How To Launch + Grow Your Email List

If you have an online business you need to have an email list. 

I have spent a lot of time listening to successful entrepreneurs talking about mistakes they made in their business, and a good majority of them have said, “I wish I would have started an email list sooner.”

We all know we don’t own our Instagram profiles or Facebook groups. People get locked out of their social media accounts all the time, and let’s not even get into how annoying the algorithms are. For instance, common social media engagement rates are around 5%!!! 

However, with an email list, you get to communicate directly to your potential clients as the message gets put right in their inbox, which I bet they check multiple times a day. Think about that exposure!

But how do you pick the right email marketing platform?

This is one of the first questions I am asked when working with clients. Do not get caught up in trying to choose the best one. To be honest, they are all pretty similar. My personal favorite is Flodesk. It is extremely easy and simple to set-up and send emails. If you are looking for a free option, I would recommend Mailchimp. 

You have picked your platform…now what?

After you have picked an email marketing platform that you like, you need to create a freebie.⠀

Lead magnet, opt-in, freebie, whatever you want to call it -  they all mean the same thing.  Essentially you’re giving something away in exchange for their email! This freebie is how you will massively grow your email list.

But how and why do we create a freebie? ⠀

Imagine your business is a PIE...key lime pie to be exact because it’s my favorite! The freebie is a SLICE of your pie.⠀It is important your freebie is a small slice of your offer/service/product so you ensure are attracting your ideal customer onto your email list.

Another thing to remember when creating your freebie is that it solves a problem your ideal client has. For example: “If you struggle with _____ I created this 10-page guide that will help you _______. Click the link to download the guide!” 

However, be sure to not make this mistake:

“Hey everyone! Come sign up for my weekly newsletter!” *crickets crickets*⠀

Instead, try this: 

“Hey! Who wants a free productivity calendar?” ME ME ME! *email list grows*⠀

After your freebie is created, you want to promote it all over the internet! 

Promote your freebie everywhere on a weekly basis. Promoting it every week will allow your email list to continue to grow. As you become more comfortable with your email marketing platform, you may decide to publish newsletters, reminder emails…it’s up to you. But getting started with these tips will help you launch and start your email list. So get to it!

For other email marketing tips, how to increase your open rates, and ways to sell your services/products to your email list, be sure to follow Kaila on Instagram @kaila.ruan.

---

Meet Kaila, an Air Force veteran, current military spouse, and marketing consultant for service-based entrepreneurs. She helps entrepreneurs clarify their message, create offers, and gain visibility. Find more from her at www.kailaruan.com. She is stationed in San Antonio, TX, with her husband and three children.

---

Anyone Can Generate Passive Income - Even You!

Every entrepreneur wants to make money, and making passive income is probably on the goals list of most business owners around. We like the idea of getting paid while not working (or maybe that’s just me). 

Contrary to popular belief, creating passive income doesn’t mean doing zero work. 

In order to be successful, it requires working intentionally and purposefully once with a plan to leverage that work over and over again. Passive income is all about strategy, and if done right, there are multiple ways to add multiple streams of revenue to your business. 

There are two product categories to think about when it comes to generating income that requires little to no effort to earn or maintain: selling what you know and selling what you create. 

Selling what you know is exactly what it sounds like: packaging your expertise into a product that can be sold.

If you enjoy teaching, consider creating a virtual “classroom” with online courses and on-demand webinars. If you’d prefer not to be on camera, audio training sessions are another great option. AMSE member and writer Gems Collins shares her three tips for starting your online course here. If your intended customer needs to be able to get their ideas on paper or learn a new skill, digital workbooks and eBooks are a great way to teach a lesson or provide step-by-step guidance for a specific topic.

You can also sell what you create.

There is a misconception that creative-type business owners aren’t able to put passive income to work for their business. Selling what you create and making it available digitally is the way to go if you want to maximize this type of income. If you’re a photographer, consider licensing your photos as stock photography. If you’re an artist, you can sell digital copies of your art! Products like graphics, website themes, templates, and fonts are ideal for passive income for B2B operations because there’s always a need for these types of products. Consider platforms like Creative Market and Theme Forest as hubs to sell your “mousemade” content. 

Every product we’ve covered so far has been digital, but did you know that you can earn passive income by selling physical products as well?

With dropshipping, it’s possible to sell products like apparel, home décor, and even physical books. Similar to a traditional passive income product, there will be work required up front to design and add your products to the online store, followed by promoting and advertising your products in order to attract sales. It’s important to note that dropshipping services use multiple manufacturers that can change at any moment, so make sure your products are regularly updated so they’ll be available for purchase. 

What makes passive income so alluring?

Because it gives business owners the ability to automate the sales process. While any of these means of passive income can be incorporated into any business, it’s critical to have alignment with your existing offerings. Once you decide what you’ll be selling, ensure that the technology can deliver the customer experience you want to create while allowing you to be as hands-off as possible. 

Now that you know the options and the tools needed, turn your education into action. Make a plan and do the work to create passive income in your business…and watch your bottom line grow! 

---

Moniek James is a veteran, military spouse, speaker, author, columnist, and serial online entrepreneur. Her passion is teaching small business owners and brands on how to leverage content marketing and strategy to deliver their genius to the world through her boutique marketing agency, Renegade Creative Media Group.

Moniek has been featured in the Huffington Post, Fit Small Business, VoyagePhoenix, and Vitality Magazine and believes that entrepreneurship is a building block to economic empowerment.

---

Let's Talk About Slack!

If you’re already using Slack as a communication tool for your business, you may love it because it pares down your email inbox and organizes messages into searchable channels, all with the ease of texting. But, have you thought of using Slack as a way to network and socialize? 

AMSE is doing just that with their customized Slack channels for military spouse entrepreneurs, and the timing couldn’t be better.

Slack Offers Connection Outside of Social Media

To reduce stress and gain an easy mood boost, many military spouses are choosing to take social media breaks even though social isolation remains a problem. AMSE’s community solves that by using Slack rather than Facebook Groups to connect. Interactions are personal, positive, and can even help you find your next business BFF. 

In my recent conversation with AMSE co-founders Moni Jefferson and Flossie Hall, we discussed how, as entrepreneurs, it’s getting harder to make military spouse friends.

Our free time is precious; we’re getting choosier with the company we keep as we’re becoming more seasoned; we want to surround ourselves with people who are enthusiastic about the same things we’re focused on. In this season, that’s entrepreneurship—planning, building, and growing businesses that light us up. AMSE’s Slack channels can help us find other military spouses with that one big thing in common.  

How Slack Works at AMSE

AMSE’s Slack community is open to Freemium and Premium members. You’ll receive a link to sign up when you become a member. 

Once you’re in Slack, you’ll want to join channels that are relevant to you. Some of the most popular channels include Collaborations, Help a Spouse Out, and Job Opportunities. It’s fun to be part of the channels where everybody’s hanging out. 

Next, you want to make sure to choose your niche channels where you can connect with other military spouses that work in your areas of interest or expertise. Examples of more personalized channels include Wellness Spouses, Non-Profit Spouses, and Freelance Writers. And, don’t forget to join the Mentor Needed channel where you can drop your needs so others can advise. 

Slack at AMSE is an amazing sharing space where you can support other military spouse entrepreneurs and receive support in return. There’s even some humor thrown in to lighten the mood, something we all need from time to time. 

Join Us on Slack

If you are not already an AMSE member, be sure to sign up here for a Freemium or Premium membership so you can receive invaluable resources for military spouse entrepreneurs. 

If you are already an AMSE member, you’ll find a link to join Slack in your Membership Dashboard. 

We can’t wait to see you there!

---

Kimberly Bacso is an MBA who exchanged an office with a view for a life of adventure when she became a military spouse in 2001. She is the co-founder of InDependent, a non-profit on a mission to make wellness accessible to all military spouses. She is the managing editor of Legacy Magazine, a print publication celebrating service member families and the communities that support them. Kimberly is an experienced registered yoga teacher and a lifelong vegetarian who can often be found traveling off the beaten path with her husband and teenage daughter.

---

Everyone's Starting A Podcast...Should I?



It seems as if everyone has a podcast. But do you really need one for your business? Let’s explore the podcast and how the business community is leveraging this platform.  

First thing’s first: what is a podcast and why is it a thing?

The term “podcasting” was coined in 2004 by journalist Ben Hammersly in a newspaper article for The Guardian.

In general, a podcast is a recording of the audio discussion on a specific topic that can be listened to on the go, while commuting to the office, or even while working. It’s a content medium that doesn’t require all of your target audience’s attention like a video or a blog post does. Listeners can subscribe to specific podcasts, download new episodes, and listen whenever they have time.

Podcasts came on the scene in 2004. Adam Curry, former MTV video jockey, and software developer Dave Winer, coded a program known as iPodder, which enabled them to download Internet radio broadcasts to their iPods. Soon the big companies started recognizing the opportunity. Apple picked up on the potential of the podcast early on and released iTunes 4.9, the first update with native support for podcasts, in 2005.

And just like that, the podcast quickly grew in popularity.

If there was any indication that the podcast was the coolest new thing, it came when Steve Jobs demonstrated how to record a podcast using Garageband during a keynote speech in 2006. President George W. Bush became the first President to have his weekly address delivered as a podcast. Then, in 2007 Ricky Gervais set a world record for the most downloaded podcast with an average 250,000 downloads per episode in the first month. 

Over the past decade, podcasts have risen steadily in popularity. According to Edison Research, 75 percent of Americans are now familiar with the term “podcasting” and more than 5 in 10 have listened to a podcast themselves. 

Current stats gathered by Podcast Insights show how widely podcasts are listened to and created.

• There are currently over 1 million podcasts out there.  As of April 2020, there are over 30 million episodes. 

• Podcast listeners listen to an average of 7 different shows per week, up from 5 in 2017

• 22% listen while driving (in a vehicle), same as 2017
  

How are businesses using podcasts?

Podcasting as part of your marketing offers many unique benefits. The nature of the podcast allows you to show authenticity and build connections between the host and listener. By providing your listeners with value, you are able to build authority in your field and trust in your brand. Major media organizations and independent producers are embracing podcasts as a way to reach a highly engaged audience with long-form content. 

Podcasts are proving to be a comparable place to advertise as well. 69% agreed that podcast ads made them aware of new products or services. So it is beneficial to have a podcast but also to be a guest or have an ad on someone else’s podcast. 

Podcasts are a great way to get the word out about your business. You increase your reach significantly when you are on the platforms that your audiences are using. 

Podcast listeners are more likely to follow companies and brands on social media as well.

And go! Here is what you need to get started:

A podcast is easy to start. All you need to begin is a quiet place to record and a computer. While specialized equipment, like a high-quality microphone, will make things sound better, it isn’t necessary to get things rolling. 

To get started now at the minimum cost you will need:

• editing software 

• a hosting site

• artwork

• a computer and headphones

Editing software

There are paid and free options for editing software. Some popular free options include Garageband and Audacity. Before choosing a free or paid option, be sure to check out reviews and tutorials to see how easy or difficult it is to use the software. 

Hosting

A host stores your podcast and also distributes it to the many platforms where people access podcasts. There are several hosting options available such as Buzzsprout. 

Artwork

You will need a thumbnail graphic that speaks to what your podcast is about. This can be done using programs like Wave.video. If creating graphics is not your jam, this task can be hired out. If you are in need of a graphic designer, be sure to check out our AMSE Trusted Partner Resource List in your Membership Dashboard or any of our members in the MSEG!

Computer & Headphones

A laptop or desktop computer will be necessary to begin the production of your podcast. If you don’t already have a computer or you don’t have access to one, many public libraries have computers for public use. Some now offer podcasting studios you can rent for free. 

Headphones will ensure that your podcast has a clear, high-quality sound. You will also want to be able to easily edit without background noise getting in the way. The right headphones can help you monitor for static, outside sounds, quality of sound, and more. Closed-back headphones are ideal for recording because they make it so the microphone won’t pick up the sound coming from the headphones.

At the end of the day, the cost of a podcast is really up to you and what is in your budget for marketing. 

Any time a company can leverage, grow with, and benefit from new technology or a new platform, it is positive.

Now that you know what you need to start your own podcast, begin thinking about what you will talk to your audience about and what type of podcast would bring the most value. 

Be sure to check out AMSE’s very own podcast Owning Up! Hosted by AMSE CEO/Founder Moni Jefferson. Owning Up features true stories of entrepreneurship as told by those who best know the grind of sharing, running, and owning a business while living the military life.

---

Christinna Kitchaiya is the founder of  Bad Ass Military Moms. Having been a military wife for 18 years, and a mother for 14 years, she has been through the ups and downs and has found her passion in creating a community for others to share their stories.

---