John Bellingham

Crafted in Glasgow, Friday, Aug 23, 2024, 20:51 Hi, Reader. How to escape the freelancing ‘feast or famine’ cycle, once and for all. What is the freelancing ‘feast or famine’ cycle? The ‘feast or famine’ cycle is a familiar workload pattern that many (if not most) freelancers find themselves in at some point in their business. You do some self-marketing until you get ‘busy’ with work, you then do the work, before things peter out after you hand over the deliverables when the well runs dry...

Use tags and segments to make your email subscribers feel special! Chances are, you've probably heard of them, but never actually used them. I'm talking about 'tags' and 'segments' that reside inside email marketing platforms (often referred to as 'email service providers'). But what exactly are they and what do they do for us? Good question... and here's my 'keeping it simple' explanation; Tags Think of these as 'attributes' of a subscriber. These can literally be absolutely anything you...

Make sure your emails aren't doing a 'Tigger' on you. Do you know the difference between 'soft' and 'hard' bounces? 🤔Soft and hard bounces are two of the most common reasons for email delivery failures.But what are they...? Soft bounces: these occur when your recipient's mail server rejects your emails due to a temporary issue, such as a full mailbox or a server timeout. These emails can usually be re-sent without any problems.Hard bounces: these occur when your emails are rejected due to a...

Twelve ideas for growing your email subscriber list. Growing your email subscriber 'list' should be a daily activity for you. A growing list is a healthy list, provided it's the right type of subscribers, of course. Email marketing, like most marketing channels, is a numbers game, and therefore it's crucial that you maximise how many relevant subscribers you have that you can market to. One of the most effective ways in which to grow your list is to offer something of value (called a "lead...

Tip: Get your new subscribers to hit that 'reply' button. There's an ongoing battle between your EMP/ESP (Email Marketing Platform/Email Service Provider) and your subscribers' ISPs (Internet Service Providers - btw, that is an outdated term, but one that sticks). You see, the job of your email marketing platform (e.g. ConvertKit) is to make your emails arrive in the inboxes of your subscribers. Sounds like a simple task, right? Just hit the 'Send' button and "Voila!" - emails get delivered!...

Which email marketing 'opt-in' policy should you employ? "Opt-in what?" 😳 Well, if you're not sure what I'm talking about, let me explain. Whenever you create a web form or landing page to collect subscribers' contact details (e.g. first name + email address) then you need to instruct your email marketing platform on how to opt your subscriber into your email list. Example web opt-in form There are two basic choices, 'single opt-in' or 'double opt-in' (a little bit like pouring cream). Single...

What exactly is an email marketing platform and what does it do? An email marketing platform (EMP) is typically a 'Software as a Service' (SaaS) solution that marketers can use to manage their email subscribers and everything that goes with operating an email marketing channel effectively. (By the way, it's also commonly referred to as an email service provider, or ESP). There are lots of fancy and complex things that go on behind the scenes, but as users of such platforms, thankfully we...

"They must hate me!" If you have an email subscriber list then you'll already have experienced the trauma of an 'unsubscribe'!. Eeeek!!! 😱 Imagine - someone having the audacity to remove themself from MY email subscriber list! Oh, get over it... it happens every day and it's just part of keeping a clean email subscriber list. Okay, so maybe I too (at one time, many years ago!) got a little bit upset whenever someone left my list, but I eventually understood why it happens, and more...

The anatomy of an effective marketing email When you're sending emails to your list, you need to be aware of the key elements that can be the difference between engagement and tumbleweed. What do I mean by that? Well, there are 8 key aspects to a good marketing email that, when included, increase the likelihood of your readers becoming more engaged. Let's look at them, one by one; 1. The Sender As obvious as it may seem, you need to make sure that whatever your 'sender' name is, it's...

How often should I mail my list? It's one of the most commonly asked questions I get in my business, and I give the same answer every time. Send emails to your list of subscribers as often as you have something of value to give them. If what's inside your head isn't valuable to your audience - then don't send it! Now, what I will say is that if you're just getting started with your email marketing then aim for putting together one valuable email per week and build a robust schedule, one that...