Table of contents:
Here’s what I’ll cover in this article:
In today’s constantly evolving online marketplace, there’s a question that’s getting more and more attention:
Should new coaches invest time, effort, and money into building email lists? Are they really still relevant?
You’ll hear great arguments on both ends, with some arguing that it’s a great way to connect and build rapport while others believe that in an over-saturated digital world, email is just additional noise that doesn’t do what it sets out to do.
While I’m personally very strongly on the side of those who believe email lists are not only still valid tools, they’re actually essential, I’ll try to state both side of the argument in this article, so you can make out your mind for yourself whether building an email list is right for you!
Let’s get into it:
Pros of Email Lists
1 – OWNERSHIP AND CONTROL
So I’m starting here because if there’s ONE argument that to me makes building an email list worthwhile, it’s this one:
You own your email list.
You will never lose it. No one can take it away from you. No one can shut it down and kick you off your own email list – it’s yours.
I’ve heard first-hand accounts of coaches who were doing amazing on social media, with tons of followers and getting leads every single day.
Because of how great things were, they didn’t see the point of building an email list. And to be fair, it made sense. They were putting a ton of effort into their social media presence and following, and it was working! Putting even more energy toward building an email list just seemed futile.
Until…
The algorithm changes and all of a sudden, you’re not getting the views you were getting, leading to the number of leads trickling down to eventually you’re not getting anymore.
Or the platform blocks your account for some random reason, and all of a sudden you have absolutely no way to get into contact with all your followers. If you’re lucky, you may get your account back when the platform finally takes the time to review your claim, sometimes months down the road.
Or worse, they never reactivate your account, making you have to start all over. And because the algorithm changed in the meantime, you can’t seem to get the traction you got the first time around.
Again, these are things that have happened to actual people – you can find accounts like these all over the internet.
But if you take the time to build your own list, that you own, you’ll always have something to fall back on, another way to communicate if need be.
2 – DIRECT AND PERSONAL COMMUNICATION
This is another argument that I personally find very important, and it goes back to the ever-important fact that you need to build a real, authentic rapport with your audience before they’ll ever consider buying from you.
There are of course ways for you to build trust and credibility with your audience in many other ways, but being able to communicate by email just gives it that added personal dimension, especially if you’re just a small business and write/reply to your emails personally.
You get to have an exchange with your audience that’s really difficult to replicate in another setting.
I truly believe that this is invaluable in today’s day and age, where having deep relationships with people seems almost impossible and mythical.
If you’re able to create the sense that it’s truly you writing your emails and that you’re writing to them personally, you’ll be well on your way to building a pretty great relationship with your audience, which will very likely lead to paying clients down the road.
3 – BUILDS TRUST AND CREDIBILITY
Because you’re sending regular, value-packed emails to your list, you’re showing them week after week. month after month not only that you’re reliable, but that you’ve actually got what it takes.
You’re constantly demonstrating that you have the expertise and the knowledge to help them with the problem that they’ve got.
You’re showing them that not only do you understand the problem, what it is that they’re going through and how they’re feeling, but also that you’ve got the solution.
Because you’re building this trust and credibility over time, you’re becoming the expert in this field in their mind.
When they feel ready to take the leap and invest into solving their problem, you’re going to be the person that they’re naturally going to turn to.
4 – NURTURES RELATIONSHIPS
This goes back to some of the things that I pointed out earlier, but it merits that I go into it a little more specifically here.
When you take the time to consistently craft valuable, information-packed emails to your list, you’re showing them not only that you know what you’re talking about, but also that you care about helping them as much as you can.
After all, they’re getting all this information from you for free, right?
Right now, you’re not getting a dime from them, yet because you truly care about them, you still want to be able to provide value to them.
If you do this in an authentic way, people will be able to tell, to sense this.
They’ll start responding to you, making this a two-way relationship instead of just one-way. You’ll start getting a better sense of what’s actually helping, what they’d like more information on, and what would be more helpful.
This ensures that you’re constantly in touch with your community’s needs, providing support and fostering a real sense of caring.
This is something that you can’t buy and has immense value when it comes to the right time for them to hire a coach – you’ll be the obvious choice.
5 – MARKETING PROMOTIONS
I know that many of you really don’t like talking about money and sales when talking about nurturing real relationships with your audience because it makes you feel fake, like you’re just manipulating them into buying from you.
And while I definitely understand this feeling (I struggled with it myself for a really long time), you have to find a way to get it over it if you truly want to have a business and not just a hobby.
If it helps, think of it this way: your audience is your audience in the first place because they’ve got a problem that they’re trying to fix, something that they need help with and you somehow conveyed that you can help.
If you don’t convince them that you’re the right person to help them with what they’re going through, they might very well hire someone who doesn’t care about them as deeply as you do, and who won’t actually help them the way you could have.
So if you don’t convince them you’re the right person, you may be doing more harm than good…
So even though it may make you uncomfortable, you really should share offers, promotions, and your services with your email list! Obviously, this shouldn’t be the majority of the emails you send, but should definitely be part of your communication.
Just be your usual, natural and authentic self when you’re talking about your offers – no need to morph into some kind of slimy sales person!
Cons and Pitfalls of Email Lists
1 – TIME-CONSUMING
All of that said, building an email list and nurturing it is absolutely time-consuming.
You not only need to figure out how to get people onto your list in the first place (so with a freebie, or through social media posts etc) which already takes a ton of time, but you then need to keep in constant contact with them.
And not just writing random stuff either – writing actual helpful, value-packed emails that take a ton of time to write properly.
So yeah, building and having an email list takes time…
One way to off-set this is by planning ahead of time:
Brainstorm the content of your emails, then bulk-write a few so that you can program them into your email management software and forget about it until next time you need to do the same.
Yes, this will still take time, but overall you’ll still be saving time this way 🙂
Honestly, it’s not too bad once you get into the groove of things. Just be prepared for the time it will take and don’t expect to be able to just half-ass it and see results from it!
2 – RISK OF BEING CONSIDERED SPAM
I think we all know that we’re all flooded with emails on a near-constant basis. This can make it hard not only for your own content to stand out, but also make it easier for the content you spent so long crafting to end up in the dreaded spam folder.
In addition to this, you need to be careful about the type of content you send out to your list.
If you send too much promotional content about your offers, your emails could end up in the promotions folder (which, let’s be honest, no one checks), or worse, lead to your readers to mark you as spam.
This will in turn hurt your sender reputations, leading to more and more of your emails going straight to spam.
3 – LEARNING CURVE
If you’re just starting out online and aren’t super familiar with online tools and softwares, then learning how to properly connect your email managing software with your domain etc may be a bit challenging.
There’s also a lot to be said for learning how to craft effective email campaigns, writing captivating headlines, segmenting your audience, and analyzing data.
It does take time to figure things out, and it takes a lot of trail and error.
There are however a ton of resources online, both free and paid, that can definitely help with getting things figured out and get you started with this.
4 – COST
Many online platforms offer a free plan for small lists, but they may have limited capabilities, such as no segmenting of your list.
This can be either a major hindrance or something you’re happy to live with until your list grows, depending on factors that matter to you.
As your list grows though, there’s pretty much no avoiding paying for your emailing to your list.
By this point though, you should be making enough income in your business that the investment shouldn’t be a problem!
5 – CHANGING COMMUNICATION TRENDS
This isn’t something that I’ve personally come up against in my own business, but it’s definitely something you’ll want to consider depending on your audience, especially if they’re a younger demographic who doesn’t use email as much.
Understanding if this is going to be a problem for you and your coaching business comes down to knowing your target market and their communication habits.
As far as my own experience as well as through my clients, this really hasn’t been an issue, as even younger generations still use emails and are used to them.
So all this said, I still firmly believe that the benefits of having an email list (especially the ownership) heavily outweigh the disadvantages.
It’s truly been instrumental in growing my own coaching business, and it’s absolutely a tool that I use with all of my coaching clients and helps them establish their businesses as well.
What about you – do you have an email list yet? Are you considering starting oe, or do you find the thought too daunting? Or maybe you find it unnecessary because your business is thriving without one?
Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear!
Hope to talk soon, and in the meantime, take care!
Jen
P.S. Don’t forget to pin this for later!
