Do newsletters still have a place?
Do EDMs have an impact?
Will people actually work with you after reading your emails?
YES. The answer is yes! And I learnt this lesson again in 2020 when I finally launched my own newsletter.
I know I know. A communications specialist who doesn’t have an email newsletter. It seems like it would be the first thing I would have set up, but no. I was one of those people who felt that my audience was hearing from me enough.
I am fortunate to have a lot of work that comes through referrals and word of mouth. Over the years, I’ve focused on networking and maintaining connections in person and online and many of my clients have come to me in this way. So why would I reach out on mass?
Do I really have something to say?
Do they really want to hear from me, again?
Isn’t social media enough?
The answers here are yes, yes and no!
There is so much power in EDM and being able to speak directly to your audience through their inbox. Getting to connect with your audience and send a message directly to them is a wonderful thing. And the privilege of them giving you the permission to means that it’s more than ok to reach out through this medium.
What took me so long?
The funny thing is, I actually knew all of this and often talk to my clients about it but wasn’t applying it in my own business. You know, plumber with leaky taps and all that.
But in 2020, I decided that it was time and I wanted to speak to my lovely clients, colleagues and audience directly.
We set up a template, I had the ideas and all I needed to do was put it together.
But I didn’t push send!
Something held me back.
All I needed was to put the content, the ideas and stories I wanted to share with my audience, into the template. But I just wasn’t doing it.
The fear of the above seeped in and I was questioning:
- Do they really need it?
- Is what I have to say really that important?
- Will anyone read it?
- Isn’t there enough content already out there on the internet.
I let these thoughts and the pressure to ‘perfect’ take over and hesitated on sending.
Finally in November 2020, I launched my newsletter (which you may even receive, thank you!) I took some deep breaths, started typing and before I knew it, the first copy was ready and before I could back out again – I pushed send!
That afternoon, I received a reply from a woman I’d met through some Facebook groups and had had the pleasure of meeting IRL (in real life) for a coffee once. I hadn’t seen her name for a while, and actually didn’t even know that she’d subscribed to the blog – but there she was – right back in my inbox!
“I’ve been thinking about my brand a lot lately and your email came at the perfect time. Can we talk soon?”
I had a beautiful call with her the next day and we began work the next week!
So 7 months of hesitation and then a beautiful client to work with! I couldn’t believe the opportunity I had missed and the gorgeous conversations I could have been having, had I just reached out to my audience directly.
Your audience want to hear from you
This little lesson reminded me of something that I speak to m clients about all the time. Your audience wants to hear from you.
They have followed, subscribed, connected, clicked “yes” so that they can hear your message.
Whether it’s an audience of 5, 500 or 5000, they are wanting to connect with you and by not reaching out directly, you are both missing a great opportunity.
Not every email is going to translate directly into a client. If it does, yay! But it can lead to the building of trust and a relationship.
Off the back of that first email, I also had some wonderful replies from my audience that I hadn’t spoken to in a while. It sparked a conversation and it reignited our connection.
Don’t be afraid to put your voice out there. You never know who needs to hear the message you have to share.
Points to remember with EDM
- Add value – share stories, information and tips
- Be personable – think about how you’d communicate one on one
- Subject lines matter – this is how you engage your audience
- Keep it simple – include only what you need, be mindful that people do receive a lot of emails
- Check your frequency – be consistent but that doesn’t mean spammy
- Show up – when you connect, be authentic and share you. Build genuine connections
- Always include your contact information – don’t make your audience work to reach out to you
Happy connecting!