Aspiring Email Marketers' Challenges: Lack of Resources

In this three-part article series, I will discuss the challenges many aspiring email marketers face at the early stages of their email marketing careers.

These challenges are:

• Lack of resources

• Lack of knowledge

• Lack of time

Obviously, there are more, but I want to narrow it down to just three. So it will be easier for you to digest and follow.

And if this is your current situation right now, worry no more.

I got you.

I will provide practical solutions you can easily follow and implement. And if you will do what I say in this email series. You’ll easily move from a newbie freelancer to a highly in-demand email marketer in 60 days or less.

Before you quit your job, read along.

Let’s get started.

The first challenge: Limited resources

The most common one, and all of us have gone through this. You’re lucky if you never experienced lack when you’re starting. Because the majority of successful freelancers you know right now also started with nothing.

‣ They have no website.
‣ They have no experience.
‣ They have no case study or portfolio.
‣ They don’t know how to market their service.
‣ They don’t know where to get their first client.

But they were able to make it and became successful just by being resourceful.

There are many ways to be resourceful, but I will focus on one today.

SOCIAL MEDIA.

What to do with it?

Leverage it and start creating content.

Here’s a content idea to get you started: The three learning hacks an aspiring email marketer who commutes for three hours every day and works a 9-5 job uses daily.

See what I did there?

Yes, use your own story to promote your skill.

Let the people know how dedicated you are to learning your craft despite these many challenges. Over time, people will start to notice you, and eventually, by consistently showing up, your ideal clients will start knocking on your door.

But I bet not a lot of people know about what you’re doing right now and even about your offer. Not even your neighbor who knows business owners that s/he can send your way.

Because you’re too afraid to let them know about your aspiration to be a freelancer. Hence, the second account. Am I right?

Posting daily on social media is like writing daily emails. It gets better over time.

So use it to your advantage.

Because the ones with the most reactions and comments can be used as a portfolio.

This is one of the most unused resources many aspiring email marketers no longer use nowadays. But back in the day, you’ll see social media posts with huge reactions and comments highlighted in a portfolio.

I know. I did that too.

Why do you think I am posting daily on my Facebook account?

I’m not just doing that for show.

I am actively posting because if I can show my prospects, I can get reactions and responses to my posts. I can also do the same in our emails. And you know, in the email marketing world, engagement is so valuable. Increased engagement means a higher opportunity for conversion and improved deliverability.

I remember during one of our conversations, I asked JTL why he referred me to David as one of the best email marketers, even if I literally didn’t have the experience back in 2018. John told me he referred me because he regularly saw what I was posting on FB. And he knew the content that I was posting online would be effective on email for an e-commerce niche.

John was right.

That became the start of the most enjoyable journey I’ve ever had as an email strategist and now a business owner.

So, what’s in it for you?

I encourage you to show up daily on social media. Let people know you’re great at writing copy and creating designs or you have an infinite source of ideas.

‣ You don’t have a website - use your social media account
‣ You don’t have a portfolio - build it using social media
‣ You don’t have experience - practice in public.

What I am saying is that if you can convey your message in your posts. You can do so in emails.

Many aspiring email marketers will only start practicing writing copy, researching, practice designs when they onboard a client. Don’t fall into that trap. That’s laziness.

Start posting content about you, your offer, and your skill—again, practice in public.

Like if your target market is health and wellness. Start writing emails about health and wellness, then post them on social media. Everyone else posts metrics or ideas they don’t understand or read somewhere.

Be different. It will help you stand out.

You will not get the attention you need at the start. But trust me, people are watching, and that will be the greatest advantage you’ll ever have amongst your peers.