Here’s how I doubled my email list subscribers and increased my open rates to over 35%
Let’s start with a little data. In the past twelve months:
My email list has grown by 145%!
My open rates for that email list have gone from an average of 13-14% to 35-39%
My conversion rate averages around 12% for emails that have a sales goal (which account for less than 15% of all emails I send)
I’ve spent $0 on social media advertising
I spent $84 on my email platform, Mailerlite
I’ve spent $0 on design services or copywriting
So, want to know exactly how I did it? These four practices were the major factors:
I perfected what I offer as an opt-in for new subscribers
You probably know the drill. You offer a really great resource in exchange for an email address. It’s called a lead magnet or opt-in or freebie — whatever you call it, it’s pretty much the standard for email list growth right now. But, after working with Shannon Mattern and being a part of the Website Marketing Lab, I realized what I had been offering as my freebie really wasn’t all that valuable. Shannon encouraged me to be “uncomfortable with what you’re giving away for free” and that was the magic for me. I now offer a handful of different free resources that attract my ideal clients and give away massive value. And, those who request those resources are segmented in my email platform and receive not only the requested resource but additional relevant information to help them wherever they are in their journey. I have ZERO unsubscribes from those email sequences — people want good, free info.
The process of creating what Shannon calls a “shareworthy freebie” is one that must consistently evolve and continue to serve your ideal client well. I’d love to eventually offer some additional video courses as a free resource and will most likely work with a video production company - NC to make that happen later in 2021.
(Check out all of my free resources here!)
I created an email schedule and follow it, almost always.
For the past twelve months, I’ve averaged about three emails a month to my list. These are not newsletters. These are not fluff. These are packed with actionable content and highly segmented emails, based on what someone has requested as a free resource and/or purchased from the Nonprofit Template Shop. My open rates have gradually increased over the year and typically average about 30%. My very popular monthly writing prompts emails averages about 48% open rates.
I use my own resources to create my email content and keep a very simple spreadsheet to track what I’ve already covered and my stats. There are no magic days that really boost open rates or conversions — I’ve just trained my list to expect valuable content from me and I don’t waste their time.
I use the paid features in MailerLite and they are 100% worth it.
There is a free version of MailerLite that offers massive value and I recommend this platform to anyone searching for the best email platform on a budget. However, for less than $100/month, the pro version has some really great features. Two that I use all the time are:
The auto-resend feature allows you to resend the email to those who didn’t open it the first time within a specific timeframe (like within 24 hours). You can edit the subject on the resend, the email content, or both. I’ll typically add a “did you miss this?” or “in case you missed this” tag to the subject line. I usually get another 10% of opens on top of the original email.
The promotions pop-up feature is another paid feature I love. Unlike a normal pop-up where people enter their name and email to download a resource, the promotion pop-up lets them click on the button and it takes them somewhere else — like to a separate landing page, or in my case, right to my Template Shop free templates. This helps me avoid having to duplicate content and pushes people right to my shop!
I offer 90% valuable, actionable content and 10% actual “offers” — serve instead of sell.
Your email list subscribers are smart. If they only hear from you when you are trying to sell them something, they are going to stop opening your emails unless they really, really love you. On the flip side, if you are consistently sending them valuable content they can use and implement, they will most likely hang on your list and not be turned off when you occasionally have a paid offer to share with them. My mantra is to serve instead of sell. Instead of writing content focused on trying to get them to buy something, I write content that serves them well and equips them to keep doing the work they love.
I stick to a consistent schedule and content relative to what they likely joined my list to receive — information about website design, email marketing, nonprofit templates, and compelling content. When I do launch a new product or re-launch a course, I lose very, very few subscribers because they know I’m not going to pester them and that I’ll be back to “regular programming” the very next week. And I know if they don’t buy, they’ll hang around and maybe need what I have to offer the next time.
If you’re not on my email list, let’s get you on there today! You’ll be able to see these tips put into action and hopefully get some inspiration to grow your own list, too!
Until next time,
Andrea
Resources mentioned in this post
MailerLite Affiliate Referral Link
Shannon Mattern - Start with her “how to market yourself online” free resource (affiliate link)