3 Mistakes Stopping you From Growing your Email List
3 mistakes stopping you from growing your email list
“Today is a great day to build your email list!” That’s what I tell myself every day and my students inside of Tutorpreneur Academy®. Your email list growth takes time, and with a few adjustments, you can grow your email list to the point where you can send a sales email at the drop of a hat and make passive sales. What would it be like to go on vacation with your family and your email list is making money for you? Keep on reading teacher friend, because I’ve got 3 mistakes you might be making growing your email list and what to do about it.
You haven't started your email list yet
You haven’t started your email list yet
As a teacher entrepreneur, one of your first priorities should be starting your email list. Last week, I chatted with you about the top 5 reasons teacher entrepreneurs should start their email list. Go back and read that blog post in case you missed it! I’ve seen quite a few successful teacher entrepreneurs selling massive amounts of Teachers Pay Teachers products who haven’t started their email list yet. Yes, they’ve had success but that’s largely in part to how established the TPT website is. Traffic is being directed to their website everyday and teachers know where to go to find resources. Think of the extra money those teachers could have been making had they started their email list and nurtured their audience from day one.
No matter what niche your teacher business is in, you need an email list
Regardless of what niche you're in, you need an email list to grow your business
Email is here to stay. Think of how often you check our own email. It’s on our phones, it’s on our computers. Regardless of the niche you're in, you need an email list to grow your business. If your Instagram or Facebook account gets hacked, you’ll be out of commission for weeks trying to get it back (if you can!) Owning your email list means you can send an email to them any time of day and let them know you’re still there even if your social media platforms disappear. If you’re a tutor, an email list is a great way to build your client list while sending them helpful tips each week. I also recommend starting your Teacher’s Pay Teachers store so you can include product links in your helpful weekly emails! I’ll teach you the exact process I use inside From Zero To Cha-Ching!
You're waiting to start your email list
You’re waiting to start your email list
I get it, you're busy and there’s always one thousand things to do for your business. If I could tell you one thing to do today to prepare your business for anything that could happen, it would be to start your email list! If price is holding you back, start with Mail Chimp. It’s a free option that works well when you’re just starting out. If you’re looking for an option that includes a platform for your website, blog and hosting courses, Kajabi is my go-to choice! You can try Kajabi for 14-days free here.
Always remember that you can’t take your followers to the bank so regardless if you have 40,000 followers on Instagram, they could be gone tomorrow. Followers are a vanity metric that you shouldn’t be chasing but instead funneling all the energy into growing your email list.
Don’t leave money on the table - start building your email list
You’re leaving money on the table when you wait to start your email list
It’s going to be tough to make sales on social media alone. Of course I’d never deter you from selling on social media. I’ve made quite a few sales that way. But the bread and butter of your business is going to come from nurturing your email list. Waiting to start only means you’re leaving money on the table. The sooner you get started, the sooner you can find your tribe of people who are going to be raving fans of anything you create. Trust me, you have what it takes to build an amazing teacher brand and business using skills you use everyday in your classroom.
Stop using a newsletter to grow your business
If you’re being honest, when was the last time you signed up for a newsletter? A while back in the teacher business world, it was really trendy to have a newsletter. All Teachers Pay Teachers sellers had one and they were popular…for a while. Teachers likely fell into that trap because we write a teacher newsletter for our classrooms and it was a natural thing to do. That’s the thing about growing a successful email list: when trends change, so must you. Get out of the habit of saying newsletter or even “join my email list.” Most people want to know what they’re getting in exchange for handing over their email. That’s why a lead magnet that solves their problems is going to be the way to get people on your email list without having to say newsletter or give away freebies all the time.
inspire your ideal customer to want to join your email list because you’re giving them something desirable in exchange
The goal is to inspire your ideal customer to want to join your email list because you’re giving them something desirable in exchange
When you make the mindset shift to solving problems to your ideal customer, you’ll be free to focus on creating content that will help you grow your email list and sell your products and services later down the road. Just remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day and all good things come in time. Talk about your lead magnet in some way everyday whether it’s in a blog post, Instagram stories or on YouTube. If you’re not talking about your business, no body else will!
Build your dream busy today!
If you’re looking to grow your business and design your dream tutoring business, click here to watch my FREE masterclass to learn how to create your dream business in less than 10 hours a week (even if you teach full-time like I do and enjoy having the weekends off!)