3 strategies to build an email list

Here’s a little secret about my business…

I’ve created a steady six-figure business with a really small email list.  Full transparency, my email list currently stands at only 4,004 contacts.

And in my first year of business as a functional health practitioner, I made $75K with less than 200 people on my email list.

Having a small email list and creating a successful health consulting practice is very contrary to what you might hear out there in the marketing world.  There’s so much chatter about how important it is to build a large email list and all the ways to do it.

In my experience, success isn’t built upon quantity, it depends on quality.

Having a large email list doesn’t matter if it’s full of poor-quality contacts who aren’t your ideal client or don’t engage with you.

Poor-quality contacts on an email list can actually hurt your email deliverability and open rates if they aren’t engaging in your content.

Engagement is the bridge that improves email marketing outcomes while building rapport and trust with people, which gives them the confidence to invest in the services and unique gifts you have to offer.

Everyone’s email list starts from small to zero, and that’s totally ok.

No matter how small your email list might be, here’s why an email list is important…

It’s the only piece of marketing real estate that you own and have control over.

If Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok were to shut down tomorrow, you would lose contact with your entire audience and potential clients. An email list is like backing up the data on your phone or computer – it’s your marketing insurance policy.

Plus, we’re all aware of the censorship on social media platforms around important health topics. While email service providers are sensitive to content being shared to monitor true spammers, in general, you have more content control and sharing freedom via email.

And most importantly, email is how we build a more intimate relationship with someone.  Email status is related to the level of trust someone has with you.  If we relate this to dating, social media is the flirting stage, and someone signing up for your email list is similar to saying yes to a first date – there’s a level of trust required here.

Regular email contact is then how you court potential clients to build a relationship, provide value, and increase trust.  Asking them to schedule a call or enroll in a program is equivalent to jumping into bed or marriage. It takes time and more trust to get to that point.

In this week’s video and blog, I’m giving you 3 strategies to build a quality email list that will lead to more client enrollments and revenue in your business!

On average, a person is on my email list for 6 months before they book a Discovery Call and enroll in one of my programs.  It takes time to build a relationship with potential clients – it’s like dating as I mentioned before.

Again, this is just another example of why it’s so important to move people from social media platforms, or other marketing opportunities such as speaking events to an email list.

I’ve even helped practitioners build an email list to easily enroll clients WITHOUT having to be on social media, simply by doing what I’m about to share below.

Here are the top 3 strategies I’ve used to build a quality email list…

#1 – Tap Your Network
Your next 5 clients are likely within 6 degrees of separation from you; all you have to do is get your message to them.  According to the law of attraction, you generally surround yourself with similar people, and if you’re passionate about the work you’re doing, those around you will likely find it intriguing as well.

Everyone’s email list starts at zero. To initially get mine started, I tapped my network by exporting all of the contacts from my phone to my email marketing system.  I then crafted a business announcement email centered around sharing my personal health story and the transformation I had experienced from doing the work I do – this established rapport and trust immediately.

From this initial single email, I instantly enrolled two clients, each paying me $3,000.

Around this same time, I also reached out to a few old personal training friends to let them know what I was up to and to see how we could partner to help them get better results for their clients.  All it took was one trainer friend taking me up on the offer for another client to come rolling in, who then referred a friend to me, who then referred his sister to me – and the referral train was rolling!

Don’t underestimate the power of your immediate network.  This is the low-hanging fruit in your business and in order to make lemonade with it, you’ve got to let them know what you’re up to.

#2 – Commit to Consistency
Recent marketing research indicates on average it takes at least 20 touchpoints before a person becomes a customer.

If you’re going to grow and engage an email list, you’ve got to commit to consistently creating touchpoints. This applies to sharing content on social media in order to move people onto your email list and then actually emailing your list regularly.

If you don’t, it’s like planting seeds but never watering them to flourish.

Right from the beginning, I set an intention to email my list weekly with valuable tips, information, and motivation to help them reach their health goals.  I also invited my list to share the info with others who would benefit from it to help grow my email list size.

The more touch points you create, the more rapport and trust you’ll build with your list, increasing your chances of enrolling them as a client or having them refer someone to you.

Pause right now, pull up your calendar or project planner, and plug-in consistent weekly or bi-monthly times to email your list.  It’s time to commit to consistency.

#3 – Share Your Story
As motivational speaker and coach, Bo Eason said, “people follow your story, not your resume.”  As health professionals, we tend to nerd out about all of the cool science stuff and our credentials – the “resume.” But that’s not what your potential clients really care about.  They want transformation and social proof that you can help them – your “story.”

By sharing your personal story, you are:

• Showing them what is possible for them
• Providing social proof that what you do works
• Being personable and creating a connection

Storytelling is the marketing technique that draws people in and encourages them to engage with you.  When they hear your story they think, “That sounds like me! They get me.”  And they will want to read on, learn more and eventually schedule a call or enroll in a program with you.

Now you might be thinking, “but I haven’t healed myself yet so I’m not confident in sharing my story or my ability to help others.”

It’s cool.  We all deal with imposter syndrome sometimes and here’s the awesome part…

By sharing your story you’ll never attract anyone who is more advanced than you that you can’t help because why would that person resonate with your story if they were beyond what you could help them with?

Sharing your story will ensure that you are always two steps ahead of the clients you attract since they are looking for the specific transformation that only you can provide.

You’re on my email list so watch how I implement these 3 strategies to grow and engage it not only here, but also on my social media channels and other places where I might speak or appear.   These strategies are the foundation for your success.

To give you some accountability, which one of these 3 strategies are you going to implement to increase your success?

Comment below to let me know!

P.S. Wondering what kind of content you should share to attract and engage your ideal client? Click here to get my Target Market Research Guide to find out!