so you’re ready to get serious about email marketing...
TRANSCRIPT
© StartUp FASHION
So you’re ready to get serious about email marketing. Congratulations. It’s one of the most
important things that you can do for your business. Having an email list for your business makes it
possible to directly communicate with your audience and your community. It can be tempting to
rely solely on social media but that’s dangerous because you don’t own those platforms. You do,
however, own your email list.
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Section 1: Your Business
Your Brand
Before you begin to create any strategy for your business, you need to remind yourself of your
why and your values. If you haven’t gone through the How to Create Your Brand Identity
Collection, then go do that now.
OK, now that you’re done that, let’s review.
Why do you do what you do?
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What’s your business mission?
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What are 5 values your business holds?
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What do you want to be known for?
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Your Customer
You also need to review who your customer is. If you haven’t yet done the How to Create Your
Customer Profile Collection, go check that out now.
Once that’s done, let’s review.
© StartUp FASHION
Who is your customer?
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What are three pain points they have?
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How does your product help them?
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Your Relationship with Your Customer
It’s really important to identify what kind of relationship you want to have with your customer as
well as the experience that you want them to have when they interact with your brand.
As an example, StartUp FASHION’s relationship with our audience is like a best friend. We are
here for you when need us, know your struggles and triumphs, and are totally honest with you; no
bullshitting. That’s what best friends are for, right?
Other relationships could be teacher, favorite aunt, big sister, college buddy, etc. It’s fun to think
about your relationship with your customer this way. You’re able to use that communicate more
effectively in your emails.
What kind of relationship do you want to have with your customer?
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OK, now go look at your answers in the first section about your Why & Values.
For Startup FASHION, our “why” is about encouragement. We do what we do because we know
it’s hard to find someone who’s in your corner cheering you on, reminding you that this is all
possible. Our values focus on the belief that all of you have the potential, talent, and ability to
create businesses in this industry in whatever way you want to. We believe in breaking rules and
we believe in building a life and a career your own way.
So, in reviewing the section above about your Why & Values…
What do you want your customers to feel as a result of being on your list?
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What transformation do you want them to experience once they start to receive your emails?
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Section 2: Your Email Content
Your Frequency
There really aren’t any rules around the frequency at which you send emails. Basically, you want to
remain front of mind without being annoying. The way to do that is to make sure that every single
email that you send provides value.
Below are some options for your email frequency. Choose the one that feels right for you for now.
You can always change this up as you work on developing your strategy.
Weekly
Monthly
Weekly newsletter with monthly promos
Weekly newsletter with weekly promos
Weekly newsletter with quarterly promos
Weekly newsletter with holiday promos
Monthly newsletter with quarterly promos
Monthly newsletter with holiday promos
Other ______________________________________
Your Content
Your email content is your opportunity to wow your customers. You want to go above and beyond
and really give them something that adds true value to their lives. You want to give them
something that helps them, excites them, teaches them, or makes them feel special, etc.
© StartUp FASHION
Therefore, sending updates about your brand is not the best way to go. Brand updates are about
you, not them.
You have to add value. So every time you sit down to create an email, keep the value you plan to
offer at the top of your mind.
So let’s get started with creating ideas for your content.
List 10 things your customer enjoys doing.
(Again, if you haven’t gone through the How to Create Your Customer Profile Collection, then do
that before trying to answer these questions.)
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Review your customer values and re-write them here.
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Next, review this list of Types of Content
PDF Guides (city, travel tips, care tips)
Recipe cards
Historical stories
Love letters
Pop culture recaps/reflections
Home décor tips
Book recommendations/ book club
Eco/environmental op-eds
Deep dive into inspiration (really deep, make it super eye candy and only do this if you have
access to really beautiful images). This doesn’t work if you just share a few pics of your
inspiration board.
Now, compare your customer interests and values to the various types of content. How do they tie
in? Does one interest/value go well with one type of content in particular? How can you creatively
tie in one or some of your customer’s interests and values with specific types of content?
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Remember, each email needs to have a goal attached and that will determine your call to action.
Some Call to Action ideas are listed below, check off one or two (three tops) that are currently
important goals for your business growth. You can switch up your call to action with each email or
if one goal is really important, you can use that call to action all the time.
Shop the collection
Read more blogs
Follow us on Instagram
Join our Facebook Group
Attend our Meetup
Reply with questions
OK, now you have some content ideas and some calls to action to go along with them. Sweet!
So the next part is your subject lines. These are an important part of getting people to open your
emails. You want your subject lines to be specific and honest. Don’t say something that you think
will get them to open the email if it isn’t a true representation of what they will get when they open
it.
The goal is to tell the receiver how the email will be useful and beneficial to them, that way they’ll
want to open it.
Subject Line tips: Avoid using 465 emoji, multiple exclamation points, words like FREE, and all
caps. All this stuff tends to look spammy.
Now, review everything you wrote in the sections above and start getting specific ideas down on
paper.
Create 12 ideas in the chart on the next page. (If you decide to send monthly emails, you’ll have A
YEAR’S worth of email content ideas created!)
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“Newsletter” Emails
Customer
Activity/Value
Content Idea
Call to Action
Subject Line
© StartUp FASHION
Promotional Emails
Reason for Promo
Content Idea Value it Provides Call to Action Subject Line
Remember nothing is set in stone, pay attention to your open rate and click through rate for each
email and make adjustments for future emails if/when you learn something.
© StartUp FASHION
A few notes on the “Meat” of the Email
When writing the email itself, remember that they don’t necessarily have to be long and detailed;
it depends on what you want to say, your goals, and your objectives.
Remember to stick to your brand’s voice and tone when writing your emails. Write and then read,
and re-read, to make sure that your language is reflective of your brand and not corporate stuffy
talk.
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Picking Your Provider
There are several popular email marketing providers out there. Here are some of the most
popular…
Mailchimp A.Weber Constant Contact
Convert Kit Infusionsoft
Free up to 2,000 subscribers
30 day free trial 60 day free trial No free trial No free trial
$25/month for 2,001 subscribers incremental price increases based on number of subscribers
$19/month up to 500 subscribers Incremental price increases based on number of subscribers
$20/month up to 500 subscribers Incremental price increases based on number of subscribers
$29/month up to 1,000 subscribers Incremental price increases based on number of subscribers
$199/month up to 2500 subscribers Incremental price increases based on number of subscribers
Easy to create templates API for many other programs
Once you hit 5,000 subscribers, this provider is cheaper than mailchimp
$45/ month minimum plan is the only one that allows for custom templates
All emails need to be coded
Expensive An entire CRM, not just email management
Creating Your First Template
Once you have decided on your provider, you’re going to have to set up your first email template.
Depending on the strategy you created in Part 1, you will decide on what your email template will
look like.
© StartUp FASHION
Heavily designed template
A heavily designed template tends to be best if you’re sending more of a “newsletter” style email.
This email will be full of information like behind the scenes, event announcements, upcoming sales,
and other info-focused content. The design will include sections in which to organize this content
in a visually appealing way.
Does a heavily designed template work with your email marketing content strategy? If so, do a
quick sketch of how you see this content being laid out in the email template:
© StartUp FASHION
Simple Template
The simple template is best if your strategy is more personal. This is the angle that StartUp
FASHION takes. We write weekly love letters to our audience that are heartfelt and though out. I
personally write every email and I sign my name to the bottom.
If you’re planning a more close-knit strategy of sharing things like design process, the challenges of
being an entrepreneur, or an inside look at your work/life, the simple template works best.
One important thing to remember is that just because the template is simple and the content is
intimate, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have a strong call to action. At the bottom of the email
you should have a graphic or text link that calls the reader to do something.
If the simple template sounds good to you, answer some basics about the layout/format.
Will this be in letter-form?
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How will you address your audience?
(by name, by group -- i.e. Hey designers!, by term of endearment – i.e. Hey lovelies!)
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Will you sign your name to the bottom?
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Do you have a font chosen to use for your signature?
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Creating Your Sign Up Page
Even though you will most likely have a quick sign up option on your website (meaning you won’t
link to another page), you still want to create a sign up page so that when you promote your email
sign up on social media, you’re sending them to a specific page they can sign up on, not just to your
website home page.
On this page you should have:
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Your logo
What they can expect when signing up
A request for both their email and their name
Here’s a look at our mailing list sign up page.
Creating Your “Thank You” and “Welcome” Page
Your Thank You/ Welcome page is the page that they see immediately after confirming their email
to sign up for your list. It’s an important page because it’s their first communication from you and
your business.
Most providers will have a default Thank You/Welcome page that is on the provider’s website.
Don’t use this. Instead, set up a thank you/welcome page on your own website.
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Since each provider is different, contact your provider’s customer service/tech support to walk
you through the process of linking the “thank you/welcome” page to your own website.
When writing your thank you/welcome page, write with sincerity. Include things like:
Any freebie that you had promised for signing up (coupon, guide, etc)
What they can expect from your emails and when they’ll receive them
Invite them to give feedback on your products
Ask them about themselves (link to a short survey or tell them to “reply”)
Invite them to a private group
If you have an event going on, add an invite (just remember to remove it once the event is
over)
Invite them to connect on a social media platform
Here’s a look at the StartUp FASHION Thanks/Welcome page
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How will you thank and welcome your new subscribers? Start jotting down your script here.
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Creating Your Offer
What will you offer them in order to get them to sign up? What reason do they have for giving you
one of their most coveted pieces of contact information?
No Freebie
The No Freebie approach is one where you highlight things like behind the scenes access, first-to-
know about sales and promos, and weekly inspiration or eye candy. This is certainly fine to do but
I’m telling you right now, it’s not nearly as effective as having a freebie.
If you decide to go the no freebie route, then be sure to phrase the benefits of signing up in a way
that really resonates with them. Meaning, don’t just say “behind the scenes access into the brand”
because bland language like that catches no one’s attention. So get specific.
How will you phrase your offer on your website?
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Freebie
Creating a freebie to give out in exchange for an email address is not as difficult as it sounds. It
doesn’t have to require a financial commitment if you’re able to create the freebie yourself. The
key is to get creative.
Review the email content ideas you created in part 1. Can you pull one of your content ideas and
turn it into a guide or recipe or access to a group or a coupon or a checklist?
What will you offer to get them to sign up?
(example: a travel bag brand may create a city guide highlighting restaurants and hidden gems in a
place that travelers are likely to visit- NYC, LA, Hong Kong, Paris, etc.)
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How will you phrase your offer? Keep it short, simple, and as catchy as possible. But don’t over
think it!
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When will you have this freebie ready?
(Open your calendar and block off time to create this freebie)
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Will you need a graphic designer? If so, where will you look for one?
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Take Action!
Set up your email account and create your first template.
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One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make (and one I made myself!) is to wait until
you have all your stuff ready to start collecting emails. By this I mean, an entire email strategy in
place, all the content created, the calendar filled up.
© StartUp FASHION
If you need to focus on your email strategy (content ideas, freebie creation, etc) next month, that’s
totally fine, but make it a priority to get the sign up form and the welcome email created now. That
way you’re collecting emails all month until you’re able to get things going.
Once you’ve got that going, you need to get the word out. Here is a checklist for ways to promote
your email sign up. You don’t have to do them all right away if it’s too much. Just start with a few to
get things going and then add as you’re able.
Use Social Media
Pinterest: especially great if you have a cool freebie. Use an image to catch attention
and make the link go to your sign up form.
Instagram: create some graphics or images that represent the benefits/offer you have
for them and link to your email sign up/freebie in your Insta bio
Facebook: Same as Instagram
Twitter: Tweet the link to your offer/signup page with strong hashtags
Remember that the social media posts should be about the benefit to them, not your
desire for them to sign up.
Add sign up box to every page of your website
Use Facebook Ads- create a campaign that links to the freebie/signup
Add your offer to your email signature
Add postcards in all of your orders
Add a sign up banner to bottom of every blog post
Add Hello Bar to your website/blog
Run a contest/giveaway and require email address for a chance to win
Add a popup on your website- but be careful! These can be really annoying so set it to not
popup until a person has been on the site for a few seconds rather than immediately (too
soon and the visitor can be turned off)
Take Action!
Did you check at least 3 options above? If so, what will you need to get in place for this?
(graphic designer, stock images, write the copy, research something, install a plugin, etc)
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When will you complete the tasks?
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Use everything you wrote in this workbook to get going on your email marketing! You’re so ready!