Email marketing mistakes creatives make (and how to fix them)

Introduction

Email marketing can be a valuable tool for all businesses, but it's one that can often be underutilised by artists that favour visual platforms such as social media.

Reasons you should start a mailing list:

It's free to start - some platforms give free options for up to 1,000 subscribers
You own that list of potential leads, it's not at risk of being shut down like social media
It's a great alternative for creatives that prefer the idea of writing more than taking aesthetic photos or short-form videos
Those on your list are strong potential leads as they opt-in to hearing about you and your offers
No dealing with algorithms!

It makes sense to email market for your business, but there are two common mistakes I tend to see artists making.

A calligraphy at her desk typing something. There are brush pens and a plant on her desk.

Email Marketing Mistake #1: Building an email list but never sending emails

Something I've witnessed is artists creating a mailing list and then never sending an email OR they send an email randomly with huge breaks in between contacting subscribers.

It's fantastic to have started a mailing list, but not following up with your mailing list is a wasted opportunity - you're losing potential income, and you're wasting time that could be spent elsewhere if you're not going to utilise it.

The impact of not contacting your mailing list:

Your mailing list may forget who you are and therefore engagement drops. I have also experienced this as a subscriber where I had to work out who the person contacting me was and sometimes I was no longer even interested in the topic.

Subscribers will become "cold" and the engagement with your emails will become much lower.

Reasons for not contacting your mailing list:

#1 Not knowing what to write to your mailing list

The first reason is not knowing what to write. This is the biggest hurdle I came across when trying to send emails consistently.

How I come up with ideas

The first was creating a list of all of my blog posts, YouTube videos and podcast episodes, and offers. This way I had a handy list to look through for quick inspiration on what to write about.

The second was creating emails in advance. Having a designated time to create emails and batch creating them for the month meant that I was sitting down with a focus and could more strategically plan out my emails, rather than floundering each week.

If this reason is stopping you from sending out emails, get my free list of 52 email ideas for artists by popping your name and email below.

#2 Lack of time

I've found that some artists "don't have the time" to create emails but I think the lack of time actually means lack of prioritisation in their business.

It's absolutely ok if email marketing isn't a priority - I think it should be, but your business is yours and you can run it however you wish!

However, if you see the value in email marketing you should be prioritising it in your business, so that even if you have limited time, you are making the most of this marketing method.

Creating an email can take 15-30 minutes, so there should be plenty of time for you to create at least one email a month.

How I make time

I went from sending 0 emails, to sending weekly emails for almost 4 years. The first thing I did is tell myself that email marketing was a priority in my business and I was going to be sending weekly emails moving forward. I dedicated myself to this marketing method and decided on which day of the week these would be sent out.

The second thing that helped me was having a dedicated day to create email campaigns which helped me to create a habit. I also made the decision to create them early in the week so that it wouldn't be a task that I procrastinated on.

Once I got into a routine, I started to batch create emails as much as I could in that dedicated marketing time. This helped me to be more strategic with the emails I was sending.

#3 Feeling too embarrassed to send an email

This is another reason that to send that email campaign asap!

I mean, which list would you be more scared to send to - one with 32 subscribers, or one with 1,000 subscribers?

I know which size list I'd rather start with, and it isn't the bigger one.

It's much easier to put yourself out there to a smaller audience and your confidence can grow as your mailing list does.

How I gained confidence

Starting email marketing when my mailing list was small helped me to develop my confidence with email marketing and here's the proof:

This is my first mailing campaign - sent to a total of 11 people and one of them was my mother-in-law (who btw, is still my biggest fan and reads every email!).

Something I want to add is that you will get people unsubscribing as your mailing list grows.

At first this made me flustered - "Did I say something wrong?" and I would fret over it. However, with experience I realised that it's not personal and people just want to declutter their busy mailboxes.

Email Marketing Mistake #2: Not starting a mailing list

Email marketing can seem technically complex but it can actually be incredibly simple. If you know how to send an email, you can send an email campaign!

The impact of not starting a mailing list:

You're going to miss out on potential revenue in your business if you don't make the most of email marketing.

Reasons for not starting a mailing list:

#1 Tech overwhelm

As I mentioned above, it can be easy to worry that email marketing is complicated, especially when you hear about automations and analytic acronyms such as CTR, but it doesn't have to be advanced - if you can send an email, you can start email marketing.

I actually created a freebie called the Tech Troubleshooter as I found lots of my members were feeling overwhelmed by technology so they weren't even getting start in the first place. If you're also someone overwhelmed by tech, get your free copy here:

#2 Don't have the time to start a mailing list

Yes, you might know that starting a mailing list is important but it's hard to find the time to sit down and get started.

To break it down, here are the steps that you need to get started:

Task	Time it takes	Notes
#1 Sign up to an email marketing provider	15 minutes	I recommend Convertkit (or using Wix if you are also starting a website but setup will take a bit longer if you don't yet have an account)
#2a Create a form	15-30 minutes	Create a landing page with a form, or add a form to your website. These forms capture people's names and email addresses.
#2b Take email addresses and upload manually	15 minutes	Dependant on your business, you may have a chance to capture email addresses in real life with a paper form. You'll need to add these to your mailing list manually.

Yep, when you tally it up it take less than an hour to start a mailing list.

How I set up my mailing list

I launched a website using Wix and started my mailing list by adding a form at the bottom of my website.

I also used Wix to send emails and switched to Convertkit once I started getting into the swing of email marketing and preferred the options they had to help me grow my list.

Resources for starting a mailing list

I have an Email Marketing Planner which takes you through everything step-by-step! Check it out here or get it for FREE when you sign up to The Pens to Profit Club.