76: Unlock the Power of Email Marketing: Foundations, Workflows, and Strategies for Creative Business Owners

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Dolly Delong:
Hey, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Systems and Workflow Magic Podcast. I’m your systems-loving host, Dolly Delong, and if you’re listening to this episode when it airs, it means it’s officially May—and I cannot believe it! May brings a lot of fun things for me, and I’m sure for many listeners. It means the end of a school year, especially if you have little ones at home and you’re looking ahead to summer break. Depending on where you are, you may be gearing up for a busy season with work or slowing down.

I’m starting to rev up with more work, which I love, but I also enjoy those pockets of slower weeks beginning in May. It’s just such a fun time of year. You may also lanYou ds in the angle of Q2, and if you’re anything like me, you’re probably reassessing your Q2 goals based on either your income or data, or you may even be creating your goals as you go. Or, you might be thinking, “I didn’t even realize we were in a different quarter, Dolly!” Wherever you land, I hope you’re incorporating some system and workflow that works for you.

Now, I mentioned reassessing my Q2 goals because my overarching goal in my business is always to grow my email list. I know I’m always talking about email list growth—whether through lead magnet topics, past bundles I’ve led, or various guests and experts I’ve invited on the show. You’ve probably picked up that I love talking about email marketing and list building. But I’m bringing up list growth and email marketing because I know that the term “list growth” is an industry term that essentially means building out your email list, and I know it’s industry jargon for online business owners. I also know that it can cause a reaction of “Ewww, Dolly, I don’t want to talk about that” because it makes you think of gross, bro marketing tactics. Or you might be thinking, “I only have ten people on my email list, and I don’t even know how to grow it like everyone claims you should.” Or perhaps you’re thinking, “Okay, I have kind of an email list, but I don’t even email anyone because what’s the point of email marketing? I don’t know what to write. I don’t want to sound annoying or spammy. I hate getting spam, so I’m not going to email.”

So, do you fall into one or maybe all of those categories? I want to encourage you to think about where that mindset stems from. I can’t speak for everyone because I don’t know if you know this, but I’m not a mind reader. (Hopefully, that made you laugh!) But it was super intimidating when I first learned about list growth and email marketing. I can sometimes come across as super organized, loves systems and workflows, and has everything together. But the reality is that I sometimes get intimidated when I’m learning a new topic, workflow, or system.

When I started learning about email marketing, it was overwhelming because it was a topic with a different aspect, and I thought if I didn’t have an email list of hundreds or thousands of people, I would be a failure. Because that’s what many industry experts can make you believe or feel. They throw out their numbers, making it sound like it’s so easy to build out your list, but when you try, you realize it’s not as easy as everyone says.

The fact of the matter is this: I had to learn about the foundations of email marketing first to appreciate the value of list growth and reach out to the correct audience. Let me reiterate that point—I had to move past all the bells and whistles of list growth and all the terms and jargon. I had to learn about the foundations first, apply them to my own unique business, see the value, and learn how to reach out to the correct type of audience that I want to serve.

I’m bringing up this email marketing topic because I know that many creative business owners still aren’t tapping into the foundations of strategic email marketing, and there are many reasons for that. So, I wanted to use this quarter—remember I mentioned Q2 earlier—to start a new series centered around the systems and workflows of email marketing. In this series, I’ll be bringing on guest experts who are actual industry experts in email marketing, and they’ll be sharing so many different facets of email marketing that will help you tremendously.

Another reason I’m doing this series is that I want you, the listener, to take baby steps into email marketing. I believe you can learn to lay out a system that works for you to make proactive steps toward growing an email list of subscribers who want to learn from you, engage with you, and even buy from you or refer people to you. I will say it’s not an easy road filled with unicorns and rainbows. If list building were accessible, everyone would have lists of tens of thousands of subscribers. But I believe in being honest with you—it’s quite a roller coaster of emotions when you decide to learn about email marketing and apply that knowledge to build your email list.

Honestly, it can feel overwhelming, and I will attest to that. If you’re an OG listener of this podcast, you know I like to keep it accurate. But I also want to keep it accurate and tell you we can do hard things. You can do hard things; if this is hard for you, you can take baby steps and lay a foundation to learn more about email marketing. I want to say that here on the Systems and Workflow Magic Podcast, we are a community of doers and dreamers who take actionable steps in laying out systems and workflows that work for us in our businesses—and I want to include email marketing in that. So, I believe you can take actionable steps in laying out a system that works for you, learning more about email marketing, and slowly applying it to your business.

So, I will ask you to do something for me—put on your brave pants and join me in this email marketing series I’m serving over the next several weeks. I promise you’ll get so much value and education from these episodes I’ve planned out. I’ve tried to make it very purposeful and strategic for you to apply immediately because I wouldn’t say I like fluff episodes. I enjoy taking action and want you, my listeners, to learn what to do. I say this in every episode—I treat each podcast episode like a mini-mastermind or masterclass. So as you’re listening—whether on your drive, doing dishes, folding laundry, or whatever you’re doing—I want you to listen in and then take action steps.

If you’re curious about the topics we’ll be covering, I have a teaser for you. I’m not sharing all the topics, but I’ll give you a high-level overview or teaser of our discussion on creating time and space for email marketing because I know many people struggle with finding the time to write emails. We’ll also talk about how to move past negative beliefs around email marketing because I know that’s something many of us struggle with. I’ve had to push myself in the last several years, specifically in the previous year, to move past negative mindsets like “What’s the point of email marketing?” or “I don’t have a list of thousands of people,” or “Someone wrote a negative comment, and I’m focusing on that instead of the positive feedback.” So, I created an episode to help you overcome those negative beliefs.

Another topic we’ll cover is how to get in front of new audiences because I know that’s something many creative business owners struggle with. And another teaser topic—we’ll discuss what to write to your audience if you feel you’re hitting a roadblock. These are just four issues out of several weeks, all dedicated to the foundations and workflows of email marketing. I’m only skimming the surface here, but let me remind you that each guest has resources they’ll share with you for free. So, I invite you to listen to each episode to dig into their powerful resources, get to know them, and take baby steps to step more into email marketing knowledge and apply it to your business.

So, why am I covering the topic of email marketing in such a big series? First, I believe it’s essential to build your brand of social media and platforms you don’t own—not just to take a break from social media but also because you may lose your platforms due to unforeseen circumstances. We’ve all heard of people losing their social media accounts for no apparent reason. But another reason to consider is burnout—what if you get burned out by social media? What if you decide you can’t do social media anymore? If you don’t want to rely on social media, start taking baby steps to grow an email list so you can engage your audience week in and week out without needing to post on social media. Email marketing is a tool for that. I know several business owners who have done this successfully. It’s taken time, and it’s not an overnight success, but they’ve built their audience and engaged with them through email marketing instead of relying on social media.

Another reason I’m doing this series is that I know many creative business owners are intimidated by email marketing for various reasons. Some might think, “I don’t know how to grow my email list,” or “I don’t know what to write,” or “I don’t know the tech behind email marketing,” or “I don’t sell anything, so what’s the point of email marketing?” I want to help you break through those intimidations because they can limit you tremendously. I want you to see the power of laying out a sound system and workflow when you understand the foundations of email marketing.

Finally, in June of 2023—next month, if you’re listening live when this episode airs—I’ll lead the Systems and Workflow Magic Summit, an email marketing edition. Yes, it’s a Summit, and it’s all centered around the systems and workflows of email marketing. And yes, it’s a free event! I wanted you, the listener, to meet some fantastic speakers who will be part of this event. These early episodes will help introduce you to the speakers, and you can join the waitlist for the summit.

Overall, I hope you’re as excited about this series as I am! And let me remind you—you don’t have to be an email marketing expert to listen in. That’s not a requirement (hopefully, you know that!). The only “requirement,” in air quotes since you can’t see me, is that you’re open and willing to take baby steps in laying out a system and foundation that works for you regarding email marketing and start applying it to your unique business. Email marketing can positively impact your business, regardless of industry.

So, are you excited about the series? I hope so! Stay tuned for next week, Episode 77, where we officially kick-start the series. Until then, head over to the show notes to get on the waitlist for the Systems and Workflow Magic Summit, the email marketing edition, read about all the details, and invite your other business-owning friends who also want to learn about email marketing—because a’s a free Summit. I hope you have a streamlined and magical week, you amazing muggle! Have a wonderful day, and I’ll talk to you next week. Bye!

Thank you so much for listening to the Systems and Workflow Magic Podcast. You can find the full show notes from today’s episode on systemsandworkflowmagic.com/podcast. If you love the podcast, I’d be so honored if you’d subscribe and leave a review on your favorite podcast player. Be sure to screenshot this episode, share it in your stories, and tag me @DollyDelongEducation on Instagram. Until next time, make some strategic workflow magic!