Benefits of Email Marketing for Creative Entrepreneurs

There are plenty of benefits of email marketing for your craft business whether you sell online or in person. Let's take a look at: what email marketing is, how to develop a newsletter for your business, and why email marketing is a smart strategy for creative entrepreneurs.

I've been sending out newsletters for over ten years now. Building a subscriber list, and sending regular emails has been one of the smartest and most consistently reliable business building strategies I have used over the past decade.

Developing a customer newsletter can benefit your creative business, too. Here's what you need to know before you start an email marketing campaign for your own business.

WHAT IS EMAIL BASED MARKETING?

Email marketing is simply communicating with a group of customers and potential customers via email. Specifically, email marketing strategies typically include the following features:

1. People choose to subscribe to have your email messages sent to their inbox.

2. Messages are sent to a group of hundreds or thousands of subscribers.

3. Messages are often delivered with some regularity within a defined schedule.

4. Generally, the purpose of the email message is to build a relationship with your customers to promote your business.

Sending a single email to an individual client or prospective client doesn't fall into the definition of email marketing that I'll use for this series. I'd consider that type of message within the realm of customer service or, perhaps, prospecting or networking.

What are the BENEFITs of EMAIL MARKETING?

Let's look at each of those benefits of email marketing in some detail.

CONTRIBUTE VALUE AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

First and foremost, your newsletter needs to provide value to your customers.

You can provide value to your newsletter subscribers by:

• sharing helpful tips of interest to people in your niche
• providing discounts exclusive to your subscribers
• or sharing studio news of interest to people who love your business

Providing information your subscribers want to see builds relationships with current and potential customers. It shows the degree of knowledge and care you put into your business, and that builds the kind of trust that can turn subscribers into customers or first time customers into repeat customers.

AN ONLINE MARKETING STRATEGY YOU CAN CONTROL

I launched this site back in December 2006 and sent my first newsletter out to eight people in June 2007. My newsletter subscriber list has grown significantly since then, and it's been the one stable point in a continually changing online business.

Over the years, I've seen huge changes in the ways people reach customers online, but my newsletter has remained fairly constant.

You don't control search engines or social media platforms.

Google's search engine underwent fundamental changes beginning in 2011, and, as a result, some business owners lost massive numbers of visitors to their sites. Some people's businesses never recovered.

You don't control Google, so if you depend solely on search engine traffic to reach customers, you have limited control of your business.

Social media sites can provide great opportunities to reach customers until they inevitably change their algorithm to make it tougher for your posts to be seen. Then you either need to start using paid advertising, or use savvier (or more dubious) strategies to get in front of your potential customer on social sites.

You don't really "own" your list of Facebook or Instagram followers. Facebook "owns" that list. It controls your access to the list and can chose to do whatever it wants with your account.

You do control your business newsletter subscriber list.

One of the big benefits of email marketing is your email subscriber list is owned by you. You control that list and how you use it.

Your newsletter mailing list represents a group of people who have specifically said they are interested in your business and want to hear more from you. No one can take that list of loyal customers away from you.

There's nothing wrong with reaching customers online through search engines and social media. It's smart and necessary if you want to build your business online. However, the more potential customers you can move over to your email list, the more control you have over your own company, and the more insurance you have against changes to marketing platforms, like search engines and social sites, that are beyond your control.

Opportunities for MULTIPLE Points of Contact

In marketing, there's a concept called the Rule of 7 that states customers need multiple touchpoints (7 to 13 is the range you'll often see quoted) before they will make a purchase. People need to hear your marketing message repeatedly over time and build trust. 

A newsletter allows you to do just that.

If you send out a monthly newsletter, you'll have 12 opportunities each year to connect with your customers. A weekly newsletter is a lot more work to maintain, but it gives you 52 opportunities to make a connection. 

Over time, potential customers see your messages in their inboxes. They remember you in a way they wouldn't if they weren't a newsletter subscriber. If you're sending them helpful messages they want to read, they'll continue to open your emails and over time feel more connected and open to making purchases.

Get INFORMATION TO GUIDE YOUR BUSINESS

One of the more overlooked benefits of email marketing is the fact that communication with newsletter subscribers can go both ways. You can get fabulous, helpful information from your email subscribers.

I receive the kindest messages from my newsletter subscribers. When you work alone in isolation, as so many of us do, it's extremely helpful and motivating to hear from people who are enjoying your work.

I've also asked newsletter subscribers for guidance on the direction of my business. In the past, I have asked subscribers what topics they wanted me to write about and have based new content decisions on my readers' responses.

If you're thinking about developing a new product or moving your business in a specific direction, your email readers are a perfect group to go to for advice. They are your very best, most loyal customers and a perfect representation of your target market.

I can't think of a better group of people to ask for input on new product development.

DEVELOP EQUITY in Your Business

I'll avoid getting into a complex definition of business equity. Here, when I use the word "equity," I'm simply referring to the value of your business.

When I say a healthy email subscriber list builds equity, what I mean is that your subscribers make your business more valuable. Your newsletter subscriber list may not have an actual dollar value, but it is definitely an asset.

If you have 1000 people subscribed to your newsletter, that means your business has 1000 built in, loyal customers who want to hear from you. You can use that fact to promote your business in other venues.

For example:

If you wanted to build a wholesale or consignment relationship with a brick and mortar retailer, you'll have a better chance of success if you can tell the shop owner you have a large mailing list and will promote the new partnership in your newsletter. The store owner will see you as someone who is able to bring customers into her shop, and that's where mutually beneficial business relationships can develop.

Moving Forward

This article is part one of an eight-part series on email marketing for creative business owners. Here's where you can find the rest of the articles in the series.

Email Marketing Basics for Your Craft Business:

This is the hub of the email marketing series. You'll find links to all articles in the series, as well as basic definitions for common email marketing terms to get you started.

How Email Business Marketing Can Boost Your Sales:

Part two of the eight-part series, this article describes how you can boost craft sales, both online and in person when you promote your business with smart email marketing strategies.