Why You Need An Email List For Your Business or Brand
Quick question- do you have an email list?
I’m hoping that the answer is “yes”, but it’s totally okay if your answer is “not yet”. If you do, you’re already in great shape and I want you to keep reading for validation on why you should work to grow and nurture your list. If you don’t keep reading to find out why you absolutely need one, and take this as your sign to get started! I’m sharing why I feel that an email list is crucial for any small business, creator or brand to have.
Reasons to create, grow and utilize an email list in your business:
1. This is a big one: An email list is a direct line of contact with your audience!
I have many thoughts here, so stick with me…
First, on social media, we are shouting to the masses about our story, thoughts, offers, products, services, etc… fighting against algorithms and and hoping our posts will be seen. Not to mention, the timing of our posting may not be when our audience is most active on social media. More and more people are “unplugging” and taking social media breaks. It can be noisy and overwhelming. If you land in their inbox and serve them with value, you’re much more likely to be heard, seen and make an impact. Please make sure that you don’t spam them! Give them an idea early on of the frequency and the type of content that they can expect to hear from you.
Second, your account could be compromised. Imagine waking up one day to discover that a social media account with your entire audience was hacked, is being held ransom and you can’t get in touch with anyone working for the platform to help you out. True story- I’ve watched 2 friends wake up to that reality in the last few years. One had over 10,000 followers and the other had a good 14,000 followers. They no longer had access to the account they’d spent YEARS growing, the audience they’d nurtured for so long, their saved posts that become a digital diary, and even important client communication in their DMs. They couldn’t even explain what had happened to their followers. Social media accounts have also been known to be cancelled by a platform without understood grounds for doing so, and no way to reach an employee to correct the mistake.
Third, We’ve also all experienced social media platforms glitching and going down for X amount of hours, a few different times in the last few years. As well as the threat of TikTok disappearing altogether. It would be devastating to so many business owners to not be able to connect with, serve and sell to their audience… all because of a social media app being unavailable.
I’m hopeful this doesn’t ever happen to myself or to you, but take this as a nudge to be proactive! Set up your two-factor authentication ASAP. Also, start or continue to grow that email list we’re talking about today, as the bare minimum of being a means to reach your audience in a situation like that.
2. Also very important: An email list is something that you own!
Social media is borrowed land. We don’t own it, control it or have any “rights” to our audience. Your list can move with you as you change email addresses, email service providers, CRMs, etc.
3. Email lists are a way to nurture someone who has joined your list!
Let’s pause to remember how much of an honor it is for someone to provide access to their email address and inbox… and remain on your list! They’ve given you permission to connect with and market to them directly. That’s a big deal! This is now a “warm lead”. Someone who is open to hearing from you in a more personal way. A buyer is more likely to purchase from a business/brand/person that they’re familiar with, trust and and respect.
As mentioned above, make sure to set the tone early on in their email subscription for the frequency and type of content they can expect from you. Set a rhythm for nurturing emails, whether it’s an email sequence following a purchase from you, a freebie lead magnet they opted in for and are now subscribed, or a fully organic opt in from your website, a link, a call to action in a post, etc. Serve them with helpful tips, connect with them through story-telling, and occasionally share about new offers and products that they might find helpful. etc.
4. You can personalize your message to your email subscribers, based on segments and lists that you set up!
This point piggy-backs off of the last. Email allows you to nurture your audience… and you can even personalize different emails for different subscribers. This is HUGE! Setting up list segments can save you so much time, as well as to ensure that you aren’t blasting your audience with offers that don’t relate to them. This decreases the chances for unsubscribes.
For example, I’m multi-passionate. For 16+ years, I’ve photographed families through all different stages of life. I now consider myself a photographer turned marketing junkie and only offer limited, seasonal family sessions. I fell in LOVE with helping fellow, busy and even burnt out small business owners and entrepreneurs with their marketing and content creation efforts. I have multiple email lists to make sure that I don’t annoy both “camps” with the wrong offers and messaging. You can check out the two email list opt-ins here!
5. Email lists can drive traffic to your other platforms!
Email is a reliable way to drive traffic to your website, blog, podcast, shop, or social media. This makes it one of the most consistent ways to guide people toward your content, whether that’s a new blog post, a podcast episode, a product launch, or even just an Instagram story you want to highlight. With the right subject line and value-packed content inside, you can create a direct path from inbox to action.
6. A strong email list can boost brand collaborations, affiliate income, and partnerships!
When you build an engaged list, you’re building influence—and that kind of direct access to a niche audience is incredibly valuable. Brands and potential partners often care more about engagement than follower counts, and a solid email list is proof that you not only have reach but also trust. Whether you're pitching a brand collaboration, promoting affiliate products, or launching your own digital offer, having a responsive list gives you serious leverage in terms of visibility, credibility, and results.
7. Email lists provide measurable insights that help you make smarter marketing decisions!
One of the biggest advantages of email marketing is the data. You can see exactly what your audience is engaging with- from open rates to click-throughs, to which subject lines convert and which links people are actually tapping. These insights are gold when it comes to understanding your audience’s behavior, preferences, and pain points. Over time, you can use this data to refine your messaging, improve your offers, and ultimately increase revenue and impact.
thank you for being here! I’m hoping that you’re on board to work on an email list now, if you weren’t before reading this. :)
Overwhelmed with how to create an email list, grow an existing list or what to even send to your subscribers? Check back soon! This is 1 of a 3 part series that I can’t wait to continue! Sign up here for a heads up when the next post drops!
PS- See what I did there? :P