Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur looking to set up your first freelance business or you already have a company and are looking for ways to scale, email marketing is a great tool. In this guide, I’ll give you a clear overview of the strategies and tactics that will help you grow your freelance business with email marketing automation.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Master the art of email marketing automation. |
| 2. Implement tactics to enhance freelancer success. |
| 3. Explore A-Z strategies for effective automation. |
| 4. Understand the importance of targeted campaigns. |
| 5. Leverage automation to save time and increase ROI. |
| 6. Nurture client relationships through personalized emails. |
| 7. Optimize subject lines and content for better engagement. |
| 8. Utilize data-driven insights to refine your approach. |
| 9. Harness the power of email to boost referrals and sales. |
| 10. Stay updated with industry trends for continuous improvement. |
1. Welcome Emails
Welcome emails are a perfect way to greet and introduce your brand to new people. Think of them as the first impression, or handshake, that your business gives to new leads. There are two types of welcome emails: one-off emails and an entire series. I recommend creating an entire series because it will help nurture your leads and keep you top of mind. Let’s take a look at each type:
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2. Confirmation Emails
Confirmation emails are any emails used to confirm that a recipient’s action was or will be completed. They cover a wide variety of email types, including signup confirmation (a.k.a. double opt-in), order confirmation, download, and ebook access information, appointment reminders, etc.
Confirmation emails are often the first in a series of automated messages meant to guide recipients through a conversion process or relationship with your business. Therefore, these messages must include a clear call to action that provides value for readers and sets them on the path toward completing your desired action(s).
3. Post-Purchase Emails
Once a client buys from you, the relationship doesn’t have to end there. Most marketers recommend a series of post-purchase emails. Here’s what you can do:
Welcome email with a discount code for repeat purchases Let your clients know they’re valued members of your community and that you appreciate their business. Make them feel really good about buying from you! This will keep them thinking about your brand and foster loyalty. You could also include a discount code or coupon in this email to encourage repeat purchases down the road.
A follow-up email with an invitation to review your service. Once you’ve sent the welcome message, follow up quickly with another email asking for their feedback on your product or service (if applicable).
Use a tool like FeedbackFoxy to get real-time feedback that can help improve customer experience in the future (and increase sales!). You’ll also want to link back through Mailchimp so these replies come through as responses in Gmail inboxes (rather than being treated as spam) just be sure not to use tracking pixels!
Reminder email to write a review Send another reminder after two weeks if they haven’t left any reviews yet, encouraging them again by saying how much their input matters for both future buyers and yourself as an independent seller.”
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4. Post-Sale Follow Up Emails
Following up with clients after the sale is one of the most important aspects of an email campaign. You’ve already established trust and credibility in your sales emails. Now you need to nurture that relationship by providing further value to your clients.
Here’s a sample post-sale follow-up: Hi Bob, Just wanted to check in and make sure everything went smoothly on your end when you placed our order. If there’s anything we can do for you, don’t hesitate to let us know. Thanks again!Your Name
5. Cross-Selling Campaign
Cross-selling is an online marketing tactic where you promote a complementary product or service to current buyers. It’s different from upsells, which are products and services that go with the purchase the buyer has just made (such as getting extra minutes on your cell phone plan).
Cross-selling benefits both the customer and business because you deliver value to your customers, who may find something they like, while also increasing revenue for your business by expanding subscription plans or selling more of a related product at the same time.
- How do you cross-sell? You need to be able to add new products to your e-commerce store during checkout. This is usually done via WooCommerce and Shopify or other similar platform integrations (depending on what kind of store you have). You can also just add it directly as an order bump into ConvertKit if you don’t have a store.
- Why is this important? Customer retention. If your goal is to keep customers coming back for more, then cross-selling is one way of making sure they get even more than they were looking for in the first place.
6. Automating Information Seeking
You might send emails asking for information (e.g., “Can you tell me more about your company?” or “What is the biggest challenge you are facing in marketing this product?”). If you did that manually, it would be very time-consuming. So automate it.
Some examples of what I’ve done: Send 10 people an email per day asking for a quick phone interview to get their feedback on my program (which wasn’t released at the time). For this particular example, I set up an automated system that sent out an email every 24 hours and kept a record of who had already received it so they didn’t get a duplicate.
This also made my follow-up emails easier to send out as well since I could use that database of responses to schedule phone calls with them all at once and have their questions in front of me while we spoke.
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7. Onboarding
Onboarding is the manual process of telling new customers about your product or service. It can be a phone call, a meeting, an email, or even a series of emails. In this guide, we’ll be focusing on onboarding via email.
Why is onboarding important? Onboarding your clients helps keep them informed and engaged in the work you are doing for them. Onboarding can also save time by allowing your client to remain informed without constant communication.
What are the best practices for onboarding? The best way to maximize the impact of this type of email campaign is to follow the guidelines below:
Keep it short (3-5 sentences) and sweet. Email copy should never be longer than necessary, so start with a quick introduction and keep it on point. Do not describe your company in detail here or go into great depth about what you do as that will come later during your first call/meeting/etc.
Then conclude with a strong call-to-action that directs readers on how they can take action next (e.g., booking an appointment). So long as you address these two key points concisely, you should avoid overwhelming people with too much information before their first interaction with you after signing up for your service.
Think about tone – You want to make sure this email comes across as conversational but not too casual; professional yet approachable at all times because nobody likes when someone sounds like they’re trying too hard
And remember: use “you” instead of “we” throughout so that readers feel like they’re talking directly with someone they know otherwise they’ll just get bored reading another generic message from some stranger who won’t stop bragging about themselves all day long.
8. Networking
One of the most important things any freelancer can do is to make it a point to network with other freelancers. In a recent survey conducted by Payoneer, 78% of respondents reported that networking was one of their top three ways of finding new clients.
Unlike in-house employees, who can rely on internal HR and recruitment departments to help them meet new people and acquire job leads, freelancers have no centralized department or office space where they can connect with peers and potential clients. That’s why it’s so important for you as a freelancer to actively put yourself out there and hit up networking events or join relevant industry groups.
Not only will these outings allow you to meet new people but they also allow you to flex your professional muscles by showing off your expertise in front of others via talks and panel discussions.
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9. Engagement Email Campaigns
Engagement email campaigns are used to enhance the relationship between you and your customers. There are two main ways that this is done, either by increasing the number of leads in your sales funnel or by improving customer loyalty.
One of the most effective ways to do this is to increase customer engagement with your business. For example, if you have an e-commerce website, then you may want to send out an email every time a customer purchases an item.
Another way to increase customer engagement with your business is through social media marketing. By sending out emails that encourage people to follow you on social media such as Twitter or Facebook, you will be able to build up a following of customers who are more likely than not interested in what you have to offer.
10. Broadcasts
Broadcasts are important because they’re the only part of email marketing that can be scheduled. If you’re not familiar with broadcasts, here’s a quick rundown:
What is a broadcast? A broadcast allows you to send an email to your list of subscribers at any time. It’s similar to an autoresponder sequence in that it can contain multiple messages, however, those messages will all be sent out simultaneously and at the same time each day. They differ from autoresponders in that they do not “follow” one another they’ll be sent all at once and on the same day each week or month.
How are broadcasts useful? Unlike autoresponders (which are also useful), broadcasts allow you to send one-off messages rather than ones that follow one another in a series. Broadcasts give you full control over when each message is sent, making them great for sending seasonal promotions and announcements (e.g., Christmas sales or anniversaries).
11. Reactivation Membership Email Campaign
This one is for inactive members. The goal of this email campaign is to get those inactive members engaged again. Perhaps it’s time for a new course or a webinar?
The subject line should be along the lines of something like, “Are you still there?” or “We miss you!” The body of the emails will employ friendly language that reiterates exactly how they’ve been missed (e.g., “We’re here to help”). Maybe with a few helpful links and offers, as well as some kind words on just how much you’d like them to reconnect with your company (and why!).
12. Reactivation Product Purchase Email Campaign
This tactic is particularly useful if your client sells a product that people buy once every few years, like a car or a TV. You’ll want to send this email within the first 48 hours of the purchase. In addition to a discount code, you can also use this opportunity to offer other relevant products and services. For example, if you sell TVs, it could make sense to offer installation services as well.
You can also use this email to help customers make the most out of the product that they bought from you. Maybe there’s an interesting feature that they haven’t used yet or some cool trick that would help them with their purchase? Share all of these in your email.
Referrals and sales are the lifeblood of a successful freelance career. Find out how freelance email marketing plays a pivotal role in achieving more referrals and sales in our article about freelance email marketing: the secret to more referrals and more sales. Discover the strategies that can take your freelance business to new heights.
Final Thoughts
You’ve got the keys to the kingdom. Learning how email marketing and automation can help your freelance business is great, but using it is where the big money happens.
So go out there and do what you do best get new clients, plan for success, and don’t forget to take a break now and then. You deserve it!
Further Reading
Email Marketing for Freelancers: Explore practical tips and strategies to enhance your freelance email marketing campaigns.
The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing Automation: Delve into the comprehensive guide that covers all aspects of email marketing automation, helping you streamline your campaigns.
Guide to Email Marketing Automation: Learn the essentials of email marketing automation to create more personalized and effective email campaigns.
People Also Ask
What Is Email Marketing?
Email marketing is a type of internet marketing that uses email to promote companies’ products or services. All emails sent to potential or current customers could be considered email marketing. It usually involves using emails to send advertisements, request business, or solicit sales or donations, and is meant to build loyalty, trust, or brand awareness. Email marketing can be done to either sold lists or a current customer database.
Why Is Email Marketing Important?
Email marketing is an essential tool in every smart marketer’s tool belt. Email allows you to reach your audience where they are without the hassle of social media algorithms keeping your message from being seen by your followers organically. Not only does this increase engagement with subscribers and improve brand recognition for your business, but it also results in higher conversions for you as well!
What Are The Advantages Of Email Marketing?
There are many advantages of email marketing including:
- It’s cost-effective (it’s free if you don’t pay someone else)
- It can be automated so that it doesn’t require manual work unless there’s an issue with a campaign
- It reaches people at times when they’re more likely to open your messages because they’re already checking their inboxes regularly throughout the day anyway–this means there will probably also be fewer missed opportunities due to things like busy schedules on social media platforms where notifications might not get noticed right away if ever at all (depending upon how often someone checks their feed).
How Do You Write An Email Marketing Strategy?
Your email marketing strategy should include the purpose of your emails and how you want to achieve them. In addition, it should also include aspects such as what you want to achieve with individual emails, how they fit into your wider marketing strategy, and how they help you to achieve your goals. You can set clear objectives for each email campaign by using a S.M.A.R.T approach (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely).
What Is Email Marketing?
Email marketing is the process of sending emails to prospective customers to help them with their problems or showcase something interesting.
How Do I Grow My Email List?
Make it easy for people to sign up, use an automated system that invites visitors who don’t subscribe to sign up, and promote your campaign on social media.
How Do I Start An Email Marketing Campaign?
Choose a program, create a lead magnet, build your landing page, write the copy for your emails, and link it all together with some automation software, and voila!
What Is Email Marketing Good For?
Email marketing has several benefits including staying in touch with past clients and keeping new leads warm by helping them solve their problems. It also gives you more opportunities to build trust and then convert subscribers into paying customers.
How Do I Start Email Marketing For Free?
If you need a freemium option for beginners tries MailChimp or Constant Contact. Both are great tools that will allow you to send up to 2000 emails per month (with limited functionality). You can also try Sendinblue which offers both free and paid plans as well as powerful features if/when needed.
Why Should I Pay For It? Can’t I Just Find Everything Online?
Sure, you can find all of these tactics online but that doesn’t mean they’ll work for you! There are so many factors that go into successful marketing automation and outreach strategies, including how long you’ve been doing this kind of thing and what kind of experience you have with it.
How Can I Find Freelance Email Marketing & Automation Jobs?
You can find freelance email marketing & automation jobs on platforms like Upwork and Guru. You can also find them on job boards like Indeed and Glassdoor, as well as LinkedIn and other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. You can also network with friends who are freelancers to see if they know of anyone who needs help in your area of expertise.
I am a content writer, and I love what I do! Writing makes me feel like the words are flowing through my fingers, and then onto the keyboard, like magic. My experience as a writer has taught me that writing makes me feel good, as well as helps others to feel better too!