I think we will all be incredibly happy to put 2020 behind us in a few days.
It’s been a rough year for businesses, not to mention the entire world. Unless you’re Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Eric Yuan of Zoom or some other tech giant who has benefitted immensely from the general chaos this year.
That being said, businesses of all sizes and kinds have flourished, despite the general… well… you know… (waves hands in every direction).
It Hasn’t Been Bad for Every Business
Many ecommerce businesses grew a lot this year because no one wanted to brave going out to make purchases in person.
Because we’ve all been stuck inside for so long, physical and video game companies, as well as puzzle makers have seen a huge boom in business. Streaming services have gotten a big bump too, for the same reason.
Every performer I know, including me, started doing online concerts and shows. It’s the only way to survive since the entire entertainment industry has screeched to a halt.
I’ve seen a lot of my artist and crafter friends pivot from selling in person at shows to promoting their Etsy shops and holding online auctions for one of a kind pieces to a select group of buyers.
Grocery stores went from being a regular part of life to an intense hunting and gathering adventure, depending on the day. And we all got used to the idea of avoiding each other as much as possible, with polite nods as we smized behind our masks.
Lots of in-person activities transferred to online activities quickly. I’ve seen and participated in online:
- Classes
- Conferences
- Exercising
- Parties
- Happy Hours
I’m sure you can add to this list in on your own.
Somehow, many of us have managed to survive and even thrive this year.
How 2020 Has Changed My Business
Before this year, I had dabbled a bit in offering a course, but I primarily took on individual clients for projects. It’s been my business model for years and it’s always served me well.
2020 started out being my most promising year ever. Then the pandemic hit and all of my clients suddenly had to reassess what they were doing, which meant putting the brakes on every project I was involved in.
Things were scary for a couple of months. I am lucky that 2020 started out so well. It enabled me to get through the following months fairly easily. The addition of a small PPP loan also helped.
All of this made me take a hard look at how I run my business. I realized I needed more than one income stream if I was going to continue to do what I love to do.
2020 pushed me to create a brand new short course, which originally took the form of a 5-Day challenge, which I called the Email List Apology Challenge. I am re-releasing it as Revive an Old Cold Email List. I also revamped my first course, Build a Relationship with Your Customers through Email into Email List Building Made SIMPLE!
Thanks to a friend asking about my consulting services, I finally started my membership, the Email Marketing Connection Academy.
Every week, I have the pleasure of working with this wonderful small group of business owners, all of whom are using email marketing to convert more of their email list subscribers into paying customers. We cover all aspects of email marketing, from getting new leads into your system to getting them to buy, to automating it all to make your life easier.
Adding the courses and the membership to my client work has helped me keep the lights on, feed the cat and weather the weirdness of 2020, overall.
What Does 2021 Hold for Business Owners?
We’re not out of the woods yet when it comes to this pandemic. I expect the beginning of the year to be more of the same, at least until ½ the population is vaccinated, probably longer.
This can be turned to our advantage.
People will still be stuck at home, doing what they’ve been doing for the past several months. If your business hasn’t fully pivoted to include some sort of digital or ecommerce component, now is the time.
It’s also an excellent time to build your email list, whether you’re just starting or you want to expand your list of potential customers.
Yes, I know I’m biased in this opinion. It is what I do, after all. I’m putting even more energy than usual into growing my email list in the coming year.
Growing your email list is also a good way to protect your business from future calamities. Your email list is the most valuable asset in your business. You could lose everything overnight, but if you have your email list, you can rebuild your business faster than you can imagine.
When I lost my corporate job 5 years ago and started my own freelance copywriting and consulting business, the first thing I did was build an email list. Writing these blog posts and sending regular emails has brought in many wonderful clients over the last 5 years. It’s also resulted in a lot of referrals.
All of the students who went through my courses or are part of the Email Marketing Connection Academy were from my email list.
Email marketing works because it is on a much more “personal” level than social media or paid advertising. It’s also more customizable and gives a return on investment (ROI) of $44 for every $1 you put in. That’s much higher than many other advertising channels.
This is why it’s my favorite marketing channel and why I work so hard to get businesses of all sizes to pay more attention to their email lists.
The Perfect Way to Grow Your Business in 2021
I encourage you to look closely at your business to see where you can bring in more income. Email marketing can and should be a big part of that.
Check out Email List Building Made SIMPLE! and the Email Marketing Connection Academy as good starting places to grow your own email list.
If you’re not quite sure what you want to do, I recommend joining my email list. (I did say I’m putting more energy into growing it and you can be a part of that.)
Every Tuesday, I send one email announcing my weekly blog post, like this one. Every Thursday I send an email with more specific email marketing learnings and advice to my subscribers and customers. As a subscriber to my email list, you’ll benefit from this in-depth additional knowledge and you’ll be the first to find out what is on the horizon for my business, as well as for your own.
Click on the button below to join my email list. Doing so will make your 2021 start off better and help keep that momentum going all year long.