Have you ever had a random stranger stumble upon your business on the internet and reach out to you? It’s an exciting feeling, right? Knowing that someone out there is interested in the services that you provide.
But here’s the thing, as a business owner, you don’t have much control over the likelihood of that person becoming a customer. However, you can influence and increase the chances of conversion. And guess what? One smart way to do this is by utilizing email marketing.
By setting up a sequence of emails that are strategically sent out to your potential customer at the right time, you can guide them along their customer journey and increase the likelihood of conversion. That’s why, in today’s blog post, we’ll be diving into the world of email marketing and exploring how you can use it to convert more clients.
Email marketing is a powerful tool that can help you connect with your audience and build strong relationships. It allows you to communicate with your potential customers in a way that is personalized, relevant, and timely. And the best part? It’s cost-effective and can be automated, which means you can set it up once and let it work its magic.
Benefits of Email Marketing
You may be thinking, why should I focus on email when there are so many other ways to reach out to potential customers? Well, the truth is, email marketing is a highly effective way to convert leads into paying customers. And here’s why:
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Process is Automated
Firstly, email marketing allows you to automate your follow-up process, which saves you time and effort in the long run. You can set up a sequence of emails to be sent out at specific times to guide your potential customers along their customer journey. This means you don’t have to manually send out emails, make phone calls or send SMS messages. It’s all taken care of for you.
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It is Popular
Secondly, email is a popular mode of communication that most people are familiar with. Almost everyone who uses the internet has an email account, which means you have a higher chance of reaching your target audience through email marketing. Even if someone doesn’t open your email, they will still receive a notification, which keeps you at the top of their mind.
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Helps You Build an Engaged Community
Thirdly, email marketing allows you to build a community of loyal followers who are interested in your brand. Unlike social media, where your audience is at the mercy of the platform’s algorithm, with email marketing, you own your list of subscribers. This means you can always reach out to them, even if something happens to your social media accounts.
Getting Started with Email Marketing
Alright, let’s dive into the topic of funnels and how email marketing can help you move people from being strangers to becoming customers. A funnel is essentially a series of stages that people go through before making a decision to buy from you. The first stage is Awareness, where people find out about your business. The second stage is Interest, where you capture their attention and make them curious. The third stage is Consideration or Decision, where they weigh the pros and cons of choosing you over other options. Finally, there’s action, where they make the choice to buy or not.
Now, email marketing can help you meet people at each stage of the funnel.
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Awareness
This is where you attract people to your business by getting them to opt-in to your email list. The way you do this is by offering them something of value in exchange for their email address. This is often called a lead magnet or a freebie.(blog post link)
A lead magnet is essentially bait that you use to capture people’s attention and get them interested in what you have to offer. This could be a PDF, video, or anything else that’s valuable to your target audience. Once they opt-in and give you their email address, you can deliver the lead magnet directly to their inbox.
You can also use a pop-up form on your website to deliver the lead magnet. This form can pop up when people are scrolling through your page or when they’re about to leave. This is a great way to grab their attention and follow up with them before they leave your site.
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Nurture
After collecting the email, you can move on to the next stage, which is called nurture. This is where you focus on building a relationship with your subscribers and establishing trust. The goal is to make them feel like they are a part of your family so that when you eventually pitch your products or services, they will trust and feel connected to you.
Consistency is key in the nurture phase. Decide on a frequency that works for your audience, whether it’s weekly or monthly, and stick to it. This demonstrates that you are reliable and trustworthy. Personalization is also important and can be easily achieved with email software that allows you to address subscribers by their names.
Segmenting your email list is another crucial aspect of the nurture phase. If you offer different types of services or cater to different levels of expertise, it’s important to separate your subscribers based on their interests and needs. This can be done by asking a simple question when they sign up to your list. By sending targeted emails to specific segments, you ensure that your content is relevant and engaging for all subscribers, regardless of their level of expertise.
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Conversion
You’ve spent time nurturing your audience and building trust, so it’s time to introduce your product or service to them. But how do you do it? Well, there are a few ways.
First, you can choose the right timing. This could be a specific week of the month or a season like Black Friday or Valentine’s Day. You can also create a sales funnel(blog post link) that involves a sequence of sales emails. For example, if you’re a coach or course creator, you could launch your product to your email list at certain times of the year.
During the nurture phase, you should continue to engage your audience with different types of emails. Start by providing value – this is what you promised when they opted in for your lead magnet. Send tutorials, hacks, and links to your social media pages with valuable content. Share your big why – your story that explains why you do what you do and helps your audience connect with you on a deeper level. Encourage engagement by asking your audience to reply to your emails or book a free discovery call with you.
To convert your audience, you can also send strategic emails that address objections, share reviews and testimonials of your work, and pitch the sale of your product or service. Just remember to balance providing value and promoting your offers, and don’t be afraid to promote your product after you’ve built trust with your audience.
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Retention
This is an area that many business owners tend to ignore, but it’s a mistake because you could be leaving a lot of money on the table. Just because someone has purchased from you once, doesn’t mean they can’t come back and buy again.
In fact, they may even refer others to you! That’s where email marketing comes in. You can use your emails to upsell low-ticket items to premium offers or even suggest additional products that could be ideal for your clients.
For example, if someone has purchased your $2,000 premium coaching program, they may be a perfect fit for your community program, which costs only $10 a month. This helps increase the lifetime value of your clients and shows that you are committed to providing value throughout your relationship. To encourage referrals, consider creating loyalty programs, offering coupons, rewards, or even an affiliate program where you reward people for referring their friends and family to you.
Recap
Let’s recap the three stages of email marketing. First, you need to build your audience by creating a lead magnet that will attract subscribers. Second, keep the relationship going by nurturing your audience, giving value, and showing up when you promise to. And third, convert by finding the perfect opportunity to pitch the sale.
But don’t forget about the fourth stage – retention! By keeping your clients engaged and offering additional products, you can increase the lifetime value of your clients and turn them into loyal brand advocates.
So, there you have it – a breakdown of how email marketing can work for you and your business. If you found this helpful, let me know in the comments below.