The Email Marketing Service Every Small Business Needs
Introduction to Email Marketing
Are you a small business owner who's new to email marketing? Or perhaps you STARTED an email list...but that was as far as you've gotten with it. Either way, today is a great time to focus on growing and serving an email list!
Email marketing is a powerful strategy to connect with your community, provide them with value, gain insights on what they need, and serve them by selling your product or service. In this post, we'll dive into steps for getting started with email marketing, the email marketing service I recommend, and some Flodesk features that truly set them apart as an email marketing service.
Getting Started with Email Marketing
If the thought of building email list sounds daunting, don't stress! Here are some tips for getting started with email marketing.
1. Choose an email marketing service.
It's time to toss out that pile of business cards or Excel sheet and organize your emails inside of an email marketing service. This is a place to store your contacts, segment your list based on a variety of factors, build out workflows and automations, and collect new subscribers.
As a marketing strategist, I've used almost every main email marketing service and can confidently say Flodesk is the one I recommend for all of my clients. Click here to try Flodesk for free and get 50% off your first year!
2. Create a lead magnet tailored to your ideal client.
Once you have an account with your email marketing service of choice, it's time to create your first lead magnet. Also referred to as a freebie, a lead magnet is something you give away for free in exchange for an email address. This blog post covers 7 different lead magnet ideas, so you're bound to found one that resonates with you!
Some lead magnet ideas include a checklist, mini-course, template, quiz, and guide, just to name a few. Consider what questions your ideal client has and how you can answer those questions in a lead magnet. The goal is to give them a quick win and provide them with value.
3. Build a landing page for subscribers to opt-in for your lead magnet.
In order for someone to give you their email address, you must have a landing page. This is a place where someone shares their name and email, and then they opt-in for whatever lead magnet you're offering.
If you have your own website, you can build your own landing page there (here's an example of this). I created an in-line form in Flodesk, and embedded the code onto my own website.
If you don't have a website, thankfully you can create your own full-page landing pages in Flodesk! Click here to see what a Flodesk landing page looks like. Even though I have my own website, I still use the Flodesk full-page forms in a pinch.
4. Promote your landing page across your marketing channels to start building your email list!
Now that you have your lead magnet and landing page, it's time to get that bad boy out into the world! Promote the link to your landing page across all your platforms.
The key to building an email list is promoting your lead magnets consistently. Create content around its topic, including blog posts, reels, TikToks, YouTube videos, etc. Set a goal for how often and where you'll promote your lead magnet, and then don't forget to follow through!
Why Flodesk is the Best Email Marketing Service
If you're still stuck on which email marketing service to go with, here's why I recommend Flodesk for all of my clients.
It's easy to use for beginners.
If you're a beginner or if tech just isn't your thing (no shame), Flodesk makes email marketing simple. The interface is drag-and-drop, and there are many stunning templates to choose from. As a visual learner myself, I'm constantly amazed by how easy the platform is to use.
The price stays the same, even as your list grows.
This was one of the BIGGEST selling factors of Flodesk and why I switched from Mailchimp. Most email marketing services penalizes you as your email list grows by charging you more per month. Aka, you have to pay more the more you use the platform.
Flodesk believes in a standard (which is lower than industry average, by the way) rate no matter the size of your list. They truly support business owners in their growth.
It's stunning AND powerful.
Talk about a perfect storm! I've been a Flodesk member since they were in beta back in 2019, and I can confidently say it's powerful. They're constantly making improvements based on what the community asks for.
It's difficult to combine aesthetics with tech and usability, but Flodesk does that perfectly. Your emails will look beautiful, but they'll also have a high deliverability rate.
The Top Flodesk Features
As if I haven't convinced you that Flodesk is the best email marketing service yet, here are just a few of their top features. Many of these are new, because Flodesk is always keeping an eye out for new ways to serve their customers.
Forms
Flodesk offers a wide-range of forms for small business owners to utilize. Here are some of my favorites!
Link in bio forms share your crucial links and help you turn followers into email subscribers. Video forms allow you to build trust and connection with someone before they even opt-in. Spinner forms make opting in more fun, because it turns it into a game. Countdown forms create a sense of urgency, encouraging visitors to act quickly before time runs out.
Link Actions
Link actions allow you to automate your email list and tailor your content to exactly what your subscriber is looking for. Here's how it works.
Within any link in your emails, you can add a link action. You have the option to add or remove a subscriber from a segment, add or remove them from a list, or update a custom field.
For example, if someone clicks on your link for your digital product, you can add them to a workflow with an email sequence about that digital product. Click here for a blog post on 5 different ways to use Flodesk link actions!
Analytics
Flodesk offers detailed analytics so you have the ability to make more in-depth decisions about your emails. Flodesk analytics gives you a visual overview and data regarding your subscribers, emails, forms, workflows, and checkout.
You'll be able to see how your list is growing, which forms are converting, which segments are the most active, and so much more. Flodesk Analytics is a GOLDMINE for people like me who love to make decisions based on their numbers.
Checkout
Did you know you can also make money on Flodesk? Flodesk Checkout allows you to sell digital and physical products through their strategic sales pages. Building a sales page has never been easier!
With Flodesk Checkout, you don't even need a website to make money. The platform is completely customizable, so you can create high-converting sales pages that users can't wait to purchase from.
Integrations
Flodesk is all about efficiency, which is why they offer seamless integrations. Using Zapier and Pabbly Connect, you can connect Flodesk to thousands of apps. They also offer direct integrations to different platforms such as Interact, BookFunnel, Shopify, and so much more.
Flodesk Free Trial
Excited to give Flodesk a try? I highly recommend starting a 30-day free trial (no credit card required) first. If you fall in love with it, which I'm sure you will, you can click here to get 50% off your first year!
