Honorable Mentions

Thank you to artist Mandy Martin for sharing her experience and expertise when it comes to email marketing. 

You do not own social media. If Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. just suddenly disappeared, you would lose all of your followers and contacts. This is why it's so important to have an email list. 

Get them to sign up! Use lead magnets or opt-ins to entice ideal clients to share their information. 
    -Provide free value up front (a freebie PDF guide, a video link for a how-to video)
    -Think about pain points to your clients or questions they have. How can you help them with a small freebie that’s really just a taste of your full product or service so they get hooked on what you provide them so it’s a no-brainer they want to buy from you or hire you

Planning emails is important. You can batch work social media content as well as email content. 
-Repurpose content from Instagram and blogs for email so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time. Different people are on different platforms. 

Email platforms examples: Constant Contact, Meltwater, Mailchimp, Flodesk, Hubspot
    -Use Canva for templates

If people leave social media for personal or mental health reasons, you can still have a contact for clients or potential clients 

Nurture a Relationship
   -When they land on your emailing list, people already know they want what you have to offer 
   -Visualize the person you’re writing to and build a relationship

Mandy builds a bridge so her audience can connect to the create process by being honest about her art and inspiration and creativity. 
   -She then includes behind the scenes or photos of her art that go well with the topic of that email or the product she wants to sell.

Know Your Story and your Business’s story
   -Your brand’s story is a guiding light for every email message 
   -Know the quest your audience is on. You are the guide to help them reach their goal. How are you help them achieve their goals?
   -You are not the hero of your business’s story, your client/audience is the hero of their own story and you and your business are the guide that helps them get there. 
   -As a guide, Many provides a connection to the wild beautify and peace of nature 
   -People are hungry for connection and community

Provide Value
   -You should never be 100% in sale mode all the time. 
    -Provide value over and over and THEN offer the sale. 
How often do you have valuable info to share? That is often you should be emailing.

Value-Giving ideas: 
   -Blog post from your own site or an industry expert
   -A youtube video that brings you inspiration
   -Repurpose Toning your Instagram content into a short, free tutorial
   -A playlist that inspires you (Spotify, Youtube, etc.) 
   -Mandy gives a monthly downloadable desktop calendar
It's consistent every month so they know what to expect and they’re looking out for it 

Save the emails you love and keep them in a folder to help with inspiration when creating your own email content 

Your email should be short enough and easy enough to digest that someone could quickly read it while standing in line at Starbucks 
    -Short paragraphs with bullet points are easy to read and skim quickly 

Separate audience into different segments or groups for people who are interested into different things 
   -Past clients in one group (so you can send anniversary emails, print sales- for photographers, or special discounts to past customers) 
   -People who are interested in specific events (Gallery opening, Christmas mini photo sessions, etc.)
    -Wedding client lists could turn into anniversary lists and then family lists

Product based business opt-in
Free shipping over certain $ order cost

Do an email series on a topic within your business that will help your client and provide value.
    -Could be great as a lead up to a launch. Give a valuable sneak peek into a product or online course launch. 

“Steal like an artist”- always watch other people to get ideas and then make them your own. Pay attention to the emails that catch your eye and make note of them.


Resources

Books
-Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald MiIller