPOSSIBLE to get them back. This is why IG businesses are a real no go and expanding your marketing strategy is essential.
As a prime example, META has threatened to shut down Facebook and Instagram in Europe. This is all due to European data regulations that prevent Meta from transferring, storing and processing data on US-based servers from Europe. Now, whilst the shut down of Facebook and Instagram is unlikely to happen, it just proves how unsteady the platforms are and how you cannot just rely on social media for all of your forms of advertising. In fact, just last week, Meta’s financial report saw a stock plummet of 25% after the social media giant lost daily active users for the first time in its history. Now, if this doesn’t persuade you to consider using your mailing list, I don’t know what will!
4. Emails can be personalised.
Directly sent to your customer, emails are private, meaning they can be personalised to your specific customer’s desires and requirements, providing a more personal and intimate experience that customers can relate to. Of course, this creates a higher impact for you and your business! Social media on the other hand, everything is public and aimed at the masses of people on the platform, causing it to be generalised and less impactful.
Dynamic Field found that a whopping 71% of consumers say a personalised experience would influence their decision to open and read brand emails. I think the statistic speaks for itself!
There’s many ways that you can personalise your emails to your customers and when you begin, you will truly see the positive impact it can have.
RELATED: HOW TO BE HUMAN IN YOUR CONTENT
5. Your chances of being read are WAY higher.
Due to the confusing, baffling, top secret algorithms, it’s very hard to get your customers to see your content. You’ve worked so hard on creating the best content and to only have a few people see it due to users being constantly overwhelmed with the number of posts can really suck. BUT, there is hope. In email marketing, you are only competing with other emails in your customer’s inbox.
Typically, people tend to check their emails a lot more than they do on social media. 53% of internet users check their email first thing in the morning, right before facebook and even checking the weather! In fact, 9 out of 10 email users check their inbox at least once a day and with numbers like that, your odds of them seeing your email is very high.
However, there’s a few things you can do to increase your open rate. Using good headline formats will help to entice readers. For example, emails do receive better conversion rates with headers that include:
Numbers and lists
Personalised subject lines
Single-word subject lines
Question marks
Of course, it will all depend on the purpose of your email, but choosing an eye-catching headline will lead consumers to open your email and indulge in your fabulous content.
6. It's easier to see what works
Emails often can offer more insight into the analytics and exactly what is working compared to social media. For example, email analytics are able to answer questions such as if they engaged with links and if they opened the email. You can also see those pesky unsubscribers and unopens. Therefore it’s so much easier and quicker for you to see how your customers are responding to your emails, allowing you to make the needed amendments and carry on doing what works for you. If you can see your customers are responding to a particular thing that you are doing, KEEP DOING IT!
7. You can segment your messages to increase conversion
A/B testing can be an absolute lifesaver when it comes to email marketing. A/B testing allows you to test different messaging, headlines and content overall with different audiences. It is a nice way to segment your data so that certain people get certain messages.
For example, if someone downloads a freebie lead magnet for a workshop, they’re probably going to be an ideal candidate for a membership/programme on that specific topic. You can then send specific emails that have been segmented to that specific audience, leading to a higher conversion rate. A/B testing also allows you to see what works and what doesn’t, helping you to create the perfect email campaign from the get go! It’s a perfect tool to use for your email marketing so make sure to take advantage.
What if I don't know where to start with my mailing list?
Not sure how to take advantage of your mailing list? I’m here to help. Get in touch today and we can meet up for a coffee and a lovely natter about you and your business goals. However, in the meantime, make sure to check out my different packages that can be personalised towards your email funnels and sequences.
Need some further help with your email funnel? Check out my previous blog ‘How to create an engaging email funnel’.
I can’t wait to hear from you soon!
