Email marketing is something that a lot of business owners have an adverse reaction to. I hear a lot of the time they think they are bothering people, no one opens them, and they don’t know what to say. Despite being able to batch them and schedule emails, not many choose this path.
But why?
In a world where Rover is killing it in the inbox by sending emails to the people on their list at least once a week, why can’t professional pet sitters who can surely be even more effective, intimate, and relevant do this?
One thing that I don’t see acknowledged is how much email marketing IS one of the only social platforms that you can still control. Although there are still algorithms involved, it is one of the best-producing ways that you can spend your marketing time.
Some people even feel like the email is interrupting their day or is just always spam.
That, my friend, is stinking thinking.
If you make them interesting, people are going to want to read.
Today, I want to break it down to show you how I use email marketing and how you can, too.
8 Ways I Use Email Marketing In My Business
Here’s a brief summary of the ways:
- Give a recap in a weekly email
- Directly talk to my readers
- Segment my audience
- Deliver value
- Have you get to know me
- Deliver sales
- Send videos
- Own, not rent
If you would rather listen:
1. Give A Recap In A Weekly Email
There is no way everyone can possibly see or keep up to date on everything you do.
Even if you are lucky, only 15-25% will open your emails.
However, that’s more than you would have normally, so isn’t that a good sign?
At Jump Consulting, I publish a blog every other week, a podcast every week, and sometimes do a Facebook Live. I also always have something cooking on the back burner, too, and the weekly email is how I can do this.
Pet Sitters and dog walkers can do this, too, by telling people the situations they were able to help that week:
- Cat sitting for someone whose grandmother passed away in another state
- Walking the puppy that has too much energy
- Helping to care for a dog during the schedule changes of a divorce
All of these examples help to humanize your business and show people how you are able to help your clients.
If you have any great IG or FB stories, or posts that got lots of interaction, or a local event coming up… these are all great to put into the newsletter too.
2. Directly Talk To My Readers (With A P.S. Section)
At the end of an email, you can always insert a P.S. section.
I do this when I usually ask questions. It is always interesting to see the replies I get. I often call the reader to action by asking them to hit reply and tell me something.
Because of this, I’m able to get the line of communication open to start chatting.
The P.S. can be powerful because most of the time we are reading on our phones and scanning the email. Not reading word for word. But where does the eye end?
You guessed it, on the P.S.
Another fun way to use the P.S. section is when you have a really long message and you put a short amount of text in the body, have your signature, and then a longer P.S.
For some reason, people are more willing to read the P.S. than the body of the message.
3. Segment My Audience
Another quick and fun way you might want to use your email is to segment your audience.
You might have seen me ask you a few times in the emails…
“Are you a starter? Builder? Scaler?”
This question has buttons attached where I ask you to press the one that matches.
My email marketing system then tags these people and we know just where they are in their business. It helps so I can send specific messages that will speak directly to their problems.
The way a pet sitter or dog walking company can do this is simply by asking…
“Do you have dogs and cats in your home? Dogs? Cats?”
Press which applies.
There, you can send dog-specific emails or cat-specific emails. After all, a cat client doesn’t want to hear about how you are looking for two more dogs to walk M-F, am I right?
4. Deliver Value
Emails are a great way to break the mold and send a quick message that is out of the ordinary.
How about…
“Meet me at the Fall Festival Sat 2 pm. Bring Fido! Let me know if you will be there” or something short and sweet like “Wondering where to get your Santa Paws pictures this December? Check out this list we made. Tailwags, COMPANY”
Short and sweet. It doesn’t have to be long, drawn-out with text boxes everywhere, and be boring and it shouldn’t talk at all about how great you are.
It should add value to their life.
Not Sure What To Write?
I get it. I mean after all the admin work, pet sitting work, social media work, who has time to sit down and think about something that would be interesting to your clients? Then write it, format it, get graphics, and send it out. Oie. Not another thing to do Bella!
I know, I know, I get it.
That is why we provide you with two short and fun emails to send to your clients each month in the Better Marketing with Bella program. Rover is doing it weekly – how often are you doing it?
Save your space in line for our next enrollment here:
5. Have You Get To Know Me
Emails are a great way to communicate your personality to your current pet sitting clients and your prospective ones.
For example, you may have certain traits or live your life in a certain way that identifies with people.
Maybe it’s your religion, ethnicity, favorite sports team, or favorite dog/cat breed.
The more that you can build a relationship with your audience, the more that they are worth to you. If you spend time getting to know your audience and allowing them to get to know you, then your bond will be strong.
The key is to be as personal as you can. That’s what people identify with.
6. Deliver Sales
Email is one of the best ways to communicate with your audience about the sales that you have.
Maybe you’re running a holiday discount. Or, offering a discount for first-time clients.
You can do that with email.
And, the delivery rate will be much higher than social media can provide.
Most business owners cite an email list as the reason why they’re successful — because the sales come from there.
7. Send Videos
Videos are a great way to interact with your audience!
I even have an introduction video in my email signature that explains who I am and why I’m in someone’s inbox.
Videos can be a great personalized touch for welcoming clients into your business. Or, even around the holiday season as a thank you for their business.
The videos don’t need to be perfect or sent to an editor. Simply show your personality and people will appreciate it!
8. Own, Not Rent
Let’s have a quick chat about owning vs. renting your audience.
On social media, you don’t own your audience. If Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram decided to shut down, then you wouldn’t be able to retain any of that traffic or exposure.
But, with your email list, you OWN them.
You could take those people and continue to market to them regardless of what happens.
That’s the power of an email list and why you want to own your audience, not rent them.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed the 8 reasons why I use email marketing in my business:
- Give a recap in a weekly email
- Directly talk to my readers
- Segment my audience
- Deliver value
- Have you get to know me
- Deliver sales
- Send videos
- Own, not rent
Do you already do some of these with your emails? I’d love to hear it in the comments below.
Tell me how I can help you get more clients in your pet sitting business!
