Email marketing automation is a proven way to engage with fans and build rapport throughout the sales process.
I love email marketing because even today, it is still the #1 marketing channel to grow a business. The average return on investment in email marketing is a 44:1 ratio. That means you can make $44 for every $1 spent on your campaign!
I’ve been working with tech startups, established companies and new business owners on email marketing for over a decade to help them focus on the work they love doing. The reality is, email marketing is a science and an art. Most businesses are not investing enough time on this channel because of the technical and data-driven aspects involved.
If you are looking to build or optimize email marketing campaigns, you will want to take an inventory of the content you have created thus far, across all of your business assets. Most of what you have written or posted on your website or social media can be re-purposed for email marketing. Do not feel the need to re-create from scratch.
All it takes is 5-8 pieces of content to make an effective automation sequence – a series of emails that are sent automatically upon new signup.
I believe there are several email marketing sequences to help grow a business. These include:
Welcome email.
Monthly newsletter.
Sales nurture.
Brand awareness.
Reconnection.
Customer onboarding.
Let’s break down each one.
When a website visitor subscribes to your email list, they are now a warm lead. Introduce yourself with an effective welcome email saying who you are and what subscribers can expect from you.
Then you have the monthly newsletter. This is relatively straight-forward to build because you can have your blog content shared via RSS in an email. If you write on your blog weekly, you can auto-send a summary of these posts each month without having to invent a newsletter. Most email marketing providers give you this option without too much technical involvement.
In building your sales process via email marketing, you will want to structure a sales nurture campaign. This is a personalized 5-7 email sequence to take a prospect from warm to hot following the welcome email. Aim to educate or entertain your prospects instead of the hard sell here. You can build a call-to-action in each email, but I would suggest using soft words like “Explore” or “Learn More” in the text. “Buy Now” is better reserved for landing pages with eCommerce set up.
You may wish to share your story via a series of brand awareness emails. Use these sparingly over time to broadcast important details about yourself, your product and any important updates.
If you have not heard from someone in awhile, sending a reconnection email is a fantastic way to rekindle the love. Offer incentives to win their engagement back.
If a purchase has been made, send a series of customer onboarding emails to help explain how to use your product. This step-by-step process will indicate that you care beyond the sale.
If you are just getting started with email marketing, build a simple funnel flow with just the welcome email and newsletter. You can always build upon your initial structure over time. Most email marketing providers provide templates to set this up without a hassle.
I hope these tips will help you on your next email marketing campaign.