Getting started with email marketing

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I talk a lot about email marketing and not putting all your eggs in the Meta basket (more on that in this post), so here’s another post to get you thinking about it. If you are selling digital products or online workshops I’ll also go into how I use Flodesk for things in my own biz!

How I use email marketing in my business

This week I launched my mastermind / coworking group, The Buddy System, and one of the chats we had was about being discouraged by social media. Between this and Brainstorm Sessions I’m having every week, there’s definitely been a common thread:

People are feeling universally frustrated about trying to market their business on Instagram.

They feel like they HAVE to make a post, after all the effort they put into it it feels like a lost cause because getting in front of your own followers seems to be a herculean feat these day. Not to mention trying to make it all look good, especially if you’re not a designer. (Flodesk is my top pick for email marketing for small businesses for this reason, their templates are ).

I’ve been preaching about building an email list for what feels like forever now – usually from the trauma of having more control over your audience after having my own IG shut down for a terrifying weekend – but I’ve also found myself leaning into putting effort there vs all the other fluff content.

Playing the Meta game feels like a demand for more quantity over quality lately, and I just don’t have the capacity for that. Though my email list is smaller than my IG following, I feel like those people are much more qualified leads and more actively engaged in what I have to say.

Think about it – what are you on IG for?

If you’re like me, probably to dissociate, mindlessly scroll – I’m not necessarily in the right headspace to be actively listening to your sales pitch… And these days, it feels like everything there IS a sales pitch. IG is not the social community place it once was, that’s just a fact.

The Best Email Marketing Platform for Small Business

If you’re new to the email marketing or digital product world, let me introduce you to Flodesk…

I basically started using Flodesk for the aesthetic, but over the years they’ve added so much more functionality, I honestly operate most of my business here at this point.

Workshop sign ups?

The Buddy System enrollment? (And subsequent waitlist.)

My private podcast about Email Marketing?

Digital products like my Business Workbook, Calendars and Planners?

You guessed it, it’s all on Flodesk.

When I have a new offer, I can use their plethora of sign up Form options to build up a waitlist of warm leads to nurture. I can embed them directly into my site (see my Footer), make pop-ups, or have full page options I can link in my IG Stories / Link in bio.

From there, creating automated email flows is easy as I have full control over what segments subscribers get added to from the different forms, and can even give them options to choose what kind of content they get

And when I ramble on about welcome or nurture sequences, this is how you do that!

You can create an automatic workflow for a specific Segment, that will send out emails depending on timing you choose.

For example, if you sign up for my Monday Musings newsletter, you get tagged as such and are automatically sent a few welcome emails over a few weeks to get to know me a bit better (completely hands-off from me, I set it and forget it).

And of course, the design.

They have gorgeous Templates, and you can now even get templates by top designers like Saffron Avenue and one day me maybe… LOL.

Once you have a look you like, you can save it as your own template so you don’t need to reinvent the wheel every single time. 

How to sell digital products with email marketing

When it comes to actually selling, I use Flodesk Checkouts for sales pages using their design templates customized to my brand to give more information about the offer, process payments, offer upsells or additional freebies.

It’s so easy to use, I can turn a digital product from an idea to a sale in like a day max…

… which is maybe dangerous factoring in my impulsive hyperfocus, but it’s so nice to have everything all in one place.

I can see analytics on subscribers like where they’re clicking, what they’ve engaged with in the past, if they’ve purchased any products, etc. They’ve even recently added Link Actions, which let’s you add automations like adding or removing from Segments and Workflows right from links they click in your email.

Basically anything digital product or list building, Flodesk has you covered. And it really feels like a more intimate way to connect with potential clients, where I know they’re actually engaged in what I have to say vs just following my IG for some random thing I posted.

The support + resources

Their support team is also great, and they’ve even reached out to me before about some new features they are working on to get my thoughts… I even hopped on a 1:1 call w their UX team to look at work in progress and get my 2 cents.

Like c’mon, don’t fluff my ego like that…

I find a lot of these platforms will market that they provide resources to help you grow your business, but the way flodesk does it makes it feel more personal – like they actually give a shit about YOU, your business, and helping you grow it.

They’ve actually taught me a TON about the elusive SEO too,

They’re always evolving with the landscape of digital and online businesses and seem like they actually know what we need behind the scenes, or at least take our feedback and adjust as they can.

Email Marketing Platform Comparisons

If you stumbled on this post because you’re comparing different platforms, I’ve worked in a lot of different industries and on a lot of different email platforms, here’s my two cents…

Flodesk vs. ConvertKit

Flodesk is more user friendly, especially for beginners. Their workflows are simpler to navigate imo, and are laid out better for people who like to see things visually.
Flodesk also charges a flat rate, so you’re not getting penalized for growing your subscribers.

Flodesk vs. Klaviyo

I like Klaviyo for product-based businesses on Shopify, because you can directly see the sales attributed from a newsletter. Beyond that it’s a little more complicated and clunky than what most people in my circle need. Their template library exists, but the options are bland and dated.
Same goes for the flat rate pricing, Klaviyo charges more as you grow.

Flodesk vs. Mailchimp

Mailchimp used to be my go-to recommendation for those just starting to build their list, as it was free to a certain number of subscribers, then you could take your list elsewhere if you wanted. They’ve done away with this option since, and they lack some basic IMO options you should have for tagging and segmenting subscribers based on what forms they signed up with.

Flodesk vs. Stan Store

Throwing this in here too in case digital products are your focus. I’ve looked into Stan and I don’t love it. It’s easy for creating checkouts, and they’ve done a great job marketing it for digital products, but the email marketing isn’t as robust as Flodesk. If you’re trying to make a single sale, sure, but if you’re trying to nuture a community Flodesk gets my vote.

I mean really, Flodesk gets all my votes.

If you’re looking for more help with actually creating content for your newsletter, and building your list, check out my mini-podcast series all about email marketing here.

I also love doing Brainstorm Sessions around email, and can even help you set up your Flodesk there.

Of course I have a referral for to save 50% off your first year of Flodesk – use my link here!