5 Reasons Why Your Email List Isn’t Growing

Email list. You’ve probably heard about this and how you should use it more, but it feels exhausting to think about adding it to your to-do list. Or maybe you have an email list but you’re wondering why it isn’t growing the way you want it to. If you’re feeling this way, this post is for you! Here are my 5 reasons why your email list isn’t growing and what to do about it. 

 

 

This post is actually lesson #3 in my Business Mom School! If you haven’t signed up for it yet, click HERE. It’s absolutely free to sign up. And when you do you’ll get a weekly email with 1-2 videos to watch, a podcast episode to listen to, and a couple of worksheets for you to fill out that go with that lesson for the week. 

I created Business Mom School because so many of you have an amazing vision of where you want your business to go, but you just need a little help in knowing how to get it there. I’m sharing practical steps and tips to take your business to the next level. So come on over! It’ll be so much fun to have you. OK, let’s jump right into those 5 reasons why your email list isn’t growing and what you can do about it!

 

 

Why Having An Email List is So Important

But first, let me do some convincing on why having an email list is so important. I am a huge believer in having an email list and how powerful of a tool it is in growing your community and your business. It comes down to these 4 reasons. 

 

Reason #1: You own your email list.

This one is a big deal. You own your email list, so that means if someone gives you their email then you get to use it when you need to unless they unsubscribe. On the other hand, you do not own any of your followers on social media. So, what happens if you get banned, locked out, or someone steals your account? You will still have your email list to rely on to contact your people and communicate with them whenever you need to.

 

Reason #2: There’s no algorithm.

There is no algorithm for your email list. Doesn’t that make you want to breathe out a big sigh of relief? Keeping up with the algorithm on social media is a non-stop hustle for your business. You have a lot more control over your email list and the content you send out without having to worry about what’s trending or not. This is your chance to share a piece of who you are without all the pressure from competitors. 

 

Reason #3: You can automate your sales. 

Do you ever wonder what people mean when they say they are making money while they sleep? They mean they are putting things on automation that makes them sales. Once you set up a really great email funnel and automate it, it will funnel people into buying your products without you having to do a thing! It’s really the best thing ever.

 

Reason #4: Your email list is a business asset. 

If you ever go to sell your business it will be valued higher if you have an email list. Just think about how amazing this concept is–you accumulating this list of people’s names and the community you’re building is also building the value of your business. 

OK, so those are the top 4 reasons why having an email list is so important. If you’re interested in diving a bit deeper into why you should have an email list for your business, click HERE. I share a few more thoughts on how an email list will boost your business! 

 

 

The Basics of Email Marketing

What even is email marketing? It’s basically you gathering an email list of people who have opted in to receive your content. You usually get people to sign up by offering a free or almost free product that they receive once they opt-in to your email list. 

 

Top Email Marketing Platforms

• Flodesk

If you’re new to email marketing and your business is not very complicated, I recommend using Flodesk as your email marketing platform. It’s beautifully designed and it’s not very expensive. I have a coupon code for 50% off HERE which will make it $19/month. 

• Mailchimp

Mailchimp is another option, and that one is free! However, you can not automate emails with Mailchimp, so keep that in mind when deciding what you want to do. I personally want to automate whenever possible, so it’s worth the monthly subscription for me so I can automate this process.

• Kajabi

If you have a course or digital products as a part of your business, then I recommend using Kajabi for your email marketing. This is actually the one that I use right now and I love it. I have gone through a lot of different email platforms for courses and Kajabi has been the easiest to use and the most functional. Click HERE to sign up with Kajabi!

 

 

5 Reasons Why Your Email List Isn’t Growing

OK, we’ve finally come to the 5 reasons why your email list isn’t growing. Don’t worry, with each reason I explain what you can do instead to start growing your email list. And if you follow these 5 tips then I promise you will see an increase in your numbers! And isn’t one of the most exciting things when those numbers go up? 

 

Reason #1 Why Your Email List Isn’t Growing: You don’t have one.

Whether you are just starting out or you are growing and scaling your business, an email list is a game-changer. I have had clients come to me from both categories and not have an email list. So don’t get stuck in feeling like you’re behind and that you’ll never be able to use an email list. 

If you haven’t started an email list, now is the time to do it. You are never going to harness the power of an email list until you have one. So, choose a platform that feels and sounds the best for you and go for it. There are a ton of email platforms out there, so you will definitely find one that you love–even if you have to change platforms to find it (I’ve had to do that a couple of times too). 

 

Reason #2 Why Your Email List Isn’t Growing: Your opt-in is not solving an obvious and pressing problem. 

We want our opt-ins to bring a feeling of unbelief to our people. Like they can’t believe you’re really giving that away for free. If they feel this way they will sign up, no questions asked. Sometimes we create opt-ins based on where our clients will be in the future rather than where they are at right now.

So, think of what your ideal client needs right now and create an opt-in based on that. I recently changed my opt-in and email strategy by adding a marketing email where I share the latest trends and algorithm updates happening on social media. I switched things up because I wanted to increase my open rate and have more people join my email list. 

After implementing this new strategy, I was blown away by my increase in numbers! So having this result told me that this is where my people are at right now and what they are interested in. So really think about your person and the problem you are trying to solve for them and that will help you know what type of opt-in to create for them. (This touches on brand messaging which is the key to growing your business! Click HERE for more info on how to implement your brand messaging into your biz.)

 

Reason #3 Why Your Email List Isn’t Growing: You aren’t talking about your email list often enough.

This one is so true. I’ve seen so many people create a great opt-in and have an amazing email sequence and then never talk about it. You should be talking about your email opt-in on Instagram at least once a week. You can easily do this in your stories and make it very natural when you bring it up. People will want to sign up because your opt-in is solving a problem they are experiencing and it’s free. It’s a win for you and for them!

You can also talk about your email opt-in in your blog posts, YouTube videos, text marketing, podcast, etc. Any chance you have to tie it into what you are talking about, do it. Never worry about talking about it too much because there will always be someone new who hasn’t heard it before! Or someone who needs to hear about it again before they are convinced to sign up!

 

Reason #4 Why Your Email List Isn’t Growing: You’re not continuing to add value. 

Value can come in a lot of ways. I like to make sure my emails add value, are fun, and sound like me. There are stories I share there that I do not share anywhere else. I want my people to feel like I am sending them a letter–like I’m their pen pal. So I find ways to share things that will resonate with them and help them know I know where they’re coming from. 

So, stories and connection are huge for adding value to your people. You also need to make sure you are nurturing them once they join your email list. If you are only emailing them when you are selling products, then that’s an easy unsubscribe, right? If people only hear from you when you are trying to sell something, then that connection immediately leaves and they are gone.

 

Reason #5 Why Your Email List Isn’t Growing: You’re not showing up consistently and tracking your progress.

I know that you are probably stressed out. Especially if you created an email list a while ago, but have not been emailing them. That is totally fine. Just start showing up. You do not need to apologize or explain where you’ve been. In fact, it’s better to not bring up your absence at all. 

Just start showing up for them and adding value through your stories and connection, and your people will stay. I guarantee they have not been thinking about how you have not been emailing them. So, just start now and you’ll be off to a great start.

I don’t want you to spend too much time thinking about what you haven’t done in the past. Just decide going forward that you are going to email your list every week and then track your progress and keep track of your numbers. There’s nothing more motivating than seeing those open rates and click-through rates go up!

 

 

5 Reasons Why Your Email List Isn’t Growing

Alright, friend, those are the 5 reasons why your email list isn’t growing. I know you’re probably thinking creating your email list is going to take a lot of time that you don’t have. But this email list could be something really powerful for your business. It’s a way to connect with your audience one-on-one that you can’t really do anywhere else. 

And, if we’re all being honest here, if you have enough time to scroll on Instagram for an hour every day then you have time to send your emails. We sometimes make a lot of excuses for not doing the work that we need to do. So if you’re ready to commit, just do it. Schedule this into your weekly calendar and make it a thriving part of your business. I want you to be successful, and having an email list will get you there!

If you really feel like this isn’t something you can do on a regular basis, my team can totally help you out. I have some highly trained writers who are ready to go and can help implement a successful email marketing strategy for you. Click HERE to find out more! And as always, make sure you are following me on Instagram @iammichellegifford for all the best tips and tricks for running a successful biz online.