9 Key Benefits of Building an Email List
“Email has an ability many channels don't: creating valuable, personal touches - at scale” - David Newman
As a blogger, you’ll quickly become familiar with the words “Email List”…
I remember when I first started blogging, I would always here people saying “you have to build a list” and “the money’s in the list”.
It took me a while to realise how powerful an email list actually is and any blogger that’s serious about their blog will have one (and if not, start one straight away)…
Email marketing isn’t going anywhere and according to this crazy long stat list by HubSpot – 64% of small businesses are using email marketing.
That’s a huge percentage of people…
If you’re blogging for business (and even if you’re just blogging for fun), you need to be striving towards building an email list, because there’s so many benefits to doing so.
So let’s get stuck in and take a look at the 9 Key Benefits of building an Email List!
“This post may contain affiliate links and if you make a purchase using one of my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you”.
Key Benefit #1 - It Builds a Relationship with your Readers
There’s nothing better than being able to have a personal connection with your readers and if it’s strong, they’ll want to keep coming back for more.
Building an email list can be an extremely effective way to build relationships with people, because you can start conversations, sharing things about yourself and giving them exclusive content.
When you first start blogging, you’ll have a relatively small number of regular readers and most of them probably won’t be subscribed to your email list!
They may engage with you via social media or read your blog posts from time to time, but as you blog more and grow your email list, the number of people following your blog should naturally increase and hopefully, so will their engagement.
Building a relationship with your readers is one of the most rewarding aspects of blogging and email allows you to do it in a huge capacity…
Your email list should be a priority because through your subscriber’s inboxes, you can communicate with them in a way that social media simply can’t.
When someone signs up, they’re inviting themselves into your inbox.
This means that by giving you their email address, they’re initiating deeper contact with you.
They’ve given up their personal information to you and made themselves more vulnerable, which is a great foundation to build a better relationship and a more loyal fan base.
When someone chooses to subscribe, they’re choosing to engage on a more personal level, making it easier for you to get in touch with them and let them know about any new campaigns or offers that you have.
Key Benefit #2 - You'll Builds Trust with your Readers
If you want to build a successful blog, then trust is a key thing for your readers.
Nothing builds trust more than having an email list.
Blogs without email lists tend to come across as being untrustworthy because once someone reads your post, they don’t have any way of staying in touch.
Make sure you have opt in opportunities for your readers on your posts and pages, giving them a way to sign up for more…
When you’re just starting out on your blog, this is the perfect time to ask your readers for their email address – because they probably won’t have seen most of your posts yet.
Instead of just asking for their email address, you can offer them something in return – like a freebie such as an eBook, checklist or printable.
The more valuable your freebie is to your readers, the better it will be for building your list.
You can give your readers all the advice you want, but if they can’t trust you, then it’s game over!
With an email list it becomes much easier, because people who subscribe to your list know that you’re there for them and that you won’t spam their inbox with constant updates.
By having an email list, you’re stating that your focus is on helping them and not selling to them.
The more people that trust you, the faster your blog and brand will grow because there is less risk involved in purchasing from you.
But if no one knows who you are, how can anyone trust you?
This is where having an email list comes into play because it makes the people who follow you feel like they’re valued.
They know that they can trust you to give them updates and that’s enough for most people.
Email marketing can create real, lasting relationships.
It’s highly effective and you don’t need to rely on third party platforms to reach your audience.
You can reach them directly and personally…
Key Benefit #3 - It can help Build your Community
Email gives bloggers a wide open door into developing relationships with their readers, which in turn can build a community of like minded people who share your values.
The more you know about your readers, the better your connection can be and the more personalized your blog can become.
With email you’re reaching out across cyberspace to share information and communicate quickly with like minded people who are looking for answers.
The more people you get to engage with your content, the more likely they are to subscribe to your email list.
As this happens over time, the relationships become stronger and stronger because you actually know each other on a personal level, which leads to more opportunities to develop a true community.
Key Benefit #4 - You can share Exclusive Content with your Email List
People love being able to get something exclusive, so why not share this exclusivity with your email list?
You can use email to share special offers, discounts and competitions with your readers.
When people sign up for your email list, you can give them exclusive access to something that they can’t find anywhere else on the Internet.
Why Exclusive content works!
Exclusive content works because everybody wants to be in on a secret – it’s just human nature!
The more you see something and can’t have it, the more you want it – am I right???
If you were to see an offer of which there’s only a few available, you want to get it.
Something in your brain clicks making you want it all the more…
Creating super valuable content which is exclusive only to those on your list, gives them the benefits your followers just won’t get…
When you’re creating your freebies and opt-in’s, think about how you word things.
Saying things like “only available to subscribers” or “just 10 available” sparks people’s fear of missing out, so they go for it…
Key Benefit #5 - Email helps to drive more Traffic
Email is an essential part of driving traffic through your blog and back again.
When someone first joins up to your list, they’re excited about who you are and what you have to offer, which is why it’s so important to create an amazing opt-in which you can do using a tool such as PowerPoint or my fave Canva!
An email list can be a fantastic way to drive traffic to your blog because you’ll be able to direct people towards what interests them.
You can send out updates whenever you want and because people have opted in, they’ll receive these updates every time you send one out.
This means there’s no need to spam them and they’ll always look forward to what you have for them next.
Key Benefit #6 - It's a more Personal way of Communicating with readers
An email list is a much more personal way of communicating with your readers because it’s one on one instead of being broadcasted to everyone through social media.
With social media, your messages have to be short and fast so no one has time to read them, but with an email your message can be as long as you want it to be.
This means that you can add a lot more depth to your messages and really help people out, because your subscribers will have time to read what you have to say.
When people sign up for your email list you get the chance to share content with them on a regular basis.
You can build up the relationship with your readers by getting to know them through your emails and it means you can tailor your content specifically for your audience!
If you enjoy having deep relationships with people, then an email list is the best way to go about it, because it’s a much more personal way of staying in touch.
You can show you’re a real human behind that computer of yours and talk to your subscribers like you’d talk to your friends…
I’m signed up to some great email lists and out of all of them, the ones I love the most are the really personal ones… where the person shares their life, gets into the nitty gritty and isn’t afraid of being real and vulnerable!
To me they’re the best and the ones I feel I know so well and on a much deeper level…
Key Benefit #7 - You can Earn more Money!
There’s so many ways to make money with your blog and that includes from within your emails.
Email is like having another platform for promoting your products and services and because your subscribers have already trusted you with their email address, they’re more likely to purchase from you.
If you’re not seeing results from your affiliate income, try promoting within an email that’s going out to your list.
You can use emails to promote discounts, special offers and competitions through your blog posts.
Whatever it is, email provides you with a captive audience to sell to!
They’re already interested in your niche (that’s why they signed up in the first place) so now’s the time for you to put in the work and help as much as you can.
You can promote your products through your blog posts, but sometimes just saying ‘Sign up or Download’ doesn’t cut it.
Your call to action matters and it needs to entice readers to click!
When you have an email list you can promote your content and products directly which is the most personal way to sell your stuff.
Key Benefit #8 - Readers will be more likely to act on your Call to Actions
As well as building a relationship with your readers, you can also use email to engage them and get them to take action!
Every email you send out should be asking your reader to take action on something, whether that be purchasing something or clicking a link to your latest blog post…
When it comes to blogging, getting people to take action is one of the most important parts.
Email gives you a direct line into your readers’ inboxes and they’re much more likely to click through on your call-to-action if it’s within an email.
Key Benefit #9 - It's a great way to get Visitors to return
It’s much easier to get your customers to return to your site if they’ve subscribed through email than by other means.
Being on an email list actually encourages readers to return back to your site, because they’re constantly reminded you’re there and you’re in the forefront of their mind when you show up in their inbox!
With an email list, you’re pretty much guaranteed that they’ll be there when you send them a message (or at least they will be when they open their inbox).
People check their emails every single day, multiple times a day…
I know it’s the first thing I do when I pick my phone up in the morning, as I like to check what emails I’ve gotten from the people I’ve signed up to!
Another way you can increase your return visitor count is by creating new freebies and content upgrades for your most popular posts and pages.
More freebies means more opt-in opportunities…
Email marketing is pretty much automated, which means more great content for subscribers, but less work on your end (because of being able to create welcome/sales emails in advance to set and forget)…
Don’t let return visitors slip away – have plenty of sign up forms on your blog and always share valuable content in your emails, linking out to posts, pages and your products etc…
BONUS Benefit - You OWN your email list
It’s amazing to have hundreds, thousands and even hundreds of thousands of followers on your Instagram account or within your Facebook group and I think that social media is phenomenal…
The way you can build an audience and make money from that audience is incredible and we really are so lucky in that we can make money online the way we do nowadays… but – you don’t own any of those followers!
If Instagram were to shut down tomorrow (oh my…) where would all those followers go…
They’d be gone, poof – into thin air… probably never to be seen again!
Whatever rules, regulations, changes and algorithm dips happen, these are all out of your control and can affect your account in a second, because the followers belong to the social media companies.
All those hundreds of thousands of followers could be just gone in an instant 😭
I’m not trying to scare you and I’m sure the gram is here for a loooooong time to come, but I’m just saying…
Now think about those hundreds, thousands and even hundreds of thousands of email subscribers on your list!
Having this email list is amazing because you OWN that list.
It doesn’t matter what email marketing provider you use (and you can switch to as many as you want and need over time), you still own your list…
You have access to them as long as they stay signed up to your list (which can be years) and knowing that they’re not going to be taken away from you or get shut down is a fab feeling!
If knowing all the above doesn’t make you want to start building your mail list, I’m not sure what will…
That’s a wrap!
With all of the key benefits to building an email list I’ve shared above, you can see why it’s so important to start building one.
So let’s quickly recap on the benefits of email lists, because they’re plentiful, that’s for sure.
You’ll have the opportunity to build a really personal relationship with your readers, by sending them exclusive content that will keep them coming back for more.
You’ll create trust and establish a community around your blog.
When people subscribe to receive emails from you, they’re much more likely to act on any call-to-actions that you have in place, making it easier than ever to get readers coming back time and again!
By adding email sign up forms everywhere on your blog, you’ll be able to reach out directly when it’s relevant and share valuable emails only with those who want it!
You’ll be able to drive more traffic without having to do any extra work!
Email is also the perfect opportunity to promote products that you’re selling on your site.
So what are you waiting for?
Now’s the perfect time to start building an email list or continue putting in the extra effort to continue growing it – whichever it is, I hope these key benefits can help you along the way…
