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It’s so easy to put off prioritising your email list.
We’ve probably all been there at some point.
The tech feels overwhelming. Emailing consistently is challenging especially on weeks where you have nothing new to share. It’s just another thing on the ever growing to do list…
But email is the most powerful marketing tool you have and not prioritising it is slowing your online business growth.
When I finally started putting email first, it skyrocketed my audience, my sales and my success.
- I was able to reach 6 figures in under 2 years without needing to sell high ticket services of group coaching programs.
- I was able to regain work: life balance and take more holidays knowing my set & forget emails were working on my behalf, making money whilst I was chilling on a sunny beach!
- I was able to forgive myself for being terribly inconsistent on social media. It was okay because social media was never going to be my strong point as an introvert and it wasn’t even fruitful when I did put in the work!
So today I wanted to compare social media vs email marketing and share with you 7 reasons why I think you need to shuffle email marketing to the top of your priority to-do list!
7 Reasons you need to prioritise email marketing
1. Relying on social media alone is a huge risk
Remember Google+? StumbleUpon? MySpace?
They seemed to virtually disappear overnight when other more popular platforms went viral.
Businesses built upon those platforms would either have gone under or had to pivot quickly to the next social media craze.
So whilst TikTok might be working wonders for your sales right now, who is to say if that will be the case in a few months time?
Instead, use those platforms strategically… to grow your email list!
Keep driving your followers back to your lead magnet and get them to join your email list.
Imagine how connected to you they will feel if you are showing up on their social apps AND in their inbox?!
2. You are not at the mercy of an algorithm
According to a study by OptinMonster, the average engagement for a post on a Facebook page is just 5.8% On Instagram that figure is usually between 4.37% and 8.03%
Compare that to an average open rate of an email that is 22.8% (and often much higher in some niches.)
Emails get 3-4 times more engagement than posts on social media!
Algorithms also require you to be consistent and use trending hashtags to get seen. Keeping up can be exhausting.
Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to email on the same day at the same time each week to have success!
I have never done that. Some weeks I email once. Others every day. And there are some weeks where I don’t email at all. But despite that, my open rates are steady and my reach remains around 8X higher than I was getting on social media!
3. You can reach your audience instantly
Got something time sensitive to share?
When you hit send on an email, people will start opening your email instantly. And most people will read it before the day is over.
On social media, it can sometimes take a while for your post to gain traction. By which point, the momentum has been lost, the sale is over, the webinar has happened.
If you want to be able to reach your audience in an instant then email is the way forwards!
4. It’s the best way to nurture your audience
If you want your audience to purchase your products/services or you want them to buy through your affiliate links, then they need to know, like and trust you first.
Yes, social media can help to form this attachment. But only if your audience are actually seeing your posts! (Remember how low the reach is on most social media platforms!)
When you are sending regular nurturing your audience, that relationship grows much faster. Especially when they are clicking on your links to see your blog posts, podcast episodes or product sales!
Now if you are someone who does thrive on social media, imagine how powerful the combination of social + email could be?!
So why not cross promote your social channels and your newsletter and get your followers to join you for both?
5. People are more likely to buy things from you via email
According to Adobe, only 8% of consumers said they prefer to receive marketing messages on social media, while 77% said they prefer email.
When someone joins your email list, they are expecting promotional emails from you. They are looking for them. They want to know what you have to offer.
However, when someone follows you on social media, they are just enjoying your content. It usually hasn’t even crossed their mind that you want to sell them a product/service.
Sending emails about your offers not only dramatically increases product awareness but you are far more likely to make sales because people are expecting offers and are more receptive to them!
According to this study by McKinsey, email marketing is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter.
6. Email marketing can be passive…
Whilst with social media, you need to show up regularly to remain visible, email marketing can be as passive as you like.
There is nothing to stop you from setting everything up as an evergreen funnel and taking a step back from your emails in order to take more time off.
In an ideal world, you would use a mixture of evergreen and active email marketing.
I have some funnels which last up to 12 months such as my Strategy Sunday emails. These emails provide value on a long term basis so if I need to take a break from my business, I am still showing up for my audience.
I spent a few days setting these up and am often adding to them so that eventually this funnel could run for 2-3 years+
I also send regular newsletters but if I miss a week, it’s not a problem because I have both nurturing emails and sales emails automated so I will continue to make sales in my absence.
And that means more holidays. More guilt-free time off and more spontaneous midweek lunches with friends because my business keeps working when I’m not! 🙌
7. Email marketing is more lucrative than social media.
There are endless ways you can monetise your emails – from product and service sales to affiliate links, sponsored emails, ad placement and even tip jars!
That’s why email marketing is SO lucrative.
In fact this study showed that for every $1 spent on email marketing, $38 revenue was generated. That’s a pretty impressive ROI, right?!
Another study by OptinMonster found that the average value per email subscriber is $1 per month. This means that a list of 10,000 subscribers could generate around $10,000 in revenue per month.
Conclusion: Social media vs Email Marketing
I think it’s fairly clear to see from these stats that email marketing is powerful, lucrative and will help most online businesses sky rocket to success.
I’m not saying social media isn’t important. I wish I was more consistent with it too because email + social media is a powerful combination!
But if you haven’t yet prioritised learning about email marketing or building your email list, then maybe now is the time to do so?!
