In the world of small businesses and digital marketing, email remains one of the most effective channels for engaging with your audience. As designers, we understand the landscape is vast, and we are subject to platform changes and algorithms. Creating our own email lists enables us to build our own communities while remaining in control of their direction.
Building and growing your email list should definitely be among your top priorities as you build your business. In this guide, we’ll explore some essential steps to help you develop a robust email list that drives results for your business as a designer.
1. define your target audience
Before you can start building your email list, you need to know who you’re targeting. As a knit or crochet designer, it is incredibly important to serve your customers and audience. Take the time to create detailed buyer personas that represent your ideal customers. Consider demographics, interests, pain points, and purchasing behaviors. What styles do you design and what styles would your customers want to make?
In development this is often called creating a persona. Who is your reader? Who is your customer?
When you have a clear understanding of your audience, you can tailor your email content to resonate with them. This will keep your audience opening and more importantly looking forward to your emails.
2. create high-quality content
Once you know your target audience, it’s time to create high-quality content that captivates them. Think about the various fibers you like to use and the fibers they might like to use. Think about the ways you can offer value to makers who buy your patterns.
Your content should provide solutions to their problems, answer their questions, or entertain and educate them. Maybe share tips and tricks in your design process.
3. offer lead magnets
Lead magnets are incentives that encourage website visitors to subscribe to your email list. These can include free resources like free patterns, quick stitch guides, checklists, templates, or exclusive access to patterns in advance. The key is to offer something of genuine value to your audience in exchange for their email addresses.
Make sure your lead magnets are highly relevant to your target audience’s interests and pain points. Prominently feature them on your website, landing pages, and blog posts.
4. optimize your signup forms
Your signup forms should be easy to find, user-friendly, and optimized for conversions. Keep the form fields simple, requesting only essential information like the subscriber’s name and email address. The easier it is to sign up, the more likely visitors will take the plunge.
Strategically place signup forms throughout your website, especially on high-traffic pages and blog posts. Test different form designs, copy, and placements using A/B testing to see what works best for your audience.
5. implement A/B testing
One of the best things we can do in the digital age is use data to help grow our small designer brands. A/B testing is a vital part of optimizing your email list building efforts. It allows you to experiment with various elements of your signup forms and email campaigns to determine what resonates most with your audience. Here are some elements to test:
– Form design and layout
– Copy and messaging
– Button colors and text
– Placement and timing of pop-up forms
– Lead magnet offers
– Email send times & days
By continually testing and refining your approach, you can improve your conversion rates and grow your email list more effectively.
6. segment your email list
Not all subscribers are the same, so treating them as such can lead to missed opportunities. Segment your email list into distinct groups based on demographics, behavior, purchase history, and interests. If you offer both knit and crochet designs then you may want to segment them per medium.
Segmenting allows you to send targeted and personalized emails that are more likely to resonate with each segment.
For example, you can send different offers to new subscribers compared to loyal customers, or tailor content based on their past interactions with your emails. Segmentation not only improves engagement but also boosts the chances of conversions.
Building and growing your email list is an essential aspect of successful small business and designer marketing. Start by defining your target audience and then work to create high-quality content that speaks to their needs.
By following these six essential steps, you’ll be on your way to developing a thriving email list that drives engagement, conversions, and cultivates long-term relationships with your audience.
Remember, gosadi helps you out by allowing you to add an email list sign-up on the top of your DLP. Learn more about your DLP in this support post.
