The million-dollar question these days is: How can you reach your social media followers in a way that feels authentic and where you can control what your audience sees when, and what their user experience is AND make money? How do you turn your followers into email subscribers?
It’s a question that I get asked almost daily. As a network marketer myself, I know that a vast follower count (or really any follower count) doesn’t automatically translate into likes, comments, shares, and sales. So it’s essential to take a look at what we can do to make sure the effort we put into content creation actually generates an ROI (read further to learn more about that).
One of the best pieces of advice? Build an email list. 🤓
You’ve probably heard some people say that email is going away (That’s not the case as long as you still need to use your email address to log in to any service 🙃), that it’s too complicated, or even too much work.
Let’s start with the good news: You’re here reading this post and that means you’ve already taken the first step to building your list and monetizing your social media efforts.
I know that just the thought of doing this email marketing thing and writing emails might make you feel overwhelmed, and you’re wondering how you’d even get all of it done. Or maybe it’s the tech part that’s holding you back. Whatever it is, I’m here to help! So don’t say “I know, but…” and instead, keep reading. This topic is dear to my heart and I don’t want you to live a minute longer that email marketing is just for “the ones who made it already”, that it’s too complicated, or that you have nothing to tell.
I’m going to give you some perspective on WHY this is important so you can understand the big picture and the opportunity that’s here for you to get you motivated and excited.
Subscriber = Friend
Why I love email is because of so many different reasons! One of the biggest ones for me is the fact that there’s nothing more personal on the internet than an email. Like a letter back in the day, sent from one friend to another. Think of Instagram, Facebook, TikTok & co. like a handshake when you meet that new friend. You say hi, exchange contact information, and everyone goes on with their life.
Fast forward a couple of days: you’ve got mail! (Thanks Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks 💌) Next thing you know you’re sitting on your couch with a freshly brewed cup of coffee, reading an email from that new friend. You’re getting to know each other better every time your inbox pings and by now you feel like you really know your friend.
Good friends are there for each other. They show up unannounced, checking in, caring about you, sometimes they give a little gift, and the other way around. When you need them, they’re there.
You might now ask what all of this has to do with email marketing? Everything. Look at email as a tool to build a relationship with your subscribers (just as you would with a new friend), get to know them, learn what they like, engage in conversation, ask questions, and send them unexpected free value where you help them solve a problem (remember the last time you downloaded one of those freebies in exchange for your email address?). When the time comes for your next launch, offer, or sale you can count on your new email subscriber friends to help you out with a purchase!
How to Turn Social Media Followers into Email Subscribers
If you’ve been showing up on social media and building your audience, chances are that you have one or more topics you constantly talk about. Maybe you’re an empty nester figuring out life and marriage without kids at home. Or you’re obsessed with fitness, and you can’t stop talking about how you lost 80 lbs of baby weight through an exercise routine. Whatever it may be, people are following you for a reason and because they like what you’re sharing.
Regardless of whether what you sell has something to do with the topics you’re passionate about on social media or not—you can create a free resource for your followers that helps them get results too. There’s different terminology out there. You’ll hear the words freebie, lead magnet, or lead funnel…they all mean the same thing: a tool that provides free value and at least one win in exchange for a name and email address.
Lead magnets are a wonderful thing because they not only help people, but they’re also an introduction to you, and your business and help you to segment your email list into different topics. This makes it incredibly easy to send them emails specific to what they’re interested in which, in turn, builds trust. That friendship is growing!
Make it your number one priority to promote your lead magnet daily! I know, I know. You feel like that’s too much. Here’s the thing though. We often think that we come across annoying when we talk about our lead magnet every single day. The reality is that most of your followers won’t see your post at the time you post. Social media content has a shelf life of 24-48 hours and after that, your content is practically gone. Talking about your free resource daily will help you to drum up attention and increase visibility.
Pro tip: always include a clear call to action and make it easy for people to find your free offer. You can post the link to your opt-in form in your bio and use link stickers in stories.
Offer Value First Then Ask For The Sale
Don’t be the friend who only shows up when he needs something. Even though email is digital and you don’t personally know your subscribers, it’s never a good idea to only send promotional emails asking for a sale and never giving anything in return.
People will be engaged and organically purchase from you if you show up in their inboxes consistently. They may not read every single email you send, but they will see your name and remember what you offer the next time they have a need.
Like with content creation in general, consistency is key. Did you know that every second 2.4 billion (with a B, not a typo!) are being sent worldwide? That makes 74 trillion emails in one year! With all this noise it’s important to find a sending frequency that gets the best engagement. Email marketing is a lot of trial and error, trying something and looking at it later to take note of what worked and what didn’t.
Sending an email once every month might be not enough to keep your name front and center in people’s minds. Sending 3-4 times a week might be too much and people will feel triggered to unsubscribe (not because of the content but the frequency). It will take some time to learn what works best for your audience.
So, what can you send every week that offers value to your email list subscribers?
The answer to this question is multifaceted. Here’s a list with a couple of ideas:
- Real-life stories that happened to you
- Weekly inspiration and thoughts
- Expert tips and advice
- Customer success stories
- Educational content (surprise e-books, guides, etc.)
- Surveys and ask for feedback
- Behind-the-scenes content (how do you do the work you do? what’s new?)
- Community-building activities like challenges or giveaways
The sky isn’t even the limit…you can tailor the email content to what you want it to be so that you enjoy the process. There’s nothing better than hitting send and knowing, that with every email, you’re building a solid base for your friendship.
I recommend sending at least one value-based email per week as a baseline communication. That gives you enough wiggle room for additional emails when you want to promote an offer or survey your audience.
Real ROI, not vanity metrics
It’s easy to get hung up on how many comments, likes, or shares your posts get. And it can make you feel super accomplished when there’s lots of engagement, and it can also make you crawl into bed and binge-watch Gilmore Girls (you know my age now) for a couple days.
Vanity metrics are of course not unimportant but they’re also not the most important way to measure your success. They are a great indication of what content your audience wants to see so you can do more of that. However, likes, comments, and shares don’t pay your bills—but money does.
Focus your efforts on social media to create a real return so that your bank account can say cha-ching.
Every social media post should lead to an action that will add subscribers to your email list, send them to your blog, podcast, youtube channel, or that free webinar or masterclass. Wherever you sell, that’s where you need to send your followers.
If you’re a numbers person, get these email marketing statistics:
- Email generates $42 for every $1 spent (that’s a 4,200% ROI!!)
- 99% of email users are checking their email daily
Source: Litmus 2022
In contrast, here’s your ROI for social media marketing:
- For every $1 dollar spent on social media advertising a post generates $2.80 (Source: neilschaffer.com)
- 49% of people check their social media daily (Source: socialpilot.co)
You can find a ton of statistics if you want to double-check the above or dig deeper. Just hop on Google and type in “Email Marketing ROI” or “Social Media Marketing ROI”. You’ll be amazed!
These numbers and the facts are pretty striking and it’s more than clear that email marketing needs be a priority for you and your business if you want to leverage the reach on social media and turn your followers into engaged subscribers that can’t wait to hear from AND buy from you.
