If you’re a coach, consultant, or another type of service provider running your own business, then you have a very important job to do convince people to give you money. Luckily, there are proven strategies that make this much easier than it sounds. You can create messages that spark an electric connection with your ideal clients and make them practically *beg* to work with you.
And the best way to do this? Email marketing! In this post, I’m going to show you how to use email marketing strategies so that you can build a list of happy and eager prospects who will love working with (and paying) you.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Emotional Connection: Creating an emotional connection with subscribers can lead to higher engagement and conversions. |
| 2. Targeted Content: Tailoring your email content to resonate with specific emotions like happiness, excitement, and urgency can drive action. |
| 3. Segmentation Strategies: Utilize audience segmentation to send personalized emails that address individual needs and desires. |
| 4. Compelling Calls to Action: Craft compelling calls to action that evoke emotions and encourage recipients to take desired actions. |
| 5. Building Urgency: Incorporate time-limited offers and scarcity tactics to trigger a sense of urgency among subscribers. |
| 6. Test and Optimize: Continuously test different emotional triggers and content strategies to refine your approach over time. |
| 7. Feedback Loop: Encourage feedback from subscribers to understand their emotional responses and refine your campaigns accordingly. |
1. Put A Sign-Up Form On Your Website
Put a sign-up form on your website. The most effective way to build your list (or database) is by putting a sign-up form on your website. Make sure the form is easy to find, is above the fold, and is on every page.
Keep it short: One of the biggest mistakes people make with their sign-up form is overcomplicating it. The more hoops you ask someone to jump through, like filling out a lot of fields, the fewer people will do it. Avoid this mistake by keeping things simple.
Make it obvious: You can’t assume that people will know what to do when they come across your sign-up form so don’t leave them guessing! Tell them why they should subscribe, and how often they will receive communications from you (daily emails are not recommended).
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2. Use Social Media And Your Email Signature To Promote Your Sign-Up Form
You can use many different methods to promote your sign-up form, but two of the most effective (and free) ways include social media and email signatures. Social media is a great place to promote your sign-up form because you’ll be getting in front of an already engaged audience; fans who are already interested in your content and brand.
You can also add a link to your sign-up form in your email signature. This will make it easy for anyone who emails you to join your list.
3. Give People A Reason To Subscribe
Add an email sign-up form to your website. If you already have a website, review your site analytics to determine what page your visitors are landing on most often, and place a sign-up form there so it greets visitors right away.
If you don’t have a website or if the bulk of visitors is coming from social media or search engines, place the form at the top of your Facebook page or in your Twitter bio (for example). You can also include a special link in every email signature a simple click takes people straight to your opt-in page.
What should people get for signing up? Give them something they’ll be excited about receiving. The purpose of capturing their email is so you can continue to pitch and sell products and services, but if you’re asking them to hand over their personal information before they even know what they’re getting in return, they’ll be less likely to subscribe.
Let’s say that you’ve created an ebook on how businesses can get the most out of Facebook ads without spending thousands of dollars; this would be a great incentive for first-time subscribers because it offers practical value that ties into the topic at hand (and who doesn’t want more leads?).
If you specialize in baking cakes with buttercream frosting, offer new subscribers access to video tutorials walking them through how to make some fancy decorations for their next birthday party or office potluck. If all else fails, offer first-timers an exclusive discount code for something on sale you’ll still be able to follow up later with promotions for full-priced items!
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4. Ask For More Than Just An Email Address
Instead of simply asking for an email address, you can ask what else they’d be interested in receiving. In addition to their name and email address, this will clue you in on the type of information they prefer, as well as other ways to get in touch with them down the road.
You can also explain that your business regularly sends out information on special discounts or promotions. When they see what else you send and how often, they’ll have a better idea of whether it’s worth signing up or not.
5. Make It Easy To Unsubscribe At The End Of Every Email
It’s important to make it easy for them to unsubscribe. How do I know? Because you’ve probably unsubscribed from email lists before. Have you ever been on an email list that doesn’t provide a link at the bottom of every email to easily opt out and unsubscribe? How frustrating was it?
You’ve got your mouse hovering over the spam button, ready to check that little box and send an innocent messenger your new business contact straight into oblivion. What about when you receive an email from someone who hasn’t even added an address or a signature file at the bottom of their emails, let alone made it easy for you to unsubscribe? What are your thoughts about them as a person and a potential business partner? Not very high, I’d think.
6. Add New Contacts To Your List Manually If You Have To
Add maybe you are just starting with your email marketing and don’t have anything to import from. You can still add contacts manually. Just click the “Add Contact” button in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.
If a contact asks you directly to be added to your list, make sure they know that they will be receiving emails from you. It’s never a good practice to add them without their permission. And never buy an email list!
7. Make Sure You Have Permission Before Sending Emails
You’re almost ready to send your first broadcast email, but there’s one thing you should do before you hit “send”. Make sure you have permission! You can get into big trouble if you try to send an email blast to a list of people who haven’t opted in specifically for your emails.
This is called spamming and it will lead to angry unsubscribes, blocked emails, and even legal action against you. Make sure that all the contacts in your email list have permitted you to contact them via email. It’s also a good idea to check your contacts regularly (at least once per month) and make sure that they are all still happy with the emails they receive from you.
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8. Avoid Buying Email Lists
It may seem like a smart idea to buy an email list or borrow one from a friend, but this is the quickest way for your message to be labeled as spam. If you borrowed the list from a friend (and you have friends!), the people on that list aren’t expecting it and will consider it spam, too.
Instead of buying lists, spend time creating your own. Be patient while your list grows organically. I’ve found that sending out gifts every so often can help increase my mailing list quickly! Also, remember to check out my article on getting subscribers in 10 minutes per day if you’re looking for more tips on building your email lists.
9. Get Permission Through A Double Opt-In Process
A double opt-in process is one of the best ways to ensure that you build a list of people who are truly interested in your product or service. This process involves asking subscribers to verify the email address they used to sign up for your list. Double opt-in requires that someone checks their email after signing up, opens your message, and then clicks on a link within it.
If this is done correctly, you can be assured that the person wants to receive emails from you and permits you to send messages in the future. It also helps protect you against spam complaints because anyone who receives a message from you will have willingly chosen to be on your list.
When someone clicks on a link in your double opt-in confirmation message, they will be taken to an autoresponder confirmation page where they can enter their name and any other relevant information. The autoresponder will then add them as a new contact automatically so there’s no need for further action on your part unless they wish to change their subscription settings at some point down the line.
10. Keep Your Own Contact List Up-To-Date And Clean
You’ve worked hard to build your list, so don’t waste it by trying to buy one. Even the most reputable email marketing services, like MailChimp and Constant Contact, have strict rules about buying lists.
And DO NOT try to send emails to a bought list through their service. They’ll catch you and you’ll incur some serious penalties. That’s how they keep people from doing it. Beyond the added costs of using a bought list and paying a penalty, you’re more likely to get flagged as spam if your list is full of people who aren’t engaging with your messages.
And if all of your subscribers are marked as spam, your future emails won’t go anywhere at all because there will be no one left to receive them! So please avoid buying email lists in general, but if you just can’t help yourself and do it anyway.
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11. Use Automation Tools To Keep In Touch With Subscribers After They Sign Up
Use Automation Tools To Keep In Touch With Subscribers After They Sign Up. Using email automation tools allows you to set up an ongoing conversation with your subscribers after they sign up for your list.
Personalize the emails with a contact name. This can be a link to a specific person’s email or simply “Joe” at your company name. Find an email marketing tool that allows you to see who opens the emails and clicks on links so you know who is interested in what you are offering.
Use an email marketing automation tool that allows you to add links back to your website, blog, and social media so people can easily find out more about your business. Make sure you have social media buttons on every page of your website!
12. Keep Learning More About Email Marketing
This is a long list, but if you’re serious about growing your business through email marketing, then doing all of these things is critical. I also recommend you get a mentor. Start by asking people you know who seem to be successful at email marketing and then ask them if they would take you under their wing and help you learn how to do it.
You may have to pay for this mentorship, but usually, the fee will be small compared to the payoff you’ll get from learning from someone experienced. If you have problems finding good resources on your own, check out my private Email Marketing Mastery group where we share ideas, tips, and techniques every day.
To sum up: There are many different ways to grow your email list and get subscribers that are happy, excited, and desperate for what you offer you just have to go out there and find them!
13. Make Sure You Know What You’re Talking About Before You Send Out Emails
What Is It That Makes You Different From Others? Why Are People Reading Yours? Or, Why Do You Care? What’s The Reason Behind Your Emails? You should make sure that you know what you’re talking about before you send out emails.
You can get a list of 1,000 or 10,000 or even 100,000 people who are interested in what you have to say and offer, but if they don’t see the value in your words or offers they will quickly unsubscribe. Instead of trying to write content that appeals to everyone, try to think of a niche audience who would be interested in your products and services.
Once you discover who it is that you want to sell to then it will be much easier for you to figure out what type of content they would be most likely interested in and how best to deliver this information. One way this can help is by knowing how many people read your email newsletters each time they go out (do not include opens from mobile devices).
This way when someone unsubscribes because they don’t like what was sent or maybe were not expecting such content from their provider – those are two different things entirely! And now if your emails go out every day at 10 am PST/1 pm EST.
Then there may come a point where your open rates start dropping off significantly between 11am-4pm but stay strong all other hours throughout the week which means some people might need help with finding an optimal time for sending them out (as well as making sure their subject lines attract attention).
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Final Thoughts
We learned a lot here. We learned that there are five different types of people on your email list, and we discussed what each of them wants and needs from you. We also covered how to identify which type they are and how to write emails that will appeal specifically to them.
And we know that it doesn’t matter how hard you work if those efforts don’t translate into happy customers ready to buy from you. There’s no doubt about it: effective email marketing can increase sales, loyalty, engagement, and your chances for long-term success!
Further Reading
Explore more resources related to email marketing and list building:
List Building Strategies: How to Grow Your Email List Learn effective techniques to expand your email list and reach a wider audience.
Email Marketing Campaign Ideas for Success Discover creative campaign ideas to enhance your email marketing efforts and engage your subscribers.
The Power of Email Marketing: Building a Strong List Gain insights into the significance of email marketing and how to create a robust email list that drives engagement.
People Also Ask
What’s The Best Email Marketing Software?
It depends on what you’re looking for, as there are quite a few out there that offer different features. ActiveCampaign and Drip have been growing in popularity, but ConvertKit is an editor favorite. It has simple functionality that just works. Most email marketing software will allow you to create landing pages and opt-in forms to collect leads from posts and pages, so check to see which options offer that as well.
What Are The Best Free Email Marketing Services?
ConvertKit is free up until 1k subscribers (and then it’s only $29/month after that), so I’d give them a try if you don’t want to spend any money right now. MailChimp also offers a free plan up until 2k subscribers, but it doesn’t include automation or forms so instead of picking between those two, I’d say look into ConvertKit or one of the other paid services.
What Is A Good Email Open Rate?
A “good” email open rate depends on the size of your list and to who you send emails. For example, if you own a small business, then a 40–60% unsubscribe/spam report rate after sending only one campaign could be very bad news. But if you’re sending to a list of 100,000 people and have a 44% unsubscribe/spam report rate, that’s very low.
What Is The Difference Between Email Marketing And Email Marketing Automation?
Email marketing automation is a tool that automatically sends emails based on certain criteria, like an action taken by the user, or a date. For example, you can set up an email to be sent automatically to customers who make a purchase from your store. Email marketing is what you do with those automated emails for example, sending out coupons or special offers to your customers.
Why Should I Use Email Marketing?
Email marketing is a great way to build a list of happy, excited, and desperate new clients. With email marketing, you have the opportunity to connect with your audience through their inboxes where they are most likely to be looking for information and products. You can also use it to send out special offers and discounts that will encourage them to come back again and again.
How Do I Get Started With Email Marketing?
The first thing that you need to do is set up an email list so that you can keep track of all the people who sign up for your emails. Once you have this list set up, then all you need is an email software like MailChimp or Aweber which allows you to create professional-looking emails that can be sent out automatically whenever there’s new content available on your website (or blog).
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.