Do you have a L I S T?! In my world email lists are constantly talked about. The benefit of an email list is it's YOURS. You own it. You don't really own your Instagram account or Facebook Page (Facebook does!), and if somethere were to happen to Facebook ( I'm looking at you 2020), you would lose it all.
That's why email marketing is so awesome. You own your list. Even if you change email service providers, you still have your downloaded copy of everyone who has subscribed to you. It's one of the main pillars of marketing, and you really can't have a complete marketing strategy without one. (says the person without a list...ahem. I'M WORKING ON IT OK??)
I know the idea of writing emails and sending them out to people can feel overwhelming and really vulnerable, but there are a million and one hacks and ideas out there meant to make it a bit easier.
Before we go on, I need to make sure you understand the difference between Email Marketing and Email Campaigns.
Email Marketing is the newsletter you're sending out every month. It's the general "here's what's happening" email or "flash sale" email that gets sent to pretty much everyone. These are a great way to show off your skills or share value consistently with your list.
Email Campaigns are those targeted email chains that only get sent to specific tagged audiences. You know it's a campaign if you signed up to get a free download, and then every 3-5 days you're now hearing from this person like you're bffs. Campaigns move customers from point A to points B, C and D. If they're done right, they're taking you as the customer on a journey to the next service that makes sense for you.
Here are five of my favorite tips for email marketing and campaigns and what I personally implement into my clients' email marketing strategy.
Think Big, Then Go Small
I think I'm going to make this the catchphrase for Meg B Marketing. It's my favorite strategy for all things marketing. Just like everything else, you can throw emails at your list and hope something sticks, or you can have a strategy in place with meaning and intention for everything you're sending out.
This is where you set up different funnels coming into your list. You should be tagging:
those subscribing to your newsletter
each person coming in from a freebie you handed out
paying customers
Each of these subscribers is coming from a different direction, which means you should be too. This is for Email Campaigns and if it feels like a lot- it's because it kind of is. BUT start with one of these funnels. You don't have to do everything all at once.
After you've properly tagged your list, you can start planning out a strategy for your campaigns. If they got a freebie from you, what's the next logical step for them to take? Buy your $848.99 course? Or maybe snag something from your $9.99 bargain bin? Campaign sequences of 4-5 can smoothly take your customer on a journey that will end in a percentage of them buying your big ticket stuff.
Grammar matters. But so does your personality.
I love to write. I think I'm an engaging writer. I also suck at adding in the right amount of commas. (THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!) That's why I subscribe to Grammarly and never lose sleep about how the copy for my business isn't perfect. I have always been someone who's great at adding their voice (until I became a journalist and had to take all my voice out. No opinions allowed. Thx) and I want to give you permission to add some to your stuff too!
If your emails are boring- people aren't going to open. They aren't going to click. They're going to unsubscribe and you'll start feeling sad (p.s. don't feel sad. unsubscribing happens). Add some emojis if that's what your brand is into. Add jokes and memes and swear words. You need to understand your brand's voice to do this the right way. But you got this. I believe in you.
Dumb it down.
Add clear call to actions. Don't assume the person knows the bubble that says "Download Now" needs to be clicked. TELL them to click the button. TELL them to click the link. TELL them you want to hear what they think. Litteraly say "Hit reply and let me know". #captainobvious
Take note
Do you have an email that had an incredible open rate? (at the bottom of this blog I'll share industry standard open rates. Hint: it's less than you think) If you have clear winners in your email marketing and campaigns go back and figure out why. What was your subject line? How was the design? Was it long? Short? Test, test, and then test again until you know what your email peeps want from you.
Bonus: GET HELP
If this ain't your thang, I got you. Send me an email megan@megbmarketing.com or set up a time to chat at calendly.com/megbmarketing and let's see how we can jumpstart your email strategy and get results.
According to MailChimp here are the rates you can use to gauge your email's success
Average Open Rate 22.71%
Average Click Rate 2.91%
Hard Bounce 0.40%
Soft Bounce 0.61%