Mailing Lists?

[ShadoWind]

Does anyone here have a e-mail mailing list? I started taking this class about them and it seems like a very beneficial thing to have! Anyways I'm going to work on setting one up with "mailchimp" I was just wondering if anyone else had them or had any success with them or any tips to share? If you do how often do you send out e-mails? what sort of content do you put in it other thank just new products and designs?

Something I've been thinking might be fun to entice people to join the mailing list... because I don't want it to feel too spammy with just new products and nothing else. I definitely want it to be something fun that people look forward to seeing and opening in their inbox.  Stuff like Work in progress art and updates, coloring pages, and the chance to win ...a Button...or a Sticker! Anyways I'm doing a few open air markets this summer and I'm hoping that helps get more eyes on my work too and such 😁

Sort of a journey I'm going on since I lost my day job at the horse farm at the end of last year. Trying to expand my knowledge and my art following. I will probably take me a while to get it set up and working, but I wanted to share with you all. A mailing list wasn't something I had thought much about before a friend suggested it...and it seems like a cool idea the more I consider it a great way to Promote!

[Barbara]

Your major issue is finding a way to gather subscribers to your newsletter. You'll notice that most bloggers have a signup for new posts that are essentially like newsletters, but you have to attract visitors in the first place, which is something I can see you're already thinking about. Your artwork is fabulous, and I'm wondering if there's a way to capitalize on your art knowledge by, not just showing, but perhaps teaching. (A lot of work, but maybe it would pay off.)

[ShadoWind]

Yeah, basically this class I'm taking teaches a lot about how to get subs too, I'm only on class #5 of the Foundation so I'm just starting, and I'm taking my time because I want to absorb it all, but there seems to be a lot of good info so far!

The class called ListLaunch by ComixLaunch, so its really focused on people who make comics, but the same info can apply towards a lot of other art areas besides comics, so I think its still pretty useful.  Anyways thanks so much for you imput and for enjoying my art💜! I'll probably post on here again when I get things set up and let everyone here know how it goes 😊

[shellifitz]

I had a small mailing list at my Artist website with a different platform a few years ago.  I diligently sent out monthly newsletters and tracked them to see who opened them.  One out of five got opened in three months... the fourth month none, so I stopped sending them.  I have heard that mailing lists are helpful to promoting and selling art and I might try again sometime if I get more than 10- 20 minimum signups.   It is hard to get people to hand over their email address unless you give them something for free.  That will be a hindrance here at Zazzle, that and the fact that privacy issues will probably be why Zazzle wouldn't add this feature.  

You can set up mailchimp with your own blogsite and capture email subscribers that way, then send them to your Zazzle products.  

Good luck

[ShadoWind]

Yeah I'm definitely not focusing so much on Zazzle products with my list to be honest to start...Maybe thats wrong of me to say here on the zazzle forums?😅 LOL... I mean I might do some give-a-aways of my buttons or stickers or something, but the give-a-way and the ART will be the focus more than products as I want people to enjoy these e-mails and not just toss them thinking its spam. And I am Definately wanting to give my subs things for free... things like coloring pages and tutorials on how to draw fantasy creatures...and maybe the odd give-a-way like I mentioned. All a Huge work-in-progress still!

[chefcateringbiz]

You can include a "thank you" message at the end of Zazzle sales and in your "chat" message, perhaps you can put your address there to sign up for emails. But yes, getting people to sign up is the tricky part unless you have other active social media where you have an audience. And generally speaking, your emails should contain more than "look what's new, please buy something" in order to remain interesting, otherwise people tire easily of beggings for sales and will unsubscribe you when they get around to it.

[ShadoWind]

Definitely! and I do have some somewhat active social media accounts that I will utilize the best I can. I'm still learning about what to include in e-mails in the classes I'm taking, but the defiantly wont be doing "Buy something pls" e-mails as I really want to make my supporters happy and enjoy them and get something out of them! That's a  great idea to use the "thank you" message for zazzle to put a link to the sign up! I will have to see If I can work out how to do that! Thanks so much! ❤️

[Malissa]

@ShadoWind 

I use Mailchimp- just the free account for now.  I have a grand total of 13 people on my email list and I haven't sent a newsletter out since Jan 23, 2021... not a great way to engage people. I have a sign up form about a third of the way down my website home page and one in the sidebar of my blog posts.  I offer a download of my coffee table style ebook for free with the newsletter sign up and I like to try and include some little life/art "whats been happening" type info as well as showing some of my newest art and or blog posts, and a little snippet kind of as an afterthought at the end of where they can buy prints of my art and other products with my art on it (Zazzle, of course. lol).  I have a couple of freebies on my blog that I included links to in my newsletter when they were fresh and new and I really need to create a few more so that there will be something fun in my newsletters that will keep people from unsubscribing. 

Now that I am doing YouTube videos, I am going to include a link to my latest videos.  I am thinking about starting a Patreon account soon and have how-to type videos with giveaway items with different levels (then I would add an invitation to join my Patreon as well to my newsletter), but what stops me is the feeling that I am not really good enough to provide valuable information that people would be willing to pay for on that platform. 

Your post has inspired me to try and work on my newsletter today so that I can send it out in the coming week!

[Malissa]

I also meant to mention that monthly seemed like an appropriate frequency to send them out for me, but maybe if there was something time sensitive, sending out another special one.  For example, if you host a giveaway, you may want to announce it in your normal newsletter and then send out a quick "last chance to enter" type newsletter as a reminder before the close of the giveaway.

[shellifitz]

I like that you are humble but I really think you have such a unique style that you should never worry about being "good enough"   you are an expert at doing you!  show that to people 🙂  I look forward to saying, " I knew her when..."  🙂

[Malissa]

You are always so sweet and supportive!  Thank you! 

[Barbara]

I know one person here on Zazzle who has done very well using the blog method, and I totally capitalized on it when I ran my own business. It's all in how you design your posts.

Given that you can have a blog send out the beginning of a post, the entire post, or your own paragraph or two in an email to subscribers, why use a separate mail service when it's already built into the blog?

[Malissa]

@ShadoWind Thanks to you, I checked something off my list that I have been dreading doing for some reason for months.  Got my imperfect March newsletter finished and sent out!