Email Marketing Essentials: How to Build a List You Own
I’m just creating content for a workshop I will be delivering for Mums at Work NI Elevate to Great programme. I will be delivering a full day’s workshop titled Your Website & Inbox working together. The following is some of my essential tips for email marketing.
Email marketing essentials start with a simple truth. Social media platforms change their rules, their algorithms and their audiences’ habits all the time. Your email list is different. It is a direct line to people who have said they want to hear from you, and nobody can switch it off.
If your website attracts visitors but most of them leave without a trace, email is how you stay in touch.
Here are the email marketing essentials you need to get started.
1. Choose a platform you will actually use
Mailchimp, Flodesk, MailerLite and similar tools all do the job. The best one is the one you will open regularly, so look at ease of use, cost as your list grows and how well it connects to your website. Do not spend weeks comparing. Pick one and begin.
2. Offer something worth signing up for
“Subscribe to our newsletter” is a weak invitation. Give people a reason. A lead magnet is a small, genuinely useful freebie that solves one specific problem, such as:
- a Checklist
- a Short guide
- a Template
- a Seasonal tip sheet
Keep it narrow. A one-page checklist that gets used beats a 40-page ebook that does not.
3. Put sign-up forms where people will see them
A form buried in the footer will not do much. Place sign-up options on your homepage, at the end of your blog posts and on a dedicated landing page that you can link to from social media and email signatures. Keep the form short. A first name and email address is usually plenty.
4. Get consent right
If you market to people in the UK, you need to follow UK GDPR and PECR. In plain terms:
- Be clear about what people are signing up for
- Do not use pre-ticked boxes
- Link to your privacy policy
- Make it easy to unsubscribe in every email
- Keep a record of when and how people signed up
This is general guidance rather than legal advice. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has clear, free guidance on direct marketing if you want to check the detail.
5. Send a welcome sequence
The moment someone joins is when they are most interested in you. Do not waste it. A simple welcome sequence of three or four emails, sent automatically, works well:
- Welcome and deliver. Say thank you and send the freebie.
- Your story. Explain who you are and why you do what you do.
- Something useful. Share a tip or a common mistake you see customers make.
- The next step. Invite them to book, buy or get in touch.
Once it is set up, it keeps working for you while you get on with other things.
6. Keep a realistic rhythm
Consistency matters more than frequency. Choose a schedule you can sustain, whether that is fortnightly or monthly, and stick to it. A short, useful email you actually send is worth more than an ambitious plan you abandon.
7. Watch a few simple numbers
You do not need to be a data expert. Keep an eye on:
- How many people join your list each month
- Which emails get clicked
- How many people unsubscribe
- Whether anyone replies
Use what you learn to decide what to send next.
Where to start with this week
Choose your platform, write down the one problem your freebie will solve and add a sign-up form to your homepage. You can polish the rest later.
Email marketing essentials: website and inbox, working together
Your website and your email list are two halves of the same customer journey: people find you, sign up, and are nurtured until they are ready to buy. At The Web Crew, we help you set up both, from the email marketing essentials to the website that feeds your list. Get in touch to find out more.
