Are you thinking about building an email list, but not sure why it is so important? Many entrepreneurs and business owners don’t see why it’s so important to start building an email list right away until they discover the impact email lists can have on their website traffic and income.

In this blog post, I will show you why building your email list is important and I’ll also get you started on building your own email list.

1: Your email list and website are the ONLY parts you have control over

Whilst I think that social media is absolutely essential to growing a profitable and engaged blog or business, there is one big problem with it:

You don’t have control over it.

Social media allows you to connect with your audience, to share relatable pieces of your life, and drives traffic back to your site. But…. You don’t own Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or any of the other social media sites that you’ve spent so much time growing your audience on.

Each of these platforms could easily flip a switch and change everything, or worse, suspend your account.

You might remember not too long ago, the algorithm for Facebook pages changed, encouraging you to pay to promote your posts if you want more than a handful of your fans to see your updates. This is exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t control or own Facebook. Facebook does.

Luckily, you do have control over your email newsletter and your mailing list. So, even if tomorrow, Facebook changes the rules again, you’ll still have an email list full of dedicated followers who are there to open your emails and read your most important updates.

2: Your email subscribers are more likely to convert to buyers

If you sell products, info products, courses or even services I highly recommend that you build a list. The way I see an email list is that you’re invited into their virtual home, they won’t just let everyone come in. Most people hate getting useless spam in their inbox, but they’re happy to scroll through an Instagram feed full of photos from acquaintances they’ve never talked to in their life. What I’m trying to say is that people are less picky about who they “follow” on social media but they’ll think twice about who they subscribe to via email. It’s a special gift to be invited into someone’s inbox.

If someone subscribed to your email list it means that they want to hear from you, they’re engaged and they might just want what you’re selling.

It’s super important to take care of your email subscribers. They’ll be your most engaged blog readers, and most likely also your most loyal customers.

3: You get to keep in touch with your tribe

Not everyone will check your Facebook page or blog everyday unless they are absolutely crazy about your site, but most likely they’ll forget or your posts won’t show up in their newsfeed (remember you don’t have control!).

Most of us check our inbox on a daily basis, so having an email list and keeping in touch with your tribe via email is the easiest and most ‘controlled’ way to get your message out there to the right people. So, if you have something important to share, and want to be sure that your audience receives it, then an email list is an excellent way to keep in touch.

When do you not need an email list?

Personally, I think most business owners should be growing their email list, but there is one exception. If you don’t ever intend to sell products or services of any kind, then you probably don’t need an email list. I’m in the middle about businesses that sell ‘one-off’ type services such as wedding invitations, you might need a list but it could be challenging to have repeat business.

What do you need to start building an email list?

Hopefully by now, you should know why building an email list is so important, and why ignoring it would be a HUGE mistake.

So let’s take a look at what you need to start building your email list.

3 Things you need to build an email list:

1. A website or blog.
2. An email marketing service.
3. High-converting opt-in forms

All three of these are fairly easy to setup, and none of them require you to know how to code.

There are many different email marketing services out there and you’ll need to choose one that’s right for you. Do some research into what each platform offers and how intuitive you find it to setup and use. I use Convertkit as an email marketing service and have used Mailchimp in the past.

To create opt-in forms you can use tutorials on how to incorporate opt-in boxes on your website or use a landing page service such as Leadpages or Instapage.

Conclusion

It does not matter what kind of business you run, what kind of website you have, or what industry you are in.

If you have a website, and you want to turn your visitors into returning customers, then you need to get them on your email list.

I hope this post helps you understand why building an email list is important and get you started with building your own list.

Do you have any questions about building your email list? Do you have an email list of your own? I’d love to hear from you!

Disclosure: Some articles on this site may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, Bianca McKenzie may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.