By now you have probably heard that building & having an email list is one of the most important things to do for an online business, but why? Is it really worth it? and how do you use it?

Building an email list, a good quality one (that contains your real customers and target audience), takes time and effort, and often people give up. Maybe if you see the reason behind why this is important, you will keep on the path and will be able to get to a point that you use it to both create revenue and grow your business!

1. Campaigns – A game changer

Wouldn’t it be nice if you can finish a collection and have it fly off the shelves, or if you need the extra cash you can create a flow of orders, or you know you are going on vacation so push for a bunch of orders to come in before you go?

This is one of the biggest strengths of an email list.  If you have a good email list, you can create a flow of orders on demand.

Let’s say your product is great for Mother’s Day, you can create a series of emails to your customers before Mother’s Day with maybe a limited time offer (discount, second one half off, freebie, etc.) or/and a deadline for ordering….

Another good example for a handmade business is pre and post release of a new collection. Again, you can have a series of emails that you send to your email list with an offer and/or a deadline.

I know it sounds exaggerated but think of yourself. Do you have an email list you are on that you read and if they have a good offer, there is a good chance you will jump on it?

2. Stay connected with your audience

“Out of sight out of mind” is a big force behind today’s audience. There are so many products, companies, concepts, new ideas, offers, etc. that are available online, that it is important to stay in the customer’s consciousness. It is done a lot through Social Media, but through email it has an additional layer. The advantage of email is that you do not have to do it as often as in social media, in fact, you should not overdo it, unless you really have something to share. You already established a form of connection with the customers (through a welcome email series, your branding, the fact that you know their first name “Hi Alex”) so the connection to your customer has more of a commitment on their part. Still, you want to stay in their consciousness incase, for example, they have an event that your product will be a great fit for.

3.   Help target your audience when advertising

Having your email list is basically having a sample of a group of people who are your loyal customers. This is extremely useful when you are trying to advertise. Facebook has the option of uploading your email list and targeting a “look alike” audience. Since Facebook keeps an endless number of parameters on their users (I know, creepy but helpful if you are an advertiser) they are able to find users with similar patterns, thus “look alike”. Can you imagine how different it is for you to advertise to a group that you already know is a fit?

4. The Email list is yours

This is a big one and what really differentiates the email list from social media platforms. If Facebook closes your page, if Etsy closes your store, if Instagram disappears, if your Pinterest is hacked, etc. (not trying to scare you, really) there is not much you can do, but the email list is yours to keep. A solid email list is a real tangible asset to a handmade business and any business really.

To summarize

Investing the time and effort into a good email list is a great long-term investment. It takes time but is worth it!