The Importance of Growing Your Email List by @csgems

by Stacy Hayden | Featured Contributor

In our first year and half of business we were so obsessed with growing our social media that we completely neglected the importance of growing our email list. We kept thinking that once we have a certain number of followers on social media, then surely our sales will increase. We quickly realized that was not the case. As our followers on Facebook and Instagram steadily increased, our sales did not. After doing some research and attending more sales webinars we kept hearing about the significance of an email list and decided to explore this channel more. We quickly realized that we needed to invest more time in growing our list.

Facebook restricts the reach of businesses’ post to their audience. Your emails are a platform that you own, control and connect directly with your audience. There is no limitation on what you can say or offer.

While gaining a strong community on social media is important, it is worth investigating how many of those people are actually clicking on the links that you are sharing. You can track this by signing up with a service such as bit.ly. You may be surprised to see the results. People are more likely to click on an email in their inbox rather than a post on social media.

When someone signs up for your email list it is a huge sign of trust. Most of your community will not check your website daily; however, they will check their email daily.

Here are a few of the ways that we have grown our email list:

• Opt in on the homepage of our website offering 15% off first purchase;
• Signup sheets at all of our pop up shop events;
• Clickable links to sign up with a clear call to action on all of our blog posts and guest blog posts;
• Email sign up call to action on our Facebook page;
• Giveaways on our blogs with an entry for a chance to win by signing up to our email list.

Social media, blogging, SEO and other tools are great resources to grow your community, however, growing your email list is by far your most important asset. Gain the trust of your community with engaging content in your email campaigns and you will see a significant increase in your sales.

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Carrie Andreas and Stacy Hayden are the co-owners of the on-line vintage jewelry boutique, CS Gems. They scour the Midwest and handpick beautiful vintage jewelry at estate sales, yard sales, flea markets and auctions. Their motto is to “make vintage modern” by mixing their vintage pieces with today’s latest fashion trends. They use their fashion blog and social media accounts to highlight their vintage finds with hot new trends.

They have been friends since junior high and decided to go into business together in 2013. Neither Carrie nor Stacy come from a marketing or business background, therefore, they have researched all avenues to teach themselves the ins and outs of running a business. They are learning to navigate the business world while juggling being moms to two young children each. They are committed to learning and love the opportunity they have been given to share their experience in starting up a small business with others.

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Stacy Hayden