Welcome to five minute magic from Creativity For Sale Podcast. A quick fire episode, sharing tips and tricks from the pages of the book of the same title. 

Every week I'll be sharing one or two ideas that can give you. And actionable take away for your creative career, your business, or just the food for thought for the weekend ahead. These are taken from the audio book, and you can find the full version below. ~

In this episode, we will focus on the most effective form of digital marketing. Email newsletters. 

In the sea of social media influencers and content creation it may comes across like an old-school method at first, but it's still one of the ways to amplify your connections, share insights, provide value, build trust all done without hard-selling. 

No one gets the content structure right from the start but this chapter showcases how to gain subscribers and how to get the most out of their sign ups. 

Before you know it, these connections can lead to business opportunities down the line. 

Mindful Creative: How to understand and deal with the highs and lows of creative life, career and business

Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc
Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook
Signed books https://novemberuniverse.co.uk

Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/ (Use: PODCAST for 15% off)

November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)

Radim Malinic: [00:00:00] Hello, and welcome to five minute magic from creativity for sale podcast. A quick fire episode, sharing tips and tricks from the pages of the book of the same title. Yes. [00:00:10] Creativity for sale. Every week I'll be sharing one or two ideas that can give you. And actually we'll take away for your creative career, your business, or just the food for thought for the weekend [00:00:20] ahead. These tapes are taken from the audio book, and you can find a link to the full version in the show notes.

Intro: In this episode, we'll focus on the most effective form [00:00:30] of digital marketing, and that is email newsletters. In a sea of social media influences and content creation, it may come across like an old school method at first, [00:00:40] but it's still one of the ways to amplify connections, share insights, provide value, and build trust all done without hard selling.

No one gets the content [00:00:50] structure right from the start, but this chapter showcases how to gain subscribers and how to get the most out of their signups. Before you know it, these connections can lead to business [00:01:00] opportunities down the line.

FMM: Some brands look out for creative collaborators, so it's a good opportunity to get on their radar. This [00:01:10] has worked for me many times. Instead of pitching my services to someone who has no idea who I am, I express my feelings and admiration [00:01:20] about the work they do.

They're usually genuinely engaged and interested, and a compliment can go a long way in building a connection for [00:01:30] later. Note, there's a key difference in cold emailing versus cold messaging on social media. For [00:01:40] emails, the golden number to get a reply is six messages spread out across a few days and weeks.

For DMs, six unsolicited [00:01:50] might make you look a bit desperate. Note, there's a key difference in cold emailing versus cold DMing on social media. [00:02:00] For emails, the golden number to get a reply is six messages spread out across a few days and weeks. Either way, the [00:02:10] key is having the right tone. Be personal, be curious, be specific, with a clear call to action for them to make.[00:02:20] 

To truly amplify your work is to continually generate interest in what you do. But this starts with you. And it's vital that [00:02:30] you are creating momentum, continually moving forwards. Keeping up momentum can feel challenging, and quieter times naturally make [00:02:40] everyone panic that no work is coming in. But resist the temptation to send dozens of panic emails, hoping that someone will magically reply within a few [00:02:50] minutes with a life changing piece of work.

Desperation at such times is inevitable. But it can be avoided with proactive work. [00:03:00] One proven trick is to send at least one email a day to someone in your network. This builds momentum and means you stay on people's [00:03:10] radar. You can assign them into groups according to their importance, like clients or collaborators, potential clients and brands.

Industry [00:03:20] contacts or like minded creatives. Your email might be for the purposes of generating interest in your work, keeping in touch with previous [00:03:30] clients, sending a compliment to a podcast host or sending a personalized work update. Each only takes a few minutes to write and send. [00:03:40] This method has worked for me for years, and I still send an email a day.

It gives the impression that there's a constant buzz going [00:03:50] on, even when I'm not on the lookout for new projects or collaborations. By sending an email each day on an ongoing basis, there's no [00:04:00] heightened sense of expectation.

You just tell the world you exist, and that your business is healthy. And who [00:04:10] knows where that will take you. Note. When it comes to emailing, only write an email when you know exactly what you want to say. [00:04:20] Then re read it, shorten it, and shorten it some more. Think about it from the perspective of the recipient.

Does it make sense? [00:04:30] What do you want from it? Impulsive gibberish may only take a few seconds to write, but it might spend a lifetime sitting in an inbox, [00:04:40] unread. I once told a client that I would be charging him for reading his emails, as they were endless verbal meanders that didn't achieve any purpose.[00:04:50] 

After chomping through the sludge of his thoughts, I'd still have to pick up the phone and work out what on earth I was meant to be doing. [00:05:00] So, my top tip is to get it all down in five sentences. No more. And set out the action you want the person to do next, which [00:05:10] means they will need to reply. It might feel a bit pushy or even a bit unnatural to do, but it's easier for both you and the client, [00:05:20] and it saves a lot of time and hassle.

The power of a newsletter. Another way to amplify your [00:05:30] connections and engagement is through email marketing. You might think this sounds a little old school compared to the immediacy of social media, But viral trends come and [00:05:40] go while email stands firm and is one of the single most effective ways to getting your voice out there.

While you could share your passions through a [00:05:50] YouTube channel, podcast or blog, consider the vast amount of content that is created by each of these methods every day, which you're [00:06:00] competing against to get attention. If you want people to pay attention to you and your work, and you want to nurture individual connections, [00:06:10] then build up your email list and look after it.

Think about email marketing as a way to add value to your subscribers. Your [00:06:20] ultimate goal might be to make a sale, or get commissioned, or make money. But your main aim should be establishing a line of communication that adds value for them [00:06:30] first. As you nail down what you do and what you stand for, and as you build on your magic formula, you'll develop a singular [00:06:40] voice in your industry, and this is what adds value.

Those who stand out are the ones who are passionate about their subject, really [00:06:50] understand it in depth, and are willing to share their knowledge. It's another way of making meaningful connections with those who are aligned with your philosophies and [00:07:00] ideas. To capture email addresses, add an email sign up feature to your website.

This is often featured in the website [00:07:10] footer design to make it visible without being too overwhelming or desperate. This is often the immediate pop up window asking you to sign up [00:07:20] to a website you haven't even seen yet. To give people a good reason to sign up for your emails, the first step is to create a [00:07:30] lead magnet, which is a free piece of content that is of value.

For example, 10 ways to master your creative process. [00:07:40] That can be downloaded or read via a welcome email to your mailing list. Of course, some people will inevitably only come for the freebie, [00:07:50] and then unsubscribe from your future emails. But email marketing retention rates are high overall, so it's always worth trying.[00:08:00] 

In the following emails, introduce yourself and your work, and make sure you add value without pampering your ego. You [00:08:10] might have a finite pool of process insights to share, But there's an infinite world of resources and insights out there, so don't worry you'll run out of things to say. [00:08:20] A regular infomail with valuable content, no industry jargon, and low sales pushing yields great results in the long term.

[00:08:30] Though, if you're planning to sell, then don't push this until at least the fourth email, or people will quickly start hitting unsubscribe. As [00:08:40] with my other knocks and bruises, of course I learned this the hard way. I bought a list of emails, put together a newsletter that said, Look at me! [00:08:50] This is my work!

Sent the campaign out and, surprise, surprise, got no response. Just think, how many emails, [00:09:00] display adverts, social media adverts, website pop ups and input forms did you ignore or close today alone? Likely a [00:09:10] countless amount. My emails were another tiny speck of noise in someone's daily mix of incoming traffic.[00:09:20] 

Even in the rare instance that you interact with an advert and consider buying, it might take you a while to decide whether you're going to buy the product or service. [00:09:30] The higher the price, the longer the time it takes to pull the trigger. If your creative services are priced on the lower side, there might be more [00:09:40] interest and more traffic, as a lower price tag bears less risk for the client and is more likely to convert into a project.

And conversely, if you command [00:09:50] higher prices, you convert fewer prospects into clients, as the ratio decreases with the percentage. But either way, the likelihood of a [00:10:00] sale increases when people know you and your brand. And connection building takes time. It's very easy to get [00:10:10] emotionally invested in expecting quick results for every effort you make.

But just like the people behind every advert you didn't click on today knows, [00:10:20] it takes time before they will see a return from their actions. The key is to form real connections. Then let those people know [00:10:30] that your brand of creativity. What it stands for and where to find it. Once they are ready, you'll see a return on all the [00:10:40] energy you've put into it.

A word of warning, as with any activity that isn't primarily what you do, just like social media, [00:10:50] this is an add on, so make sure this content generation doesn't sidetrack you from your main business. These activities can become time thieves [00:11:00] until you learn to produce them quickly or you outsource or automate them.