Starting Your Email List

The money is in the list.

I’m sure you’ve heard this said many times and that’s because it’s true.

If you’re not capturing your audience’s emails you’re missing out on some serious money.

That’s the most important thing.

We spend most of our time building our Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter followers but the money is generally made in the email list because that’s where we’re really building our relationships.

Email lists are also something that you own. Completely.

If you’re just starting out you may be tempted to go with a free autoresponder such as the free tier of Mailchimp or MailerLite.

However, if you’re truly serious about building a sustainable online business, then I suggest you start the right way and choose a robust autoresponder that will grow as you grow. And one that has the features you need from the outset to become a true professional and entrepreneur.

When considering which autoresponder to choose a few key features I’d suggest looking for include:

• Email templates – this makes setting up your emails easier, allowing you to choose a template to go with your business branding and have a consistent look and feel
• Automation – setting up email series and sequences is the power behind autoresponders
• Tracking – you want to be able to track what’s working and what isn’t
• Customer support – you want to be supported each step of the way
• Integrations – make sure you can integrate with other tools and services you use such as scheduling, analytics, payment processors and more

An autoresponder that I highly recommend is ActiveCampaign. I’ve been using this for over 2 years now and as my business has grown, I’ve been able to add more and more functionality.

It already had plenty of functionality when I started out but what I love is that I can add new features, as and when I need them and when it’s time to uplevel my business even further.

ActiveCampaign is an incredibly powerful autoresponder and CRM. I have many different automations set up for my various lists such as RTT and coaching clients, my website subscribers, buyers for my online courses and more.

Each automation takes my customers on a journey, personalizing their experience.

ActiveCampaign offers many integrations that I make full use of including Acuity, my scheduling tool, WordPress and the various plugins I use including LearnDash and Woocommerce. Facebook, Evernote, various Google services including Analytics and Drive, Square and Stripe for payments and even Zoom integrations.

I’ve also considered Keap by Infusionsoft. This is another powerful tool that is popular with many online entrepreneurs. However, right now, I’m very happy with ActiveCampaign and all the features they offer.

I didn’t mention the fantastic customer service ActiveCampaign has too. When you’re starting out, they will jump on a call with you to help get you set up. This is a service they have continued to offer, even after 2 years. So if I’m ever stuck I just book in an appointment with one of their specialists.

So if you haven’t already gathered from this blog post, building your email list is imperative. That’s if you’re serious about building a sustainable online business. If you’re just in for the short-haul and your coaching or therapy business is more of a hobby, then an email list is less important.