All right, I’m going to be honest with you about something that many creative entrepreneurs overlook. I know you’re going to have some arguments and that the comment section below might fill up but if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll listen to me.
Fact: You have a mailing list.
Fact: The people who CHOOSE to sign up for your mailing list WANT (passionately, desperately, absolutely) to hear from you.
Fact: You’re not emailing them enough.
Most entrepreneurs I know email their mailing list every 2-3 months. That’s it! That means in a year, their raving fans are only hearing from them 4-6 times. If you only heard from your absolutely favorite store or artist 4-6 times a year, wouldn’t you feel a bit…well…neglected?
Think of how often you hear from the yogurt shop you always eat at or the little shop downtown that showcases local artists? They send you a coupon or a little thank you or, better yet, announce a new collection or flavor. And those emails or mailings make you want to stop by even more frequently. They also make you feel like they really care about your support.
So…if every 2-3 months isn’t often enough, how often should you be emailing your fans?
The entrepreneurs who really use their mailing list to its full potential to bring in the repeat customers (and big bucks) send out an email once a week. (I know that sounds like way too much work for you but it can be as simple as your best blog post of the week! Remember, most people don’t read every blog post or check your Facebook page every day.) Others rock it with an email every other week.
Remember, your mailing list signs up because they’re DYING to hear from you! So let them!
How often do you email YOUR fans? And how do you think they feel about that?
{Featured image via Style Me Pretty}
I definitely don’t send out to my email list enough. Thanks for the reminder that it can be as simple as my best article of the week. I think I tend to over-think my newsletter and then just don’t get around to it.
I think that consistency is important. I send out email once a month – it is hard to send it out more often – but I do send it every month during the first week of the month without fail.
That’s really good! Remember that blog posts make awesome newsletter content because most of your email list members will not ever read all of your blog posts.
My newsletter gets sent out every time I update my blog, which is usually once a week or once every other week. I used to send out a newsletter weekly, with updates and other bits of info outside of my blog posts, but it seems like every time I did that someone would unsubscribe, so I stopped. What’s up with that?
Actually, people unsubscribing is a good thing. It means the people who were never going to be your raving fans are leaving you and making room for those who will gush over your work. But one thing to make sure of is that what you’re sharing each week is one simple thing, not an email with 5 different stories and 2 coupons. Make sure the content you provide them helps them as a customer, entertains them, gives them something of value. Don’t just make it like a Christmas letter that comes every week because goodness knows those get old fast.