I got an email from a client the other day with an urgent subject line.
I quickly opened it and was glad I did.
Turns out he was ecstatic about the email sequence we'd built for him.
His sequence had just help close 3 clients in the past week AND it cut the sales time usually spent with prospects before signing by two-thirds!
This was great news since that client is in complex industry selling high dollar services to investors.
He also mentioned a few other interesting things about the prospects he just closed...
- They all came into his sales funnel at different stages.
- They found his company through his website from the articles he had written and opted into his email list from the content upgrades inside those articles.
- Even though they came asking different questions, the email sequence gave each of them what they were looking for bringing everyone to the same point, making for an easy handoff to my client.
Today I want to talk about how you can do the same thing with email sequences. No matter what industry you're in.
Marketers like to make automated email sequences sound complicated but they're really not.
The secret to a great email sequence isn't so secret, it's just being as helpful online as you are in person.
Look at the 3 insights above, you can see how that's true.
An email sequence is nothing more than some or all of your sales process distributed through a series of emails.
It anticipates questions, objections and delivers resources your prospect wants throughout their journey.
The only difference is, you get to set the pace and can monitor your prospect's progress along the way : )
Email sequences rely on triggers to send automated emails. There are countless ways an email sequence is triggered, but some common actions are: opting-in for a content upgrade, clicking a link inside another email, purchasing a product or filling out a contact form.
No matter what kind of sequence you build, keep these tips in mind to make it successful:
- Create a unified feel - Make sure the voice and flow stay consistent.
- Keep it brief and interesting - Your prospect's attention span is short, this isn't the time for a 3,000 word masterpiece.
- Make it personal - People buy from people. Make your sequence come from a person, not from a company.
- Make it worth their time - Your sequence should heap value onto your prospects and give them resources they can't get anywhere else.
- Prove your value - The quickest way to do this while building a relationship with your reader is using case studies or real examples that show (not just tell) your value.
How do you get started?
A great place to begin is using an email course to introduce new subscribers to your brand.
I've created a template for you below that works excellent for a product or service business. Change it however you'd like to fit your brand.
- Day 1: Welcome email – “Thanks for signing up, here’s what you can expect…”
- Day 2: First lesson – State the problem and identify the challenges or mistakes your reader might be facing.
- Day 3: Second lesson – Teach them a new way of thinking or paradigm shift. Give them something they can use for a quick win.
- Day 4: Third lesson – Recommend tools, strategies, downloadable templates, or other assets to help them take action today.
- Day 5: Fourth lesson – Provide a case study of someone who used your product/service and had a great result.
Day 6: Proof and call to action – Give them a testimonial or evidence of your abilities/success. Include a way for them to take action (and make a special offer if you'd like).
After the sixth email is sent, you can set your email marketing software to move the email subscriber to your general newsletter list.
Need help building and executing a content marketing strategy for YOUR business but don't have time? Click here to request a proposal or click to schedule a quick call to learn more.
Cheers,
Joel Widmer