I'm really glad
Email marketing used to be something that I wrinkled my nose at without hesitation. For me, it was the time spent trying to format and grow an email list that left me feeling less than inspired. Don’t even get me started on how many times I have started and stopped a newsletter only to leave it half finished as a draft. Even though all of my research clearly stated email marketing is a valuable asset and worthy of my time and energy, I still procrastinated on every email blast or update.
I was left with the same questions after each failed attempt to get a newsletter back on track. Why is my opt-in not working? Why is this coding so frustrating? Was this email actually going to convert? As a numbers person, I wanted to see if the emails I was sending were actually being opened and read.
Oh…and those dang templates. You guys, it was beyond frustrating to try and create a template that was not only aesthetically pleasing, but also had space to hold all of my social media feeds and links. There was nothing that felt captivating (or worked properly for that matter). Everything with the platform I was using felt clunky and cold, which wasn’t exactly the kind of feeling I wanted my audience to experience.
I knew I wasn’t alone in these struggles. The creative community was craving something more. Something that was actually user friendly and looked like an extension of our business.
The topic of email marketing came up frequently at our Tuesday’s Together meetings. Joe and I would be scratching our heads trying to come up with workflow solutions to help our members. So many of us were always let down by how difficult it was to create something in a timely manner for our audience that was not only useful, but didn’t feel or look like spam. We wanted it to be easy to use AND good looking! The time we had been spending trying to organize subscribers and different lists was substantial…and we all know that as entrepreneurs time is our most valuable asset. The majority of us would abandon our email lists and focus solely on social media. What was the point of sending an email or email blasts if we were too frustrated to create it?
It felt like we were all fed up with the options we had. I certainly was.
But then a beautifully crafted and uplifting email landed in my inbox from Natalie Franke.
Pump the breaks. This was a newsletter with content I could very clearly follow. Everything flowed well from one section to the next…and holy cow, it was branded with not only a signature message that left me feeling encouraged and inspired, but with elements that I clearly recognized from Natalie’s website.
It was email marketing heaven, and I wanted in. My audience needed this.
A few days later, Natalie dropped a blog post about switching email marketing platforms from ConvertKit to a new service she had been beta testing, Flodesk.
Y’all better believe I hotfooted over to her affiliate link and made myself an account. Yep, I literally opened up a new tab and made an account. Immediately I. Was. Obsessed.
In bold letters at the top of Flodesk’s website, they state that email marketing just got, “stunning/on-brand/intuitive/funkytown/easy as pie/a makeover.”
I NEEDED all of those things. Especially funkytown. Who doesn’t need funkytown?! Everybody needs funkytown!
My mind was blown as I flipped through all of the clean and intuitive templates. This seriously looked like it could be an extension of my website, which is exactly what I had been wanting for so many years. My number one frustration of designing an on-brand template had been resolved within seconds of creating an account with Flodesk.
After creating a few drafts of a test newsletter, I easily navigated to the opt-ins. And oh. em. gee. This is the good stuff right here. Not only was this a snap to create for my homepage, the coding was short and sweet. The instructions were super clear and easy to follow (just a simple copy and paste on to your website).
Again, another concern checked off my box almost immediately.
If that isn’t amazing enough, it took me only seconds to set up a workflow that triggered my opt-in to automatically push out my welcome sequence when a new user subscribes. I’m squealing at this point, and the dogs are looking at me with some pretty inquisitive stares. But whatever, I was super excited about this. In fact, the minute my husband got home from work I asked him to subscribe to test it out. He did, I squealed more. Can you blame me? After all of that frustration, on my very first try, something was actually working the way it was supposed to with my email marketing system.
As more folks started subscribing via my home page opt-in, I could actually SEE it happening! Flodesk has an analytic system that allows you to see how many people are subscribing using the opt-in, what device they were using, if there were any unsubscriptions, if the email bounced or was successfully delivered, and if the email was opened.
That’s right, folks. Numbers and facts that tell you if your message is actually getting received. THAT’S WHAT THIS GIRL IS HERE FOR! Gimme all of that beautiful data!
Integrating my existing subscribers from my prior platform was also a breeze. All I had to do was import my list as an excel spreadsheet, and within minutes, there was my subscriber list all imported. The best part? There were zero flaws. There was nothing to correct. Heck yeah!
The next week, I had a scheduled blog post to roll out with a freebie for 15 free Instagram prompts. Instead of just shooting out a PDF, I wanted to make this more personal. A guide that would land in their inbox.
What did I do? I used Flodesk to create it. Duh! Within an hour, I had integrated all 15 prompts into a template I was really proud of. I knew would be easy for other entrepreneurs to access and read. Something that would have taken me hours, took only a fraction of my time and looked ten times better than I could have ever imagined. Best of all, this meant that I was able to serve my audience with the kind of content they deserved.
Later that afternoon, I realized there was an error with the workflow system I had set up to trigger the freebie. Within minutes of sending a help email to one of the creators, Martha Bitar, I received two of the best responses I have ever read. She let me know that they would look in to it right away, which made me feel incredibly valued. What really wowed me was the second response. Martha let me know I had set up a workflow to be triggered to a different subscriber list that was firing off a different welcome sequence (oops!) and although they hadn’t originally intended to have edits to existing forms, they were going to change it for members so it could be edited, and that the change should be reflected within hours.
WHAT!
There is no way that I would ever be able to get that kind of problem solving or customer service anywhere else. I made a mistake, and they basically tailored a fix for me all while being patient and super kind. That kind of service makes me feel like my voice is being heard, and something I am so grateful for.
Flodesk has officially checked off everything I have ever wanted in an email marketing platform. Beautiful and simple to use templates that are an extension of my brand, thoughtfully designed opt-ins that work with minimal coding, easy integration from existing email platforms, data I can interpret and use to serve my audience best, and unbeatable personalized customer service.
You guys have to got to try this for yourselves. I was the gal who once dreaded scheduling, creating, and sending emails, remember? The one who is totally obsessed with efficiency. Now I’m that girl who looks forward to creating email content because it is actually enjoyable and time efficient.
Give the trial a shot and come see what I’m raving all about. With this link, you’re gonna get your subscription for half off. It’ll be the best nineteen bucks you’ve spent this month, I can promise you that.
Affiliate disclosure: this blog contains an affiliate link to Flodesk that I would be super stoked if you would use! I truly believe this platform is going to change the way creative and small business owners use email marketing.
