8 Reason Why Women Artists & Makers Need To Start An Email List
As women, we’re all busy these days. Whether it’s with children, a house, a job, or family members to take care of, there’s always something coming up and, if you’re a woman with an art business you’re trying to grow (especially if it’s a side hustle), you need to be super, laser focused on how you market your work otherwise you’re going to end up wasting time and visiting burnout town instead of going on that actual fun vacation you’ve been dreaming about.
Today I want to explain 8 reasons why, as a woman artist or maker, you NEED an email list instead of just relying on social media to market your work, so here we go…
Thank people for their interest in what you make
As artists, especially today where is more “noise” than ever out there, it can be really hard to get eyes on what we make. We get so excited when we get likes on facebook and maybe even do a little happy dance when someone new follows us on Instagram, but oftentimes we don’t get a chance to really say “thank you” to those people for taking an interest in our passion. There are millions of other artists out there that they could have scrolled right by your stuff in order to find, but they chose your painting, your mug, your jewelry to stop and think, “I’d like to see more of that.” When you have an automated email set up, you can thank people right away when they subscribe to getting more information from you, opening the door to a connection they will remember later when they’re ready to shop.
Make sure they get to read more about you
When someone comes across your website or social media page, there are only so many places they can see in one visit so, most likely, they’ll just be looking at your most popular items and then they’ve either got to get back to work, take care of the kids, or get some sleep for the night. With an email list, you can make one of your automated emails cover all the important details about yourself so they can get to know you a little more and, again, build that connection with you. Maybe they loved your work because it reminds them of a trip they once took and then they get your “about me” email and read that you love to travel too… connection made! Who do you think they’re more likely to buy from now when they want to shop? Their new virtual friend who loves traveling as much as they do!
Tell them about new product drops
When you’re trying to make money, you want as many people as possible to know when you’re got new products listed. Social media can only get you so far but, with an email list, you can make sure everyone knows exactly when your products will be available, where and how to find them, and anything else shoppers may want to know about how to buy from you. When you post this on social media, it’s only a little bit likely that people will hear about it but, with an email list, you can make sure they see it.
Offer discounts and specials to VIP customers
Ever want to say “thank you” to the customers of yours who have bought several of your pieces but you don’t want to have to track down one or, even worse, put the coupon code out for everyone to see? When you have an email list, you can tag customers with labels and, when you want to only offer a discount to people who’ve already spent a lot of money with you, you can do it at the click of a button! Or, maybe you want to offer a special discount in order to grow your email list, sending them a discount code or special offer in your welcome email is a great lead magnet.
Backup in case social media goes down
I know, I know, what would we do if social media ever crashed? We’d have to actually look around and talk to one another face to face in person again. Well, if you remember, Instagram and Facebook DID crash a few years ago and people who only do their marketing on those platforms were out of luck big time that day. Relying only on one platform for your marketing is not a great way to go. Have you ever heard the saying, “never put all your eggs in just one basket?” It applies to this. With an email list, if social media ever goes down, your automated email can be going out while you sip mai tais on the beach without a worry in the world (or at least go about your regular work day, at the office or at home, without panicking that you can’t post about your big launch… but I hope you’re at the beach instead.)
Save time on marketing
Okay, you might be thinking, “how am I saving time when I’ll now have to spend more time writing emails now on top of all the other things I have to do in my business?” Well, let’s look at it, you might have a few hundred or thousands of followers on social media, but how many of those followers are really interested in what you make, liking every post, just waiting for news from you? Probably not very many. An email list is a list of people who have already said 1) they like what you make and 2) they want to hear more from you! When you make a post on social media, only a small percentage of your audience will see it (and some of them may not even care or let what you’re saying really register), but when you send an email, you know that every single person who opens it will think, “hey, I know her, what’s she got going on?” Now think, which audience is more likely to make you sales? You’ll reach way more interested buyers with an email list than you will on social.
Keep yourself top of mind
This is true for any company but, if you’re trying to make a business selling your handmade work, it puts you into the same boat… as businesses, we want to stay top of mind. You never know when someone is in dire need of some shopping therapy because they’ve had a bad day, or when they have a special anniversary coming up and they’re in need of a new, pretty piece of jewelry to wear, or when their mother-in-law’s birthday is coming up and they need to buy a special gift. It’s true, people may not need to hear about your work every single week (unless you’re just at awesome which you very well might be) and on those days we’ll let them delete your email before even reading the masterpiece you probably spent an hour putting together, but when that moment happens that your customer is in the fog of “I need to shop”, you want to be the one they see... it’s those days you want to be there for, and they can happen at any time.
More effective than social media
Did you know that email marketing is 40x more effective than social media? 89% of people check their email at least once a day, 27% of people check their email 5x per day. And while people might also be on social media a lot, email is said to generate $36 for every $1 spent where social media is said to generate only $2.80. You do the math.
I know it might feel like a lot to start an email list but it’s really not that hard! Within the Artisan Coaching Studio, we have a full, one-hour mastermind all about how to start an email list PLUS a download with a list of email you can send your new email subscribers for the first year.
