The list of strategies you can employ to build your clientele is limitless, but email marketing should be at the top. Email marketing is a tried and true method to build loyalty and trust with prospective clients. Sounds pretty good when you’re starting a counseling relationship, no?

Unlike other forms of digital marketing, you have complete control over your email marketing. You decide on the exact content and layout, when to send your messages, and who has the opportunity to read it.

Plus, unlike the community you build on social media, you own the emails on your email marketing list. You aren’t at the mercy of Facebook or Instagram. Always-changing social media algorithms make engagement across all social channels unreliable. In fact, it’s risky if your marketing strategy relies solely on Facebook reach or Instagram likes. With email marketing, no change in algorithm will reduce your visibility to prospective clients.

More importantly, your message isn’t just another post or update on their feed. You show up directly in their inbox – now that’s intimacy.

Here’s why email marketing is a proven marketing strategy:

• Your asset is your audience
• Email marketing consistently has a high conversion rate (algorithm-free!)
• You can continually monetize via your email list
• Prospective clients want the value you provide (whether that’s recipes, tips, or tricks)
• You can share (aka sell) more than 1 product or service at a time
• It’s a great way to drive traffic to your site – people need to know you have that new blog post up!
• You can connect with your prospective clients on a more personal level and show them you are relevant to their needs

What Is An Email List?

Your email list is a collection of contacts you gather through website sign ups, in-person events, or other avenues where you publish your services.

Individuals volunteer to join your list; you can’t just gather email address without explicit consent. Every person on your email list should enter their information themselves, and confirm that they want to receive emails from you (with the option of unsubscribing).

Your mailing list should have three main priorities: quality, relevance, and volume. Follow the steps below to create your master list, with real people who are interested in your business.

4 steps to starting an email list

1. Get an email marketing service

MailChimp, Constant Contact, AWeber, and Infusionsoft  are examples of online services that store your contacts. As a bonus, many of these services are free to get started!

Using an email marketing service (instead of your Gmail account) lets you send a single email to a large number of recipients, plus it ensures your email is delivered to the intended recipient.

Even better, you can do a variety of A/B testing to see what resonates most with your audience. For example, you can test out 2 different subject lines to see which is opened more, or try out 2 different “calls to action,” to see which leads to better results for your business!

{{pp-newsletter-signup}}

2. Integrate your email sign Up with your website or blog

The easiest way to grow your email list is by collecting emails through your website or blog. There are a variety of plugins you can use to capture email addresses, but most important, is to make sure your subscription form is visible and easily accessible. You can use a Hello Bar (or other free “call to action” banner), pop up, or side bar that captures viewers’ attention.

However, for best results, include multiple call-outs for email newsletter sign ups. For a seamless sign up process, require a minimal amount of information on your sign-up form, such as name and email address.

3. Offer a “lead magnet” to increase sign ups

A lead magnet is free premium content you offer people who visit your website in exchange for their email address. In most cases, the lead magnet is sent directly to their inbox when they enter their email address. It’s a risk free way for them to get valuable content, so most people are willing to opt in.

Examples of a lead magnet can be an ebook, whitepaper, collection of recipes, infographic, or even a mini challenge you think your prospective clients will find useful. Whatever you decide on, make sure it’s of value to your ideal client. You may want to take a poll of your audience to see what they would find most useful.

The below example of a lead magnet is from nutrition expert Adrien Paczosa. As Adrien told us, “I mentor other clinicians on how to be ROCK STARS and make $$ in their practice. Staying organized is the first step in building that dream practice!!” To help clinicians achieve their goals, she offers a free planner for nutrition professionals to help them achieve their goals.

4. Continually provide useful content

Once you add people to your email list, it’s important to keep them there! To prevent subscribers from clicking “unsubscribe,” you want to continually provide useful, engaging, creative, and helpful content. Consistency is key, whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly.

Not every email you send to your subscribers needs to be – nor should be – promotional in context.

Instead, keep your ideal client and their needs in mind.

How? Drip useful pieces of information that will urge your email subscribers to seek out your services. We recommend sending two emails of “useful content” for every one promotional email you send.

What To Expect

The bigger (and more engaged) your mailing is, the quicker your business will grow, the more people you can help, and the more money you can make.

Remember, the best part of growing your email list is that you own the contacts on your list, and they chose to be there. This means you have an engaged audience waiting to hear from you – so make the most of it!

We hope the steps listed above helps you build your email list, starting NOW!