Some people say that email lists are a dying marketing tool. I disagree. It is a direct link to your clients or users without the noise of all the social hype giving them direct information to your product or service. Here are the steps you will need to start your own list.

Step 1

Pick your email list platform. (options such as MailChimp, ActiveCampaign, Webber, and many website builders such as SquareSpace, Shopify amd Wix. Even Wordpress has plugins that can be used as well.

I highly recommend you look at integration options that will work with your current website and work order software. Not only is this important for maintaining the list but also can greatly reduce time for later integrations such as purchasing or abandon cart reminders… It can also make it easier for growing the list with current clientele.

Step 2

Pick your landing page software. Your website developer can easily create this page for you as well on your current domain and website. Some of the email list platforms also create direct from their software. Other options and some that are free I have listed too.

Carrd - free landing pages

ConvertKit - for driving email newsletter signups

Unbounce - small businesses with a budget

Leadpages - selling products on a landing page

Step 3

Find your inspiration… For example; go to Pinterest and type in your topic. Find the lead magnet hooks that you feel will grab attention for your business. Some other tools are

Step 4

Type the text, and process text for the pages you want to create in a Google Doc, Word or Excel or something you can save.

Step 5

In Canva, design the lead magnet and hit download. Save to a destination that all your information will be easily accessed. Canva is an online design software that has templates that you can alter with colours, images and your own branding to make it your own.

Step 6

In your Landing Page software create your page with your design. Make sure you have a Headline, Subheadline and 3 or 5 points of value that people will receive from the lead magnet.

Step 7

Integrate with your email software.

Step 8

Create a delivery email and the automation that will occur when someone follows your lead.

Step 9

Test…

Step 10

Test again. ;)

Email marketing can be time-consuming to set up, but once you’ve done it once it’s straightforward to repurpose and use the same process over and over.

The time required for email marketing can vary significantly depending on several factors, including the complexity of your campaigns, the size of your email list, the frequency of your emails, and the tools you're using. Here are some aspects to consider:

1. Campaign Strategy and Planning: This involves defining your goals, target audience, content creation, and overall campaign strategy. Planning can take anywhere from a few hours to several days, depending on the complexity of your campaign.

2. Content Creation: Writing engaging and relevant email content, designing visuals, and creating calls-to-action (CTAs) all require time and effort. The time spent on content creation depends on your writing skills and the complexity of your message.

3. Segmentation and Personalization: To maximize the effectiveness of your emails, segmenting your email list and personalizing content is essential. This process can be time-consuming but greatly improves the relevance of your emails to different subscriber groups.

4. Email Design and Testing: Designing your emails to be visually appealing and mobile-responsive is crucial. You'll also need to test your emails across different devices and email clients to ensure they display correctly.

5. List Management: Maintaining and managing your email list involves adding new subscribers, handling unsubscribes, and dealing with bounces. Regular list cleaning is important to ensure deliverability.

6. Automation and Scheduling: Email marketing platforms often offer automation features that allow you to schedule emails in advance, trigger emails based on user actions, and set up drip campaigns. While these features save time in the long run, setting them up initially can take time.

7. Analytics and Optimization: Monitoring the performance of your email campaigns through metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates is crucial for optimizing future campaigns. This requires time for analysis and adjustment.

8. Compliance and Legal Considerations: Ensuring that your emails comply with relevant laws, such as GDPR or CAN-SPAM, is important and can involve extra time for legal review.

9. Managing Replies and Engagement: Responding to replies and engaging with subscribers who reach out can be time-consuming, especially if your campaign generates a significant response.

10. A/B Testing: If you're actively optimizing your campaigns, conducting A/B tests to compare elements (subject lines, CTAs, visuals, etc.) can require additional time.

11. Learning and Keeping Up: Staying up to date with email marketing best practices, trends, and changes in algorithms and regulations requires ongoing learning.

In summary, email marketing can be as time-consuming as you make it. Simple, infrequent campaigns might take a few hours, while complex, highly personalized campaigns with automation and in-depth analysis can require a substantial time investment. Using email marketing tools and platforms can streamline many of these processes, but there will still be an inherent time commitment to planning, creating content, and monitoring results.