Note: This post may contain affiliate links or sponsored content. Kate Waldo + Co. only recommends products and services that we personally use and/or recommend.
Two years ago I nearly gave up on the one marketing "thing" that made me the most money: emails. I had done what the 'experts' told me to do; I paid for a pricey subscription to a very high-tech (but somehow still very non-user-friendly) email service that spliced and diced my email list in a million different ways and gave me all sorts of ways to write an email.
Approximately about 60% of my revenue came from my email marketing. I've always been a big believer in email marketing for 2 reasons: 1. It's vital to own your list versus just relying on reaching people via social media where your account can disappear in an instant. 2. People spend more money in their inbox.
Wanna see the emails I send? Take this quiz to check out one of my favorite email workflow automations!
The moment of nearly quitting emails happened in the spring of 2023 when I got an email from said email marketing service that their rates were DOUBLING and I had, oh yeah, only 30 days until the new rates kicked in. OMG.
At that point, I had hardly even sent any emails in the last 6 months because using their platform was just so clunky. I love pretty things, so I love sending out pretty emails. Problem was, you basically needed a degree in computer science to make an aesthetically pleasing email. I would spend no less than 2 hours per email on making the spacing look right, adding in photos or GIFs, changing the font colors, etc. Honestly, it was maddening, and by the time I figured out what to write I didn't have the energy left to make it look good too.
Enter: Flodesk ✨👩🏼💻💌
Flodesk is a visually-driven email marketing platform, designed with simplicity and ease of use in mind, perfect for bloggers and small businesses.
I had seen Flodesk mentioned by my blogger friends at The Blog Societies for at least a couple of years. They touted its great layouts for blogging newsletters and freebie delivery. That was great, but since my business is a bit more complex with online offerings like courses, consulting, downloads, and email nurture workflows, I doubted Flodesk could do what my aforementioned "high-tech" email marketing platform could. Plus, you get 50% off your first year when you use this link, so why not?
However, at that point, I had nothing to lose. I flat out was not sending emails (ya know, that one thing that made me the majority of my income?!) because it was too complex and I didn't feel like the message I was sending was representative of my business, my brand, and how I wanted to serve people. So why would I pay double NOT to send any emails?
Deep breath in. Deep breath out...
I bit the bullet and transferred my email list over to Flodesk.
I honestly thought it would be a painful experience but it was so smooth and straightforward. Flodesk gave me step-by-step instructions for the transfer process - I appreciated this not only because it made it easy, but also because it helped me avoid any common mistakes people make when transferring to a new email provider. (There are several that can land you in spam purgatory, so make sure to pay attention to their instructions!)
Now, over a year and a half later, I am as obsessed with Flodesk as ever. Here's what I love most:
It's safe to say that every bullet point above is a point in the "Pro" column for Flodesk. If we are being honest, no one technology is perfect. There's always something we'd love to add if we could. One downside is that Flodesk doesn’t have as many third-party integrations as some competitors, which may be limiting for users needing advanced functionality.
But let me say, I have sent so many more emails since I simplified my workflows. As a Professional Organizer and systems expert, I will always recognize the benefit of stripping it back, pairing down, and taking a really good look at what you're working with. Do you still need it? Is it truly serving you? It might not be.
If you’re looking for a simple, beautiful, and effective way to do email marketing, give Flodesk a try. It’s transformed how I run my business (sending more emails that make more $$ and help more business owners like you!), and it could do the same for you. Here's an example of one of my top-performing emails that I sent from Flodesk:
Click here for a desktop version of the email.
It is so versatile and easy to use for all types of businesses. I actually have used Flodesk for all three of my businesses - Kate Waldo + Co., Orchid Organizing (now sold to new owners 🤍), and our safety tools + training business, Heartbeat Safety. Give it a try - I think you'll love it!
Use THIS LINK to try Flodesk for free using my affiliate link and get 50% off your first year. Then, I would love for you to forward me the first email you send out via Flodesk to [email protected] because I want to see your beautiful work in action!
Talk soon,
Kate
Kate Waldo + Co.
P.S. Curious about what other systems and technology I recommend? Check out this blog post - The Best Automation Tools for Business Owners!
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