0.2 - Email marketing ≠ newsletters
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0.2 - Email marketing ≠ newsletters

What words come to mind when you hear “email marketing”?

Probably these 3?

  • Email list
  • Newsletter
  • Email series / sequences / drip campaigns / autoresponder

Some people even use “email list” and “newsletter” interchangeably, but they’re actually different.

Email list is the database of subscribers / contacts that you have obtained permission from to send them email messages.

Newsletter is about “periodic updates” that you send to your subscribers. These are also called one-off “broadcasts” that you send in real time, for example today at 10am or schedule them for next Tuesday at 5pm.

Typically these are emails about new blog posts, articles, videos, a new promo you have going on, updates on your business/life, new newsletter (content inside the email message).

Email series / sequences / drip campaigns are a bunch of automated email messages that you set up beforehand that are to be sent to subscribers.

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These are typically “evergreen” (as opposed to “one-off broadcasts”) -- meaning you set them up once and it runs for as long as you want, without any additional effort from you.

(You’re of course recommended to improve them from time to time, though it’s not required).

Newsletters and sequences both have their places. Based on conversing with many creators over the years, there are more folks who do newsletters than sequences. And some don’t even do sequences. But everyone is doing newsletters (broadcasts).

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If you’re not doing sequences, you’re putting a lot of missed opportunities on the table. You’ve already done so much work in convincing people to give you their email address, why not maximize every ounce of your time and energy to maximize your earnings?

You know why some people don’t do automated sequences? After talking to hundreds of creators, it's because:

1/ They’re not aware sequences exist and/or

2/ They’re aware but think it’s too hard and complex to set it up. Most email tools make setting up sequences pretty straightforward. BirdSend takes it a step further. BirdSend is the fastest and easiest to set up automated emails 👇

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If you find an email tool that's faster to set up, let me know. I'll give you a complimentary paid BirdSend account 😉

My recommendation is to do both newsletters (broadcasts) and sequences.

3 common terms in the email marketing world:
  • ESP = email service provider. This is the email marketing tool / software that allows you to implement the email marketing strategies and techniques (e.g. BirdSend).
  • Mailbox provider -- this is the tool that allows you to check your email inbox (e.g. Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc).
  • Deliverability -- the ability to deliver email messages to the subscriber's inbox.

If there's only 1 thing you get out of this guide, make it this:

Email marketing is always about your subscribers. Email marketing always has your subscriber’s interests at heart. It’s not about what you’re going to do to them, or how you’re going to get money from them. It’s about helping them get from where they’re currently at to where they want to be.