After FB & IG were down for hours yesterday, it had me thinking that I needed to share something REALLY important with you this morning that just might save your business.

I know how tempting it can be to throw all of our resources into growing our social media following, becoming obsessed with engagement stats and the number of followers.

BUT, unfortunately, all of that could vanish in a second, and I want to make sure your business still exists and stays strong, even without it.

Because we don’t “own” our social media following, it makes it that much more important that you focus on growing your e-mail list as well.

For a while, I thought e-mail marketing was outdated and people were spending less time reading e-mails in their inboxes…

But actually, I discovered I was wrong about that, so I want to help you get clear on your next steps, whether you already have an e-mail list growing, or whether you need to get started setting one up.

1// GET TECH-Y I recommend using Mailchimp, and paying for the upgraded plan (starts at $15/month and increases depending on the size of your list), so that you have access to the automation feature and can set up an evergreen sales funnel that’s pretty hands-off on your end.

2// BE GENEROUS You’ll also need to create a LEAD MAGNET, which is basically a fancy way of saying give your people something that adds value, supports them in understanding you/your work/how you can help them, and gives them a taste of what it would be like to work with you.

Note: If you’re a service-based business you will likely give away educational material, an “activity,” or some kind of resource that’s tangible. If you’re a product-based business, you might give them a discount code for percentage off their first purchase or a free gift with their first purchase, or a BOGO deal that’s exclusive for people who sign up for your mailing list. 

3// SHARE YOUR GIFT Once you create your free opt-in gift (or lead magnet) for your amazing prospects, you’ll want to share it on social media, your website, and in interviews/conversations/events that you’re part of so that people can actually know about it and receive it from you! This might seem like a no-brainer, but I can’t tell you how often I forget to actually *mention* the goodies that I have to share, and I know I need a constant reminder to be consistent and use the opportunities I have to share!

4// DELIVER This is where your Mailchimp automation system comes in — you’ll want to set up a series of a few e-mails that are time-released once someone signs up to receive your gift/join your newsletter to get to know them, and for them to get to know you within the first 2 week window of them joining your list. Your first e-mail should include the link or file to download for their free gift.

You may have a sequence of videos for a free training, or a “challenge” for them as your free gift that naturally spans a few days. If that’s the case, GREAT! Whether your gift is a one-time download or a series of events, you’ll also want to include a few e-mails to share your story & how + why you got started in your business, invite them to your FB group, and to educate, inspire, and nurture the relationship you have with them.

5// SET IT + FORGET IT Once you set up your e-mail automation onboarding sequence, you can set it and forget it for the most part, unless something big changes in your biz. That’s the beauty of this strategic system! It will likely take you a good few hours to set up initially, but after that, you’ll have the system doing all the legwork for you in terms of nurturing your client leads authentically, and it will still feel personal and beautiful.

6// SEND WEEKLY E-MAILS TO YOUR LIST Again, this is something that I thought was unnecessary for awhile, but have come to realize that was also false. When you show up in someone’s inbox on a frequent basis, they learn that they can trust you to show up for them if they were to hire you, too. Plus, if they’ve invited you into their inbox, that’s intimate, and you want to be sure to deliver on your promise to educate, inspire, and support them by sharing your journey & helpful tips/info for them to know about!

7// RECYCLE + REPURPOSE Just because you have an e-mail list doesn’t mean you can’t repurpose a post from your IG or FB page and turn it into a blog post, and an e-mail, or record a podcast episode about it! You can do whatever you want, and there are so many ways to cross-pollinate your platforms and create a consistent brand presence and message that allows you to build rapport & position yourself as the expert with your audience.

There’s SO MUCH MORE I could share with you, but wanted to make sure I got this super important info out to you, especially on the tails of yesterday’s FB + IG blip that may have stressed you out! 🙂

Also, in case you haven’t yet received the FREE Soulful Success Bundle I’ve created for you, you can click here to access it and start digging into my 7 favorite tools for shifting out of hustle and into flow in your biz + beyond today! 🙂 

To share how this message has resonated with you, join us inside the Sexy Soulful Success Podcast Sisterhood Facebook group! And feel free to forward this message to others you feel would benefit from hearing it.

In Love + Sisterhood, 

Emily