Building an Email List from Scratch: Proven Strategies

Starting from zero? Don’t worry—you’re not alone! In this episode of the New School of Marketing Podcast, I'm breaking down the proven strategies for building an email list from scratch. Learn why email marketing is one of the most powerful tools for your business, discover creative ways to attract subscribers, and get practical tips for keeping your audience engaged. Whether you’re a total beginner or looking to level up, this episode will equip you with the tools to grow a list full of potential customers who are ready to hear from you.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• MailerLite
• Liz Wilcox' Email Marketing Membership

Connect with me

Website: www.newschoolofmarketing.com
Facebook: @newschoolofmarketing
Facebook group: @newschoolofmarketing
Instagram: @bianca_mckenzie

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Transcript

Welcome to the new School of Marketing podcast.

Today, I want to talk about something that a lot of people, when they're starting their business, overlook, and that's building an email list.

And I know that the idea of starting from scratch can feel overwhelming, but trust me, everyone starts at zero, Right? Everyone? The good news is that it is completely doable, and you'll find that it's one of the most rewarding marketing efforts you can invest in.

My hope is that by the end of this episode, you'll have some actionable strategies to start building your email list.

And also some tips to keep your subscribers engaged and coming back for more and actually buying from you. So. So let's get started.

First, let's talk about why email is so powerful.

So, unlike social media, where the platform actually owns your audience, your email list belongs to you. Like, I know they are people and you know they belong to themselves, but it is more of a way of you have a list and you can be in touch with them when you want to, rather than crossing your fingers and hoping that your audience on social media will see your posts that you put up.

Also, if Instagram disappeared tomorrow, would you still have a way to reach your followers?

I wouldn't.

But with email, you do.

Email also sees much higher engagement rates compared to social media posts. Again, you're not relying on the algorithm to show things for you. And think about it. When was the last time that you opened every email in your inbox?

Now compare that to how often you see every post in your social feed. There's a big difference, right?

So your email list is like having a VIP room of your biggest fans. These are the people who have literally said, yes, I want to hear from you. And that's super, super powerful.

And I know that when someone follows you on social media, they are also saying, yes, I want to see your stuff. But they don't get to see all your stuff because it is up to the algorithm of the platform.

So for them to say, yes, send me emails, that is incredibly powerful.

Okay, now that I've hopefully convinced you that email is super powerful, let's get into how to actually build that list.

Number one is to create a Lead magnet. And a lead magnet is something of value that you offer in exchange for an email address. You probably have seen these things like you sign up for a webinar, you sign up for a free guide for a discount, something like that.

It could be a checklist, it could be an ebook, it could be a mini course, it could be, like I said, a discount code. The key is to solve a specific problem that your audience has.

For example, if you are a fitness coach, you might create a, like a seven day meal plan for, I don't know, busy professionals or busy mums. It is like helping them in a way without them fully investing in working with you.

For example, I have a guide where you can get up your ads up and running in just a few hours.

Step number two is to optimize your website. So your website should have multiple places for visitors to sign up for this free thing. So think about pop ups. Definitely a dedicated landing page.

And you can also put sign up forms embedded in your blog posts, if you have a blog.

And one little tip here is use a clear call to action.

So something like get my free guide works so much better than sign up for my newsletter. So make it really, really clear.

Number three, promote your list on social media. Every time you post on social media, think about how you can tie it back to your email list, share snippets of your lead magnet or highlight the benefits of being on your list.

You want people to kind of go, oh, I want to actually make sure that I get to hear from this person.

Number four is collaborations and partnerships. So partnering with someone in a complementary niche can be a game changer.

You kind of can share each other's networks in a way. So for example, if you are a wedding planner, you can collaborate with the florist to create like a joint resource like you know, the ultimate wedding checklist or something like that.

And then you can both promote it to your audiences and, you know, grow your list and grow each other's lists. So sharing the networks and your audiences. If you are in, in a business that are complimentary, where you basically work with the same people but you're not in competition, you can get in front of so many more people if you actually collaborate, which is really, really powerful.

Now onto the next part. So getting people to sign up is just the first step. The real work starts in keeping them engaged.

Let's look at that. What are you going to send them? And literally don't overthink this.

Send things that are helpful, like helpful tips, personal stories, behind the scenes Updates. And of course you need to send them occasional promotions as well. If you really, really struggle with this kind of thing.

I have an awesome, awesome resource for you. It's not created by me, but I love it. I'm actually part of it as well. And that is Liz Wilcox's email marketing membership.

It is $9 per month and every single week she sends you ideas on what to send to your email list. It is seriously the bee's knees. I will pop the link in the show notes so that if you want to join this as well, you can get all these ideas of what to send your list.

It's seriously awesome.

The next one is how often to email. Well, you know, what do you do? I know this can be tricky. My approach is to be consistent. Whether that is once a week, two times a month, or whatever works for you as long as you are consistent.

And the key is to keep showing up so they don't forget about you.

I generally don't go below two times a month because. Because if you do it once a month, people might actually forget. So you do want to do it like you want.

You want to email them regularly.

But if that is too hard, start with something.

Once a month is better than not at all. So that's my approach.

Number three is segment your audience. So not all subscribers are the same. We all know that, right? We're all different.

Some might be ready to buy, while others are just learning about you. So segmentation to sort of tailor your messages for different groups. For example, new subscribers might want to get a welcome sequence while existing ones get updates and promotions.

I find that is nothing worse than to sign up for someone's email list and they're like the Next, you know, 10 emails are all like, buy, buy, buy, buy. I'm like, I haven't gotten to know you yet.

So you do want to segment things and there's like literally ways to do these things and set up for example, welcome sequences and that someone who's in the welcome sequence don't.

Doesn't actually move onto the next step and get like your promotional emails until they have completed that welcome sequence. There's all ways to work around this.

Now before we wrap up, let's go over a few common mistakes to avoid. Number one, buying email lists. This is a big no.

Just no, no, no, no, don't.

Not only is it ineffective, but it can also damage your email reputation. So if you're buying lists and uploading them into your email marketing software, people will start filing spam reports.

If some of Those email emails are already on some like blacklists, whatever they call it, they will recognize, the system will recognize all that kind of stuff. So your email list needs to be genuine and it needs to be actual people that are interested in your business and have explicitly said, yes, I want to hear from this person.

Number two is overwhelming new subscribers. Like I said, don't hit people with non stop sales emails, especially not when they have just subscribed. You need to build a relationship first.

They need to get to know you. It's like a little bit like dating. You wouldn't get married on the second, on the first, second or third date. Like you need to get to know someone.

And it's the same for people working with you and buying from you. So definitely don't like go flat out on sales emails.

Number three is neglecting your list. Your subscribers sign up to hear from you, so don't ghost them. One thing that you need to at least do is acknowledge them. And well, if they sign up for a freebie, for starters, you need to deliver that.

You need to say, oh, hey, here's your thing that you signed up for. Ideally you want to send them a welcome sequence, but that first acknowledgement is so, so super important.

And even if it's just like a short update, stay in touch regularly.

So yeah, acknowledge them and then keep emailing them because you don't want to like, you know, go completely quiet. And then like six months later it's like, oh, hey, I got this thing to sell.

They're like probably going to be like, oh yeah, you haven't really given me anything, so I'm going to unsubscribe.

Okay, so quick recap.

Building an email list is literally one of the smartest things you can do for your business. Honestly, trust me on this. Even if you're resistant, it is one of the smartest things you can do for you for your business.

Start with the solid lead magnet. Optimize your website and promote your list everywhere you can or your freebie everywhere you can. Once you have subscribers, focus on delivering consistent and valuable content.

Don't ghost them.

And if you're ready to take action, you can start today. Like, you don't have to wait with this. You can do it right now. So create your lead magnet. Set up that signup form on your website.

It doesn't have to be perfect, you just have to start and I'll share my favorite email marketing software. My favorite email marketing marketing software is Mailerlite. I use it myself.

I will share the link in the show notes. You can easily set up email sequences like automations automated sequences where when someone signs up they automatically get delivered that freebie and then they get, you know, an email every so many days.

You can, you can specify how you set that up. So I'll share that as well.

And thank you so much for joining me on this episode of the new School of Marketing podcast. Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

And as always, if you're ready to take your business to the next level with Facebook and Instagram advertising for example, if you wanted to use it to grow your list, it is an excellent tool for that.

So make sure that you head to newschoolofmarketing.com for practical free resources like that guide that I told you about. That is literally a guide that shows you how to set up your first lead generation ad in in just a few hours.

Which means you can collect leads to get them on your list. With ads. It's awesome. And if you want to grow your business but you don't want to spend all of your time on slow and unpredictable social media, organic social media, then the Anvil Ads Academy is for you.

It is literally the place to learn how to be seen by your audience, how to attract the right people as leads and turn them into paying customers. With my proven for ad stack method plus as part of the program, you'll have one on one access to me, a marketing strategist with over 10 years experience so you don't have to navigate ads alone.

I'm here to help you be seen, attract leads and get more paying customers.

I can't wait to keep this journey going with you. Until next time. Take care and market your business every day.