By Emily Merrell
Jackie Ayala is pure magic, she has an understanding of email nuances that most humans get frustrated by and can’t figure out. She took this gift and started EmailBeam, a company that helps individuals get their email campaigns off the ground. Learn more how this LA based maven took her geeky obsession with email and transformed it into a company helping others.
SDS: Tell us the importance of email marketing and describe what it is.
JACKIE AYALA: Email marketing is the art of building relationships via the intimate space of an inbox. In exchange for an email address, you get the opportunity to invite the reader into your world and offer value, whether it’s in the form of education, humor, storytelling or solving a problem. And yes, telling jokes is giving value!
When you deliver high quality email content consistently, you begin to build trust. This allows you to open the doors to selling your products and services that can make the lives of your readers better.
Also, you own your email list. Building a business on social media is like building a business on rented land. You don’t own your social media followers.
But, I’ll be the first to tell you. Email marketing isn’t for everyone. If you don’t enjoy getting newsletters or don’t really engage with any of the content you receive in the email inbox, then forcing yourself to do email marketing won’t work either.
SDS: What are some of your favorite email marketing campaigns and why are they good?
JA: Like a scientist, I study both service-based and D2C email marketing campaigns. I don’t have any particular favorite campaigns since I tend to unsubscribe from the bad ones pretty quickly.
So, what makes a good email marketing campaign?
- Clear always wins over clever.
- Make your subscribers feel exclusive by sending them personalized content via segmentation.
- Have one clear call-to-action.
- Write as if you’re only speaking to your favorite client/customer rather than an anonymous group.
SDS: What is EmailBeam and how do you work with your clients?
JA: EmailBeam is a full-service email marketing agency that is set on simplifying email marketing.
Whether you’ve never touched email marketing before or you’ve got a dusty ol’ email list full of zombies, EmailBeam’s consulting & writing services will take you by the hand and help you get it sorted—and can even do the writing for you.
EmailBeam’s superpowers include: ultra easy-to-understand instruction; simple, clear strategy; swingin’ emails people love to open; dollars-earned-per-email monitoring and lightning fast turnaround times. All so you can stress less and take email marketing off your to-do list…forever.
I founded the company after having developed a geeky obsession with all things email marketing — and then discovering just how much money small businesses were letting slip through the cracks just by not having this basic foundation. In 30 days, EmailBeam can take you from email chump to email champ without batting an eyelash.
SDS: How did you get involved in email marketing and what’s been the best part of being your own boss?
JA: I’m that girl that wakes up excited to check her inbox.
I’m serious.
So naturally, I became involved with all things email marketing for the past 5.5 years. The best part of being my own boss is the ability to just be who I am and set my own schedule. Every day I get to make the choice over and over again that entrepreneurship is my path. Even in moments of doubt, I choose to build a business. That is the price I pay for the freedom to work how I want.
So yes, I still have days where I send out applications for day jobs. No, I don’t feel like a failure. I’m glad that I have the bravery to do this and to break down barriers within my own family.
SDS: What advice do you have to someone just starting their career?
JA: Community will get you through the scariest part of entrepreneurship, because low moments will happen. You will doubt yourself. You’ll stress over where your next client will come from. You will have no idea what you’re doing. And that’s ok.
As a first-gen entrepreneur I had to figure out a lot of things on my own and I used to believe that I could do it all on my own. But over a year ago I got a mentor who walked me through building a business, which was invaluable since no one around me was doing what I was doing.
When COVID-19 hit, I joined plenty of virtual groups and met so many other women on the path to building a business. Community has come through for me, which is really hard to believe considering we live in an individualist society. As an introvert, I don’t think of it as networking. I think of it as building relationships IRL, which is pretty much what email does, just digitally. Funny how that works, huh?
SDS: What does the future of Email Beam Hold and what can we expect?
JA: EmailBeam’s headquarters will be moving from Long Beach, CA to Tulsa, Oklahoma come 2021. After that? I cannot say right now, but stay tuned @emailbeam.co or at emailbeam.co.
