Our #1 Marketing Strategy for a Candle Business: Email

Apr 06, 2024

TL;DR: If we could only keep one marketing channel for our candle business, it would be email. Not social, not ads, not markets. Email. Here is how we collect addresses in four different places, and the one question change that gets people to hand theirs over at a market.

Standing out in candle making is hard, and it gets harder every year. So when people ask what has actually grown our business more than anything else, the answer is not a clever campaign. It is the email list, and the fact that we started building it on day one and have not stopped since.

Your list is the only audience you own. Social platforms can change their algorithm overnight and your reach disappears. Nobody can take your email list away from you.

Where we collect emails, and exactly how

1. A pop up on the website

Anyone who visits our site sees an offer: give us your email, get 20% off your order. That is a fair trade and it converts. The discount costs us far less than what that customer is worth over the next two years.

If you are worried about giving away margin, this is one of the reasons we price the way we do. Build the room in and a welcome discount is affordable rather than painful. We explain the whole approach in our candle pricing guide.

2. At checkout

We collect the email at checkout and include a clear checkbox where the customer agrees to receive marketing and coupons. Get the consent properly. A list built on people who actually said yes performs better anyway, and it keeps you on the right side of the rules.

3. In social media DMs

This is the one almost nobody does, and it works best when you are small and every follower counts.

When someone likes or comments on your post, send them a direct message. Something like: I saw you liked my post, I would love to keep you updated on new scents and let you know when we run a sale. Can I have your email address?

A lot of people just give it to you. You have to ask.

4. At markets, and this is the important one

When someone buys from you at a market and you process the sale on your phone, there is an option to enter an email address. How you ask for it decides whether you get it.

Do not ask "can I email you a receipt?" Around 90% of people say no thanks, I do not need a receipt. You just lost the address.

Ask "what is your email address so I can send you a receipt?"

Same information, completely different response rate. One is a yes or no question that invites a no. The other assumes the receipt is happening and just needs the detail. People give it to you without thinking twice.

That one change has probably added more addresses to our list than anything else we do at markets.

Why this matters more than the number of followers you have

A thousand email subscribers who chose to hear from you is worth more than ten thousand followers who scrolled past. You can reach the list whenever you want, you own the relationship, and the people on it have already told you they are interested.

Start collecting on day one, even if you have nothing to send yet. The list is the asset. What you send it comes later.

Frequently asked questions

What should I offer for an email address?

A discount on the first order works well because the intent to buy is already there. We use 20% off. A free guide or checklist works too if you would rather not discount.

Do I need permission to email customers?

Yes. Use a clear opt in checkbox at checkout and make it obvious what they are agreeing to. It is the right thing to do and the resulting list performs better.

How often should I email my list?

More often than you think, and consistently. A list you email twice a year forgets who you are and marks you as spam when you finally show up.

What if my list is tiny?

Then it is the best time to start the DM habit in point three. When you have a small audience, individually asking works, and it stops working at scale, so use the window while you have it.

Next steps

Start the list today. You will wish you had started it sooner.

Sabastian & Chad

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