Email Marketing for Business: How to Turn Followers Into Customers
Social media gets a lot of attention when we talk about growing a business online.
But getting more followers isn't really the end goal, is it?
You want those followers to become part of your community.
You want them to get to know your business.
You want them to understand how you can help them.
And eventually, yes, you probably want at least some of them to become paying customers.
That's where email marketing for business comes in.
Years ago, I was interviewed by Jennifer Jakobsen on her Clarity to Cash podcast about how I use social media and email marketing together, and I shared an analogy that I apparently really committed to: Social media is where you cast the net. Email marketing is what you do with the fish afterward. 😂
Maybe not my most glamorous marketing analogy.
But the idea still holds up.
Social media can help new people discover your business. Your email list gives you somewhere to continue that relationship without relying entirely on a social media algorithm to put your content in front of them.
So if you've been meaning to start email marketing but keep thinking you need a complicated funnel, 17-email sequence and perfectly designed lead magnet first, this is for you.
Because email marketing for business can start much more simply than that.
If we haven't met yet, I’m Brittany, an online marketing strategist for female entrepreneurs. I teach women how to make their entrepreneurial dreams a reality through smart, actionable marketing strategies that get them seen, loved, and paid. Whether you’re eager to DIY your way to success or hire professionals to help you along the way–my goal is to make sure you walk away with the clarity you need to see the results you desire and build a life you love.
Table of Contents
What Is Email Marketing for Business?
At its simplest, email marketing for business is using email to communicate directly with people who have chosen to hear from your brand.
That can include:
Newsletters
Educational emails
Blog or podcast updates
Welcome sequences
Sales emails
Launch sequences
Client stories and testimonials
Automated funnels
Promotions
But if you're just getting started, you don't need all of those.
You need a way for someone to join your list and a reason to keep talking to them afterward. That's it.
You can make it more sophisticated later.
Why Your Business Needs an Email List
One of the biggest reasons I started talking about email marketing so much was because entrepreneurs were putting enormous amounts of energy into building social-media audiences they didn't actually own.
And that's still worth thinking about.
You can build thousands of followers on a social platform, but the platform ultimately controls how your content is distributed.
Algorithms change.
Reach fluctuates.
Platforms evolve.
Accounts can experience technical problems.
Your email list gives you a more direct connection to people who have specifically said: "Yes, I'd like to hear from you."
That doesn't mean every email will be opened or that social media suddenly becomes unnecessary.
It means you're creating another way to stay connected.
And more importantly, email gives you space to build a deeper relationship than you can usually create in one Reel, post or Story.
I share more about this in my full conversation on the Clarity to Cash podcast hosted by Jennifer Jakobsen, tune in here:
How Social Media and Email Marketing Work Together
This is why I've never really viewed social media and email as competing marketing strategies.
They have different jobs.
Social media is particularly useful for discovery.
Someone finds a Reel.
A friend shares your post.
They search for something and discover your profile.
They start following you.
Great. But then what?
That's where you want to give them an opportunity to take another step.
Maybe they download a resource.
Register for something.
Take a quiz.
Join your newsletter.
Now you've moved the relationship beyond: "This person follows me on Instagram."
They're part of your email community too.
And you can continue nurturing that relationship through useful content until they're ready for whatever the next step might be.
Step 1: Create a Freebie People Actually Want
The first thing I recommended in my conversation with Jennifer was creating a free resource—or lead magnet—that someone receives in exchange for joining your email list.
And this is where entrepreneurs tend to make email marketing approximately 700% more complicated than necessary. 😂
Your first freebie doesn't need to be groundbreaking.
You're already an expert in something. Start there.
Ask yourself: What's one small problem my ideal customer has that I could help them solve?
Then create something useful around it. It could be a:
Checklist
Template
Guide
Workbook
Resource list
Short video
Mini training
You do not need to give away everything you know. Solve one small, relevant problem. That's a great freebie.
What Makes a Good Email Marketing Freebie?
During the interview, Jennifer and I talked about some of the different lead magnets we'd experimented with. Live masterclasses, webinars, challenges and quizzes can all be engaging because they're interactive.
But they can also require considerably more work.
If you're completely new to email marketing for business, I still like the principle I shared in this episode: Start with something you can create once and deliver automatically.
A simple downloadable resource or prerecorded training is much easier to manage than committing yourself to regular live events.
You can always get more sophisticated later.
Your first goal isn't to build the world's greatest lead-generation funnel. It's to start building the list.
Step 2: Promote Your Freebie Consistently
Creating a freebie doesn't automatically build an email list. People have to know it exists.
This sounds painfully obvious, but it's one of the most common problems I see.
We create something. Post about it. Once.
And then apparently expect every future follower to develop psychic abilities and discover it themselves. I'm particularly guilty of this. 😂
Talk about your resource regularly.
Include it on your website.
Link to it from relevant content.
Mention it on social media.
Add it somewhere easy to find on your profile.
Bring it up when you're talking about the problem it solves.
Someone who started following you yesterday didn't see the Story you posted about your freebie three months ago.
Repeating yourself is part of marketing.
Step 3: Create a Simple Welcome Sequence
Once someone joins your list, what happens?
At the absolute minimum, they need to receive the thing you promised them.
That means your first welcome automation can literally be: Email #1: Here's your resource.
Congratulations. You now have a welcome sequence. 🎉
It doesn't need to stay that simple forever.
Eventually, you can build a sequence that helps a new subscriber understand:
Who you are.
What you help people with.
What problem you solve.
What resources you have.
How they can work with you.
You can share a useful tip.
Tell a relevant story.
Include testimonials or client results where appropriate.
Introduce an offer.
The purpose isn't to bombard someone with sales emails the second they give you their address.
It's to help a new person go from: "I downloaded this thing." to: "I understand who Brittany is, what she does and why I might want to keep listening to her."
Step 4: Keep Emailing Your List
This is the part people forget. Your email list only becomes useful if you actually communicate with it.
You don't need a new promotion every week.
You need a reason to stay in touch.
Long-form content makes this considerably easier.
If you publish a podcast episode, blog or video regularly, you've already created something useful to talk about.
Your email can say:
Here's what I created.
Here's why I think it'll help you.
Here's one thing I want you to take away from it.
Here's where you can read, watch or listen.
Done.
If you don't create regular long-form content, you can still send a newsletter.
Share a few useful tips.
Answer a common customer question.
Tell a story.
Recommend a resource.
Teach something.
The goal is to create a rhythm you can actually maintain. You don't need to go from not using email marketing to sending 3 emails a day like big cloting brands. Just pick a frequency that works for you. Here are some indicators if you need help.
How Often Should a Business Send Emails?
In the original interview, I recommended weekly emails for service providers like Jennifer and me because we were both creating weekly podcast content.
But I also made an important caveat: Your email frequency should fit your business and your capacity.
That's the part I'd emphasize even more now.
Weekly might make sense.
Biweekly might make sense.
Monthly may be the realistic starting point.
During a launch, you might email considerably more often.
There isn't one magical schedule that makes email marketing work.
If you've sent zero emails in the past six months, don't decide you're suddenly going to email four times a week. Start with something sustainable.
Consistency beats creating an elaborate email plan you abandon three weeks later.
How Much Should You Sell in Your Emails?
In the original conversation, I talked about roughly a 70/30 or 80/20 balance between value-driven and promotional emails.
I wouldn't treat that as a rigid mathematical formula.
Instead, think about the overall experience of being on your list. If every email essentially says:
BUY THIS.
NOW BUY THIS.
LOOK! ANOTHER THING TO BUY!
people are probably going to get tired of hearing from you.
Especially if every sale is somehow the "biggest sale ever." 😅
But the opposite can be a problem too.
You are running a business.
You are allowed to sell.
Your subscribers should know that you have offers and how those offers can help them.
So give generously.
Teach.
Share useful resources.
Tell stories.
Build relationships.
And make offers.
You don't need to choose between being helpful and making money. Good email marketing does both.
Use Email Segmentation to Keep Your Content Relevant
Another strategy Jennifer and I discussed was email segmentation.
Segmentation simply means organizing subscribers based on things like their interests, behaviours or preferences so you can send more relevant emails.
For example, imagine I send emails about:
Social-media marketing.
Email marketing.
Podcasting.
Someone might want everything. Someone else may only care about email marketing content.
Instead of treating those subscribers exactly the same, segmentation can help you tailor what they receive.
You don't necessarily need an elaborate segmentation system on day one. But as your list and content grow, it can help you create a better subscriber experience.
Because the goal isn't simply: Send more emails.
It's: Send the right emails to the right people.
How Email Subscribers Become Customers
This is the question that matters to most business owners: Okay, but how does having an email list actually help me make sales?
Through nurturing.
Someone who discovers you today may not be ready to hire you today.
Maybe they don't know enough about you.
Maybe they don't understand their problem yet.
Maybe the timing is wrong.
Maybe they aren't ready financially.
But then they receive your emails.
They learn something.
Read one of your stories.
See a client result.
Listen to your podcast.
Use one of your tips.
Open another email.
Eventually, when they are ready for support, you're no longer a random person on the internet.
They know:
Who you are.
What you do.
What problems you solve.
How you think.
What working with you might look like.
That's what nurturing does.
A welcome sequence can accelerate that process because every new subscriber gets a thoughtful introduction to your business automatically.
But even without a sophisticated funnel, consistently sending useful emails helps build familiarity and trust over time.
A Simple Email Marketing Strategy for Beginners
If you're reading this thinking: "Okay Brittany, what do I actually need to do?"
Keep it simple.
1. Create one useful free resource. Solve a small problem your ideal customer already has.
2. Create a signup form. Give people somewhere to exchange their email address for the resource.
3. Set up one delivery email. Send them what you promised.
4. Tell people about the freebie. And then tell them again. And again. 😅
5. Choose a sustainable email schedule. Weekly, biweekly or monthly—pick something you can maintain.
6. Send useful content.T each, tell stories, answer questions and share resources.
7. Talk about your offers. Make it clear how someone can take the next step with you.
That's enough to start.
You can add additional things later like:
Segmentation.
Longer welcome sequences.
Sales funnels.
Multiple lead magnets.
Behaviour-based automations.
More sophisticated strategy.
Start by sending the email.
Email Marketing for Business FAQs
Is email marketing worth it for a small business?
Email marketing can give small businesses a direct way to nurture potential customers instead of relying entirely on social-media reach. It can be especially useful for educating your audience, building familiarity with your brand and staying connected until someone is ready to purchase.
What do I need to start email marketing for my business?
At minimum, you need an email marketing platform, a way for people to subscribe and something to send them. A simple lead magnet plus an automated delivery email and regular newsletter is enough to begin. You don't need a complicated funnel before starting.
How do I grow my business email list?
Create a useful resource your ideal customer wants and promote it consistently through your existing marketing channels. Social media, your website, blog posts, podcast episodes and other content can all direct people toward your email signup.
What should my first email sequence include?
Start with an email delivering the resource someone requested. From there, you can introduce yourself and your business, provide additional value, explain the problems you help solve, share relevant social proof and eventually introduce an appropriate next step or offer.
How often should I send marketing emails?
Choose a schedule based on your business, content and capacity. Weekly can work well for businesses regularly publishing new content, while biweekly or monthly may be more sustainable for others. During launches or promotions, you may temporarily send emails more frequently.
Do I need a lead magnet to start an email list?
Not necessarily. People can subscribe directly to a newsletter if the value is clear. However, a useful lead magnet gives potential subscribers an immediate reason to join and can help attract people interested in the problems your business solves.
What is email segmentation?
Email segmentation involves grouping subscribers based on relevant characteristics, interests or behaviours. It allows you to send content to the people most likely to find it useful rather than automatically sending every email to your entire list.
Do I still need social media if I use email marketing?
The two can serve different purposes. Social media can help new people discover your business, while email can help deepen that relationship after someone chooses to join your list. Using them together can create a stronger customer journey than relying entirely on either channel.
Final Thoughts: Don't Overcomplicate Email Marketing
The biggest thing I want you to take from this conversation with Jennifer is the same advice I gave at the end of the original interview: Don't overcomplicate it.
I've watched entrepreneurs stay stuck in: "I don't know what freebie to make." for far longer than it would have taken them to make the freebie. 😂
You already know things your ideal client doesn't.
Pick one.
Create something helpful.
Put it somewhere people can find it.
Set up the delivery email.
Then keep talking to the people who join.
Your email marketing for business strategy does not need to begin with the perfect funnel. It needs to begin.
You can improve the system as you grow.
And once you've built that connection between discovery, your email list, nurturing and your offers, your marketing starts working together instead of every platform feeling like another random thing you're supposed to maintain.
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