Forget followers, you need email subscribers
Ok, we’re guilty. We spend a lot of time showing you how to get more followers on social media but…
And you need to really understand this…
You need to grow your email list because it’s WAY more important.
Let’s explain why.
Isn’t email dead?
Weeeell… not if you’re writing about things people what to know more about.
We wrote an entire blog about why email isn’t dead, so check it out here.
This explains that even though open rates are rather low, email remains a powerful selling tool in your marketing arsenal.
But more importantly, email is traffic you own.
We’ll explain what we mean in a moment.
What about social media?
Look, followers and likes are great but unless you’re an influencer, they’re basically just vanity metrics.
This means that there isn’t necessarily a correlation between your number of followers and how well you are able to sell using social media.
You could have 2000 followers, of which 1200 are raving fans who buy everything you put out there.
OR
You could have 100 000 followers who love your content but just aren’t interested in buying at all.
We AGREE that having followers is a GOOD thing because it means that your audience is growing.
In fact, we specifically wrote two blogs to help you increase your followers on Instagram.
After all, one of the best places to add value to your community is via social media.
But now we need to pull the rug out, so to speak.
Because you don’t “own” these followers.
At least, not in the same sense as when someone chooses to opt-in to your email list by requesting your lead magnet.
So you need to put some energy in and grow your email list.
How you can grow your email list
Remember a lead magnet is a freebie you give people so that they give you their name and email address.
Some options include ebooks, discount vouchers, video training, cheatsheet, shopping list, useful printables and more.
For more about lead magnets, read this blog here.
The point is, they’ve willingly given you their contact details which is far superior to a “follow” on social media.
The biggest problem with social media
So the point we’re making is that followers and engagement are great, but you need to make someone’s association with your business a bit more significant.
And the best way to do this is by getting them on your email list, where you have more control.
Conversely, you don’t “own” your traffic on Facebook and Instagram, they do!
Which metric is truly more important for your business?
The scary thing is that if you’re relying on social media platforms, you could be putting your business (and certainly your marketing) at risk.
If Facebook shuts down (never say never) or they completely change the rules and algorithm (which they already do all the time), you could find yourself without any traffic, zero leads and no list to speak of.
They could shut down your account or business manager entirely and refuse to reinstate it (trust us, this happens more often than you think!)
Then you’re really in trouble.
But if you have your list of email subscribers guess what?
You can still contact them!
The power lies in your list and we hope you’re beginning to see why.
We’re suggesting that as much as you love seeing new people follow you, it’s imperative to grow your email list at the same time.
What about paid traffic?
First of all, if you are spending money on paid social media ads, then you are already ahead of a lot of business owners.
One of our goals is to help entrepreneurs realise how cost-effective (compared to traditional marketing) Facebook and Instagram ads really are.
Many people see marketing as an expense when really it’s an investment.
So if you’re running ads, we are thrilled.
If you want to run ads but have no clue how to do it, check out our Facebook ads course that can show you step by step how to get leads for your business using paid Facebook ads.
Why are paid ads a problem?
The problem is if you are using ads just to get “likes” on your page or if you’re only directing traffic to your website.
Don’t get us wrong, website traffic is important for your SEO and ranking in Google.
But someone might land on your website, take a look around and promptly leave.
Yikes!
You’ve spent money getting traffic to your website, but they didn’t take any positive action.
They didn’t opt-in.
What’s the fix?
You need to turn that traffic into a source that you “own” and can control.
Take the traffic that you would be driving to a webpage and get them to opt-in to something that they can’t live without.
Because once people are on your list, you can email them without having to spend money placing ads.
Yes, you’ll pay for email automation software like Active Campaign or whatever you use.
But they are yours to contact (unless they unsubscribe of course, which you must honour).
You can stay top of mind by sending them a weekly email where you can direct them to your website (eg: pointing them to your latest blog) or sharing exciting news and developments.
Once you’ve established the know, like and trust factor with your email community, you can even sell to them via email.
The takeaway on why you should grow your email list
We hope you see how important the distinction is between the traffic you can influence (social media) versus traffic you own and control (your email list).
Both are valuable components of your marketing strategy.
But if you’ve been spending the majority of your time creating posts, it might be time to switch gears.
We want to encourage you to put out an enticing offer (discount voucher, ebook etc.) that gets people signing up to your list.
Without a doubt, as a business owner, your email list is worth gold.
