If you're building your business online, you might feel the pressure to stand out in a very competitive market and to constantly create content to stay visible. But how will you keep up?

Before you burn out on the hamster wheel of content creation, I wanted to share with you: 

✨ the biggest marketing mistake I see new entrepreneurs make
✨ timeless ways to grow without spending your life on social media 
✨ a calmer approach to growing your business and why I recommend emails with Flodesk

The number one mistake I see entrepreneurs make when they start their business

The number one mistake I see entrepreneurs make when they start their business is to create an Instagram account in the hope of finding their first clients.

First, they witness an inevitable lack of engagement as their posts are not getting any traction. And two, the followers are not converting into clients.

The result is that they slowly lose confidence in themselves and question their offer. Finally, they wonder: What's wrong with me?

The problems with this short-term approach:

• You'll start a hamster wheel of perpetual content creation and exhaust yourself through it. Plus, coming up with content ideas without client experience can be challenging! You’ll compare yourself to other entrepreneurs ahead of you and this is when your confidence will deflate, and you’ll lose motivation. 

• You’re putting all your eggs in the same basket - and you don’t know when you’ll reap the fruits of your efforts: The truth is that you need a lot of trial and error, commitment, and time, to build an engaged community. It's not that easy!

• More followers don't mean more money! The conversion from an Intagram post to booking a service is as low as 0.2-0.5%  for high-touch services like coaching and consulting. If you don't build a cohesive marketing ecosystem to support your customer journey and turn your followers into buyers, you might be wasting your time. The interactions on social media may flatter the ego, but this won't support your life.

Timeless marketing strategies you should be focusing on while everyone is busy scrolling

I’ve been an entrepreneur since 2005 and set up and ran a music event company, and then an award-winning spa business for a decade.  

How did business owners market their services before Instagram became popular?

They leveraged (one or many of these marketing tactics):

• Their network and spent time building lifelong relationships
• The power of referrals by creating intentional referral programs to attract more of the same client profiles
• Repeat business by focusing on providing superior service
• Affiliate marketing through synergetic businesses and collaborations
• Building communities around their philosophy and approach through speaking engagements, events, and workshops
• Email marketing: Fostering a culture around their brand, vision, and approach, and deepening the connections with their people
• Website and S.E.O-aka search engine optimization: A content strategy to educate and spread their ideas - and to be found on the internet by the right people (now with AI, we talk about GEO - "Generative Engine Optimization")

I believe that attracting the right clients doesn't come from one single action but the compound effect of 2-3 tactics consistently over time. 

Building an Instagram account is not a sustainable way to create a long-lasting result. It's a touchpoint and one piece of a larger ecosystem. So please don't focus on (just) Instagram. You'll burn out.

Among all the timeless strategies, the one that remains underused by new business owners and wildly effective to grow a thriving business, is email marketing.

If You’re Tired of Social Media, Here Are 6 Reasons to Try Email with Flodesk

I know that when you’re just beginning this journey, the tech alone can stop you in your tracks.

You get lost choosing platforms… wondering how everything connects… trying to figure out things like;

How does this connect to my website?
And if I don’t even have a website yet, can I still have a newsletter?
How do I get my first subscribers?
Should I outsource it?

I’ve been there too (I used to be a technophobe!) and I’ve helped dozens of entrepreneurs move from feeling stuck with this aspect of their business, to looking forward to their monthly writing ritual to connect with their community.

With nearly two decades of experience writing newsletters, I've tried numerous platforms, including Mailchimp, Convertkit, Active Campaign, and Flodesk. Among these, Flodesk stands out as my top choice for small businesses. Here's why:

No learning curve 

Thanks to their intuitive and minimalist builder - suitable for even the most tech-averse person,  you can send your newsletter and even build robust automations in a breeze. 

Want to send your first newsletter today? Easy-peasy. Want to set up your automated newsletter nurture sequence? I built my first workflow in 30 minutes.

I just love it that Flodesk allows you to focus on your content and keeps the rest minimal and clean.

Stunning designs

You can create magazine-like newsletters in minutes, using one of their many modern-looking easy- to-customize templates. 

I’d write my newsletters in a Google doc and simply copy-paste the content in the newsletter blocks. 

The templates are beautifully designed emails but also engineered to captivate and convert audiences.

Pro tip to save energy on design decisions: 

What I recommend is to create a newsletter that you like and save it in your favorites- this way, you have a template you can use each and every time and stay consistent with branding. 

Fair pricing for small business owners

Flodesk offers affordable, transparent pricing that scales with your active subscriber count. If you're just starting out, you'll go with the Lite Package at $19 / month. 

• Starts at 0-1000 subscribers
• Unlimited Emails
• Unlimited Forms
• 1 workflow (perfect for your newsletter welcome sequence)

When you want to add more automations, you can go to the next tier, which is the PRO tier. 

It’s accessible and generous compared to most platforms at this stage of business growth.

A more intimate space to connect with your community on a deeper level

Where social media is a fast-moving highway, long-form content such as blog posts and emails feel like a calm walk in the forest. 

I love the ability to share through emails things I don’t share publicly because it feels more intimate and safer. 

Every month, I write what’s been on my mind, things that moved me, what I’ve been working on behind-the-scenes, or personal stories that shaped my identity. 

I so appreciate receiving replies whenever someone connects with my letter. I reply to each and every one of them.

I don’t think we can get that kind of depth on social media platforms. People are not going to send you a 100 word-reply with personal details. The pace is not conducive to longer thinking processes and therefore, nuances. 

You have your own PR agent working 24/7

Once you set up an automated newsletter welcome workflow inside Flodesk, it becomes your brand ambassador working for you 24/7; welcoming people, educating, nurturing people while you sleep.

Whenever someone hears about you or finds you, they sign up to your emails through your Flodesk link, and automatically receive emails from you; let’s say an email every week - introducing who you are, the different ways to work with you, and why your mission is important to you.

In my case, they receive a 4-part welcome sequence.

This automation guides someone from being a stranger to someone who feels connected with you, your work, and primes the right people to work with you. 

A platform that evolves with you and listens

Flodesk has been adding so many new features. 

Some of my favorite new additions include:

• Canva integration - if you use Canva you're going to love this integration: You can now browse and import your Canva designs into your newsletter direcrtly from your Flodesk email builder! This is such a time-saver and simplifies the email creation workflow. 

• Countdown timers - to encourage early sign ups to your masterclasses and programs. To keep my workshops accessible, I always offer a chance to sign up at a lower price point with an early-bird offer. 

• Polls - so you don’t have to spend hours creating a survey using a third party tool. If you're planning on hosting masterclasses for example and hesitating between several topics, polls are a great way to quickly gauge interest and immediately know what to focus on.

Conclusion

I've used Flodesk extensively for over three years and have been impressed by its ease of use and the general corporate culture, which I'd describe as fun, engaging, and friendly. Even my most tech-averse clients fell in love with the platform.

If you're looking for a modern, reliable, user-friendly newsletter platform, look no further. Flodesk's intuitive interface, beautiful templates, easy automation, and reliable, friendly support make it my top recommendation for small business owners and solopreneurs.

As with any tech tool, consider your budget and how it integrates into your existing tech ecosystem for a seamless workflow.

Your next steps...

Step 01: Join My Live Masterclass (don't miss the early-bird discount!)

If you'd like to learn how to send newsletters using Flodesk, join my live masterclass in January. I will teach and show you everything you need to know to start sending newsletters with clarity, ease, and confidence!

Step 02: Start Your Free Trial with Flodesk

Start your free Flodesk trial today and get 25% off your first year with my partner link. 

I'll also earn a commission, which helps support my work. 

Step 03: Get Your Freebie: 11 Newsletter Content Ideas That Inspire & Engage 

Get unstuck and inspired with 11 intentional newsletter ideas to help you start writing and connect with your community.

➡️ Download your free slide deck