{"id":139722,"date":"2017-01-26T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-26T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getflywheel.com\/?p=20973"},"modified":"2023-03-21T20:38:41","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T01:38:41","slug":"email-marketing-design-business","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/email-marketing-design-business\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Email Marketing to Grow Your Design Business"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Email lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019ve surely heard about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019ve probably set them up for your clients, and even told them about the importance of collecting emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019re also likely on about a million different ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But did you know that an email list can be a great tool for your web design business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/getflywheel-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2017\/01\/email-marketing-design-business-lists.jpg\" alt=\"Fingers on computer keyboard\" class=\"wp-image-21347\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You, yes you, should have an email list, too, if you want to start growing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Golden Telephone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Have you ever seen the sketches or heard the stories about the \u201cgolden telephone?\u201d Sometimes it\u2019s a red telephone, especially if the story is in a government setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Basically, the idea is that there\u2019s somebody who\u2019s important, and there are two ways to reach that somebody: through the secretary (heavily screened), and through the golden telephone. It\u2019s the direct line to the head honcho, and very few people have access to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When someone else gives you their email address and joins your list, they\u2019re giving you one of their golden telephones. You now have direct access to them, and this is significant and powerful for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/getflywheel-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2017\/01\/email-marketing-design-business-telephone.jpg\" alt=\"On older gold telephone next to a newer white one\" class=\"wp-image-21348\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I&#8217;m Talking About Email Marketing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you hear the phrase \u201cemail marketing,\u201d a few things might come to mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Beautifully designed newsletters<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A digital marketing strategy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coupon codes and special offers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SPAM<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Email marketing can be any and all of those things, and more. When used correctly, ethically, and in a way that\u2019s consistent with your goals and your branding, you\u2019ll come out the other end with more skills, better leads, and a more robust business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/getflywheel-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2017\/01\/email-marketing-design-business-benefits.jpg\" alt=\"A person writing on a piece of paper on a table\" class=\"wp-image-21349\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s what I\u2019m talking about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You\u2019ll Get Better at Copywriting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Headlines are important. You know that. But you\u2019re a web designer, not a copywriter\u2026right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, yes and no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019re a web designer, but if you draw the line there and never, ever let yourself grow into other areas closely related to web design, you\u2019re stunting yourself and your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because the copy is an essential part of the success of your site design. And while you aren\u2019t going to be the one producing it, you might have a thing or two to do with the headlines and taglines in the design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And one of the absolute very best ways to learn about copywriting is to start sending emails to your list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/getflywheel-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2017\/01\/email-marketing-design-business-practice.jpg\" alt=\"A person types on a keyboard\" class=\"wp-image-21350\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You know about headlines and you know about calls to action. The headline on an email is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.emailtooltester.com\/en\/email-subject-lines-tester\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"subject line (opens in a new tab)\">subject line<\/a>, and the call to action is typically going to be placed in the body of the email, generally toward the bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With emails, you get pretty much immediate feedback on the strength of your headlines and your CTAs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, if people aren\u2019t opening your emails, your subject lines aren\u2019t working. And if people are reading but not clicking\/responding\/doing what you want them to do, you\u2019ve got some work to do in the CTA department (not to mention the rest of the message that funnels the reader to the CTA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tweaking, experimenting, studying, split-testing\u2026it\u2019s all something you can do in the microcosm of email, and you start to learn pretty fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s going to come in handy when you start applying your new understanding to your web design. I promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/getflywheel-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2017\/01\/email-marketing-design-business-experiment.jpg\" alt=\"Sketches on a pad of paper with a pen on top\" class=\"wp-image-21351\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Email is Fantastic Lead Gen (For Clients and for Other Income Streams)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first thing you need to know is the type of leads you want it to generate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s no rule about who your email market should be, whether it\u2019s the niche you\u2019re serving or it\u2019s fellow designers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other words, if you want to get more web design clients, your emails should cater to the types of people who will pay for web design services, aka your prospective client.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But if you want to move into offering your own courses, products, or even services (like coaching) to fellow web designers, your emails will be for that crowd, instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s no right answer\u2026you just need an answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And once you\u2019ve built up a solid habit of sending emails (and\/or you\u2019ve got a great welcome series in place), you\u2019ll get a great idea of what your market needs and wants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Let\u2019s Go Over the Very-Very Basics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s pretty easy to set up an email list. You may have already done it, even.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I personally like <a href=\"https:\/\/mailchimp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">MailChimp<\/a> because their interface is easy to use, and it\u2019s free up to a pretty generous amount of email addresses. Other options include <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aweber.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Aweber<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.getresponse.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GetResponse<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/convertkit.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ConvertKit<\/a> (which is especially nice if you\u2019ve got a blog but it is a little more expensive).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019ll want to have an opt-in offer, some sort of free download or incentive for people to join your list. This should, obviously, be tailored to what your target market wants. Maybe it\u2019s an icon set, maybe it\u2019s a workbook, maybe it\u2019s a 5-minute evaluation of their current website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/getflywheel-images.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2017\/01\/email-marketing-design-business-icons.jpg\" alt=\"A person points to different logos on paper board.\" class=\"wp-image-21352\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And you need to have ways for people to sign up for your list embedded on your site. There are plugins and codes you can use to do this. <a href=\"https:\/\/sumome.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SumoMe<\/a> is a popular one, and many email providers also have a way to add registration forms to your site. You\u2019re a smart cookie&#8230;you can figure that part out pretty easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bigger question is\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Should you Send in Your Emails?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The bad news is, I can\u2019t answer that question for you. But I can offer some helpful advice!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a web designer, you might think it\u2019s important to have a beautifully crafted template with custom fonts, stunning, perfectly staged images, and custom iconography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If that\u2019s what floats your boat, ok, go for it. That stuff can be nicely effective if you\u2019ve got an online shop of sorts and your emails focus on selling things like themes, downloads, icon sets, etc. to fellow designers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But what really works best is plain, boring ol\u2019 emails\u2026ones that look like a regular, personal email you might send to a real person using a personal email account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s not necessarily plain text, although that can be a good, easy option. I like to have a little bit of HTML because it can give you some insight into who\u2019s opening what and clicking where\u2026but skip the headers, the margins, the whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you sit down to write, decide what the ONE thing is you want the reader to do when they finish reading your message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then you share something, you connect it to your offer, and you give a call to action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(And then you check your open rates excessively\u2026.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stuck? There are tons of email marketing strategies and loads of strategic email segment ideas. A quick search and scan will give you some ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But an even better thing you can do is think about the types of emails you like to get \u2013 the ones that you open most \u2013 and try to emulate the things in those emails that you like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So tell me: What\u2019s your biggest question about email marketing for your own business? Should we dive deeper into this topic?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Email lists. You\u2019ve surely heard about them. You\u2019ve probably set them up for your clients, and even told them about the importance of collecting emails. You\u2019re also likely on about a million different ones. But did you know that an email list can be a great tool for your web design business? You, yes you,<span class=\"tile__ellipses\">&hellip;<\/span><span class=\"tile__ellipses--animated\"><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":141748,"template":"","resource-topic":[1396,908],"resource-role":[1397,906],"resource-type":[916],"class_list":["post-139722","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Use Email Marketing to Grow Your Design Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are a lot of ways to build your business but growing an email list to market to your clients is a great way.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Use Email Marketing to Grow Your Design Business\" \/>\n<meta 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