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If you don’t have an email list for your craft business, this article is for you.
While a mailing list may seem like another ‘to do’, email lists are the easiest way to reach your current and future customers.
Table of Contents
What is an Email List?
An email list is a list of customers and potential customers that have signed up to get updates directly from you and your company.
You are probably subscribed to a number of email lists: Your favorite craft store, your favorite clothing store, updates from an app you use all the time, or even your kid’s schools or sports.
You can use any email program to send emails to your subscribers, but an email list provider will help you create attractive looking emails and help you manage subscribers as your email list grows.
Social Media & Search Engine Algorithms
To understand why email lists are so great, you have to understand why search engines and social media can be limiting. Both search engines and social media are controlled by algorithms.
Algorithms are the behind the scenes formulas that run search engine results and social media sites. If you’ve been on social media for a while, you know that these algorithms are constantly tweaked and updated. When an algorithm is changed, you’ll have to learn how to best work the new algorithm. Of course, this takes time. In addition to time, your small business may be seen less on the network.
Search engines work using algorithms, too. After an algorithm change, you may notice your products or website pages aren’t ranking as high as they used to be as visible to customers as they once were.
What’s So Great About Email Lists?
Now, imagine a world without algorithms. Wouldn’t it be nice to simply have a direct line of communication with your current and future customers that didn’t depend on pesky algorithms to control who sees your content?
Fortunately, when you use an email list, that’s exactly what you get! You don’t have to learn new systems. You can just keep on sending emails to your customers and reaching them.
5 Free Email List Providers
It’s not going to cost you anything to get started with your own email list, because there are a number of free email list providers. (So, you have no excuse to not get started building an email list!)
Mailchimp
Free for up to 500 subscribers and 1,000 sends per month.
ConvertKit
Free for up to 1000 subscribers.
MailerLite
Free for up to 1000 subscribers and 12,000 sends per month.
Sendinblue
Free for up to 300 emails a day with no subscriber cap.
SendPulse
Free for up to 500 subscribers and 15,000 sends per month.
15 Email List Topic Ideas for Craft Businesses
- New products or designs
- Upcoming public sales (Available to anyone that visits your store, shop, or site.)
- Exclusive sales (Available only to email list subscribers; usually promoted through a coupon code.)
- Free shipping promotions
- Company news and announcements (Have you expanded selling in other places lately? Are you closing for a vacation?)
- Upcoming schedule for craft shows, fairs, or other events
- Customer testimonials
- Question and answer sessions/FAQ (Example: How does a custom order work?)
- Contests or giveaways that you have running
- Behind the scenes at your company
- Short lists of best sellers that coordinate with the holiday/season/or common event (Graduation parties, Mother’s Day, Summer, Christmas)
- Spotlight a single product. Highlight the cost, the available designs, and showcase photos of the product being used in different settings.
- Share things that inspire you to create products
- Simple DIY projects or tutorials for your email subscribers
- Changes to your store or shop policies, newsletters, etc.
Where to Get More Email List Ideas
After you’ve run through my list above, head over to my article on ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a great way to find inspiration on email list ideas.
My Number One Email List Tip
Before you go, I want to leave you with one more piece of advice: Be consistent. If you send out a newsletter each week, be sure it is sent each week. In contrast, if you sent out a newsletter every three months, don’t start sending it once a week unless you notify subscribers ahead of time.
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Reading this around the holidays? I’ve also got a list of email subjects for Christmas.
Since 2015, Christine Schinagl has been helping crafters start and run craft businesses through her blog, Cutting for Business. As a Silhouette and Cricut crafter herself, she has a unique take on what works and what doesn’t work in the craft business world. She also enjoys teaching other crafters how to create digital SVG designs, available through the Design with Me series.