Happy 1st Anniversary to the Email Marketing Ecosystem newsletter!
Wow. It’s hard to believe how fast this year has zoomed by.
1 year ago, I changed my email marketing strategy from sending nurture emails twice a week, solely to my email list, to sending once a week and expanding out into the digital world.
It’s been quite a year, so I figured I’d take this issue to reflect on what’s happened and what moving forward looks like for me.
The Good Stuff
Personally, this transformation has been a pleasure. I really enjoy writing these longer newsletters/nurture emails and getting to dig into topics that will help you grow your business.
I’ve also had a lot of fun learning more about some of these topics, like AEO, AI (the good and the bad) and deliverability, so I can share this information with you.
It’s also been a relief to only write one nurture email a week.
Way back in 2016 when I started writing to this list (hi to everyone who has stuck with me this long), I wrote 5 times a week. I figured everyone deserved the weekend off, including me.
Those emails were much shorter, and sometimes they ended up being a series throughout the week, but it was still a lot of work.
Then I cut back to 2 nurture emails a week, one that pointed to a blog post on Tuesdays and one long-form email, similar to these newsletters on Thursdays. However the long-form emails only went to my email list. They were frequently extensions of, or deeper dives into the topic of my blog post that week. I wanted this to be exclusive content that only subscribers had access too.
Now, after writing one nurture email on Thursdays a week for a year, and posting that same content to my website, LinkedIn, Substack and Medium on Tuesdays, I can honestly say it’s less work for more return, and I enjoy what I’m writing.
I’ve also seen more growth in my list and my business than I have for quite a while because of this posting strategy.
My Website:
I’d stopped adding new blog posts to my website because it was just too much effort. I recycled my blog content frequently in my emails and, when absolutely necessary, I’d write a new post.
Now, because I repurpose my weekly nurture email on my website, I’m adding content regularly again. This has increased my website visits and opt-ins, and it’s made me more visible to the AEO robots, depending on the questions people ask.
LinkedIn:
This is where I’ve seen the most growth in terms of exposure and recognition.
A year ago I rarely posted on LinkedIn. I was hardly on the platform at all. I mostly used it as an “online resume” instead of a connection building platform.
When I started the Email Marketing Ecosystem Newsletter, the first issue was also my very first newsletter article on LinkedIn. I got over 100 subscribers on LinkedIn in the first week and my list has grown steadily ever since.
Now, I post daily (thanks to HighLevel automated posting), with 4 posts pointing to that week’s newsletter and 3 posts that are related to my business. I spend at least 10-15 minutes a day commenting and responding to comments on my posts. Both of these have increased my visibility and garnered more attention from others on the platform.
Some of it is good, and some is bad. I get a lot more “come buy my stuff” or “let’s set up a meeting so I can sell you something” messages than I used to. But I’ve also made a lot of good connections and had some excellent conversations.
The Bad Stuff
Substack and Medium:
These two have been a bit more iffy. They’re growing a lot slower, but they are growing. If I cut back in the coming year, it will be on one or both of these platforms.
I’m glad I adopted these two platforms, as they’ve got me a little more exposure, but nowhere near as much as LinkedIn.
Facebook and Instagram:
Where LinkedIn has been awesome, the Meta platforms have been “meh.”
I haven’t honestly gotten much traction at all on either.
Granted, much like LinkedIn, prior to starting the Email Marketing Ecosystem newsletter, I didn’t post much on either for business purposes. Now I post at least 4 times a week, mostly directing people to the latest issue on my website.
Meta’s new limit of 2 links in posts a month is going to make this a problem. I’m looking at ways to keep posting organically on these two platforms. If I can’t find something that works, I’ll either reduce my posting or give them up entirely.
Email List Growth:
I can honestly say I have added new subscribers to my email list. As in my actual list in HighLevel, not my LinkedIn subscribers.
Has it been as many as I wanted?
No.
But I’ll still take the win.
New Offerings
One great aspect of my Email Marketing Ecosystem is that it’s given me more time to create new offerings to share with you.
The Custom Subject Line Generator:
I admit this has been one of my favorite projects for my own business in the past year. I’m really happy with what I’ve created and I hope you’ve had a chance to use it.
If not, please go check it out here.
You will need to answer a few basic questions about your business. Nothing intrusive. Once you do, you’ll get 3 subject lines and email writing prompts customized to your business, for free.
Done-With-You Funnels
This is my latest service offering and I’m really excited about it.
If you’re one of the many business people and entrepreneurs out there who have tried to build a lead generation funnel, so you can grow your email list, but have gotten stuck somewhere along the way, this is for you.
This isn’t a course. It’s not another template. It is me, guiding you through the entire process of building your funnel, one-on-one, so you finally get it done, and know how to do it yourself.
I’ve had one client go through this new service so far and she really appreciated the hands-on approach, as well as the accountability. Here’s what she had to say:
I needed a partner who could listen, ask the right questions, and help me turn my ideas into clear, compelling language and not just hand me a template. The accountability also helped me make more progress in a few weeks than I had in years on my own.If you’re on the fence: this program accelerates getting your funnel done. Don’t wait as long as I did.”
Bernadett Papp – Silver Spoon Wealth
You can find out more about Done-With-You Funnels here.
Moving Forward
Now that I have one year of my Email Marketing Ecosystem under my belt, it’s time to adjust and possibly expand what I’m doing.
I’ll keep writing my weekly newsletter/nurture email. As I said, I’m really enjoying writing these and exploring these topics. I hope you enjoy reading them and you’re getting a lot out of them.
I am seriously considering starting a YouTube channel. I haven’t done a lot with video for this business, but it’s a great way to share my knowledge and expertise with you, and to reach new folks to welcome into our community.
I am working on a couple more new services to offer, and a new quiz, to help you move forward with your business.
I would love to know what you would like to see more (or less) of from me in the future.
Are there specific topics you’d like me to explore more, or new ones I haven’t addressed yet?
Do you have ideas on other ways I could expand my Email Marketing Ecosystem?
Have you created your own Email Marketing Ecosystem? If so, how is it going?
Please comment below or reply via email and let me know. I’d love to hear from you. I appreciate your input and I respond to every reply.
Finally, this week’s pictures of my hibiscus bush in full bloom, two from recent beach walks, and Lugh, floomped on the floor.
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