TFC#13: Why Your Shop Needs an Email List: Benefits and Best Practices

Email is an integral part of our business operation.

We use email to reach out to customers.

We use email to collaborate with our co-workers.

We use email to communicate with other vendors.

We even use email as a to-do list (probably not the best task management tool)

Even though we all have no trouble visualizing the importance of email in our day-to-day operations, many of us fail to realize the importance of email as a marketing and communication tool.

With the rise of social media and other digital platforms, it can be tempting to overlook the humble email, but doing so is a mistake.

In this article, we are going to explore why your business needs an email list and give a few recommendations to leverage its full potential.

Email marketing versus social media

Let’s quickly compare email marketing with social media.

For clarification: When I am talking about emails in this article, I am going to be talking about email marketing and email newsletters to a group of people, not a simple 1 on 1 email conversation with another person.

• Emails have better control

  • You have full control over messaging, design, and DELIVERY. Social media changes its algorithms all the time and there is no guarantee that your followers will see your posts.

  • Facebook is a great example of this. If you have a business page with Facebook, they heavily restrict your exposure to your own followers unless you pay Facebook to boost your own post.

• Higher engagement and conversion rates

  • Emails feel more personal than a post on social media. You can personalize and deliver tailored messages to your subscribers through email.

  • On social media, your content is going to be thrown in the middle of all kinds of other content, so unless your content really grabs their attention, it will get lost in the noise.

Benefits of collecting an email list and sending newsletters

Email lists and newsletters are a fairly new field to me, however, I am quickly learning that I had been missing out on a lot of opportunities by not utilizing email marketing.

Benefit #1: Build Relationships

With every job you complete, and every potential client you meet, you have an opportunity to show people why your business is different.

It can be easy to focus solely on the project and getting work done. Sometimes we forget that the main purpose of a business is to serve people and help people fulfill a need that they have, which in this case, might be a brand new kitchen.

An email newsletter is a unique way to communicate with your contacts and show people that you care and want to help them.

Let me give you an example.

I set a goal for myself to write a newsletter every week for a year. So on January 13, 2023, I wrote my first article and have continued doing so every Friday morning since then. (except for one week I think)

Some of my subscribers are people I know personally, and others, I have not had the privilege of meeting yet.

Think about this for a minute.

• Do you feel like you know me or know me better after receiving several of my articles?

• Would you trust me as a reliable source of information?

• Would you be more likely to buy a product from me, if I had anything to sell, because of simply learning more about my views and my perspectives?

I don’t say that to make it sound like I have things figured out or that I am some genius.

I’m sharing this because I have discovered this one thing to be true and I want to give you all the opportunity to take advantage of it as well.

It’s not about who is the smartest person, or who can articulate their ideas the best, or who can write most eloquently.

You become a trusted source and build relationships by simply being willing to share what you know and maintaining regular contact with people.

Think about how that could impact your business if you have people who want to buy from you. They trust you and they wouldn’t want to buy them anywhere else because they feel like they know you.

More customers mean you don’t have to give in to the customers asking for a lower price or the ones who are difficult to work with.

Benefit #2: Keep Everyone Informed

If you needed to send a message out to all of your customers tomorrow, would that be an all-day job? Or a simple 5 minute task?

Email newsletters are great for keeping your contacts up to date with the latest company news, product updates, price changes, and industry insights.

I remember when I was first challenged to write a weekly newsletter, I couldn’t imagine how I would find things to write about every week. You would be surprised how many ideas come to mind once you get started.

And to be honest, not every newsletter has to be a grand piece of content.

It can be as simple as telling people about a new machine you purchased or noting a trend in framed inset cabinets.

Don’t overthink it.

Here are a couple other ideas you could include in a newsletter:

• write about a recent project (challenges and neat features)

• highlight a customer review

• showcase a new accessory from Rev a Shelf

• show color scheme ideas

• popular door styles this year

Benefit #3: Increase Sales

As business owners, we are constantly on the lookout for ways to increase sales and grow our customer base.

For those of you who might say, “well, we are swamped, we don’t even need to look for new customers”…… just interpret increased sales as a way to find better customers than you have right now and increase your profitability.

So how does email marketing help you increase sales?

• Keeps you top of mind

• Builds trust

• Drives traffic to your website

• Encourages engagement and conversations

Let me give you a little bit of a different example of how it can increase sales.

Let’s say you have been sending a newsletter every month for the past year and you have gathered 500 subscribers.

One Monday morning, you decide you want to build and sell cutting boards with your waste material.

So you take a picture of one you made and go on your computer and add the picture and a short description of how you are going to be selling these cutting boards so you don’t have to waste as much lumber and you send an email out to all 500 subscribers.

First off, some of your subscribers might love the cutting boards you created and buy them instantly.

Secondly, some of your subscribers may have not needed a cutting board right then, but maybe they are about to build a new house and they are very impressed at your effort to reduce waste and so they want you to build their cabinets.

Benefit #4: You Own It

Unlike a social media platform, the email list you collect is yours to keep.

You can switch email providers and still take your email list with you.

A large email list is an incredible asset for a business. It gives you options that would otherwise not be available.

Best practices to get started with your email list

You don’t need expensive software to make this work.

There are lots of different methods and tools available, but as always, I recommend finding a simple way to get started and then scaling if needed.

Email Software

You will need a place to store your email list and a way to easily send bulk emails.

Technically, you can send bulk email in Outlook or Gmail, but it is very clunky and hard to manage. I would definitely recommend using specific email marketing software.

I have tried a lot of different email platforms over the years.

I like Mailerlite the best for simply sending bulk emails and newsletters.

I like beehiiv the best for a regular newsletter that includes a blog archive so people can go back and look at your old posts. (this is what I use for my newsletter)

All of them will do the job for you and it mostly comes down to personal preference.

I will list a few options here for you.

• Mailerlite

  • free up to 1,000 subscribers

  • Tag your subscribers (ex: dealer, homeowner, contractor)

  • Easily drag and drop email designer

    optional automation options(ex: if a user clicks a certain button, send this email)

• Beehiiv

  • great for sending emails and publishing blog together

• Mailchimp

  • free up to 500 subscribers

• AWeber

  • free up to 500 subscribers

• Sendinblue

  • 300 emails per day free

• Sendfox

  • free up to 1000 subscribers

  • lifetime plan available

Collecting Emails

It’s important that you only add emails that you have permission to use. People don’t like to be spammed with emails they didn’t sign up for.

It’s tempting to just sign up for your email software and import all of your Quickbooks customer emails into your email list.

And I suppose you could do that, technically….. However, I would recommend sending them one bulk email asking them if they want to subscribe so they make the choice if they want to receive emails from you.

So how do you get subscribers on your email list?

First off, you need to add a signup form in as many places as you can.

• company email signature

• website

• social media profiles

You should also consider finding a way to get your actual customers to subscribe such as sending a note with the invoice, or leaving a business card behind on the job site with a QR code to your signup page.

Make It Interesting

Your messaging is very important on your subscribe forms.

Don’t be the boring company that says something like “join our email list to stay up to date with all the latest news”.

No one wants to signup for that.

Instead, tell them exactly what you plan to send them and how often you plan on sending it.

For example, you could say something like this:

Are you planning a home renovation project and looking for inspiration? Or maybe you're in the market for new cabinets and want to stay up to date on the latest trends and designs? Look no further than our monthly newsletter! As a subscriber, you'll receive valuable insights into the world of cabinet design and woodworking, along with inspiring project stories to spark your creativity. Stay on top of the latest trends and product updates, and gain a deeper understanding of the craftsmanship that goes into creating beautiful and functional cabinets. Sign up now and get inspired for your next home renovation project!

Take it a step further and give your newsletter a name.

Here are a few random examples of newsletter names. (thanks ChatGPT)

• The Cabinet Chronicles

• The Crafty Cabinet

• Sawdust and Splinters

• The Cabinet Connoisseur

• Woodworking Weekly

• The Cabinet Corner

• Fine Furnishings Monthly

• Woodworking Wonders

Conclusion

There are a lot of ways to go about implementing this into your business.

Some of you might be inspired to start creating a weekly/monthly/quarterly newsletter right now.

Others might simply want to start gathering emails and setting up a tool that allows you to communicate random announcements to your contacts.

And others might simply skim over this article and carry on copy and pasting 100 emails into Outlook for their announcements.

Don’t worry though, what is right for one shop, might not be right for the next shop.

My goal is to simply educate you on the tools and strategies that are available and put you in a position to make the best decision for your shop to continue to be innovative.

Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.

I’m going to be traveling in Europe over the next couple of weeks, I plan to continue to write my weekly newsletter but I might be a bit spotty on responses.

Also, if any of you have a certain topic you would like to learn more about, feel free to shoot me an email and I will add it to my article ideas list.

You can reach me at [email protected].

Thanks for reading and thanks for subscribing!

Have a great weekend,

Myron

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