When I relaunched my course Market Like Jesus last month, someone almost immediately unsubscribed from my list.

That isn't uncommon; I actually expected it.

It's totally, 100% normal to get unsubscribes when you send any kind of email, but especially a sales email.

And if my newsletter isn't helping someone anymore, then no worries! I don't want to waste their time, so no hard feelings if they move on.

So the unsubscribe shouldn't have bothered me...except that the person who unsubscribed was someone I actually know.

Because of that, I started to spiral. Did I say something offensive? Did they not like that I was selling in my email since I normally don't do a lot of sales emails? Were they upset because I was sending a few more emails than normal?

And then I stopped myself.

I own a business.

Businesses sell things.

I do not need to feel bad or apologize about selling.

After all, one of the main goals of my email list is to make sales from it.

(The others are helping people and enjoying a writing outlet that lets me nerd out about marketing and the Bible.)

But at the end of the day, I own a business. And businesses sell things.

A clothing store where I get most of my kids clothes? They send five sales emails PER DAY.

Now that's overkill. Please hear me: I would not recommend you do that AT ALL.

But despite all those emails, I haven't unsubscribed.

Why? Because I'm not offended that a clothing store that sells things is sending me emails that tries to sell me things. That's kind of what I assumed they would do when I signed up.

But when it comes to our own businesses and ministries, especially when we're small businesses or ministries, we suddenly think that everyone is going to be offended when we do the same.

We can get all in our heads worrying about bothering people with our marketing — and I don't think that's an inherently bad thing, to be thinking about others and wanting to market well. In fact, I spent all of May talking about how that mindset helps your marketing become ministry.​

That kind of thinking will keep you from going overkill like that store did, which is a good thing.

But we also can't let that fear keep us from marketing at all.

Jesus didn't apologize for teaching and preaching, even when the religious leaders didn't like it.

He wasn't doing it for them. He was doing it for those He'd been called to help.

What the Lord put on your heart is too important not to share...which is the marketing cadence we typically default to when we become afraid of bothering people.

Being annoyed by a store that sends 5 emails a day doesn't mean you shouldn't market at all. It means that maybe you decide to send only one per day or 1-2 per week.

So yes. Some people are going to unsubscribe or unfollow when you market.

And yes, that will probably make you start to question your marketing plan.

But I'm here to tell you (and me, because I spiraled in the exact same way three weeks ago, I'm not immune to this even as a marketer!):

Neither extreme — the overkill or the only occasional — is a good approach.

The truth is in the middle: The key is to discern with the Lord how you want to market and how often, keeping your people and their needs in mind, and then sticking to that plan.

And that's not something you ever need to apologize for or feel bad about.

For His greater glory,

Emily

P.S. I know what you're thinking, "But if I market too often, then they'll get annoyed and unsubscribe and then I can't market to them anymore!"

I'm going to be completely honest with you: If they don't want your free content, they almost definitely won't want your paid offerings. Discern the cadence with the Lord, and be at peace. The people He's called you to help will not be annoyed by whatever you decide with Him. ❤️

Random Things From My Life

Random snippets from real life!

• One of my favorite anecdotes is that not one, but both of my kids' grandfathers are deacons (my dad and my father-in-law). Not only that, but they're both deacons in our diocese. So my kids are 100% going to think that it's just automatic that all grandfathers are deacons and I am here for it. (I'm also here for not having to remember to bring containers for Holy Water to church anymore — in-house blessings for the win!)
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• Looking for something to do with your kids this summer? This Catholic kids podcast is our absolute favorite. So much so that my daughter named her Squishmallow after the host.
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• Something I've been chewing on: The First Reading from last Wednesday (1 Kings 18) where Elijah goes head-to-head with the prophets of Baal is one of my favorites, not just because of his sarcasm, but because of the fact that he trusts God will answer him so much, he has the people douse the offering in water first before calling on God so there is absolutely no room for doubt left when he answers. Here's something to reflect on: Do you trust the Lord enough that you can "douse your plans in water" and still trust Him? Personally, I'm a work-in-progress on that.