You’ve probably heard that it’s important to build your email list, but what exactly do you DO with it once you have subscribers on the list? I previously shared three must-send emails, but let’s dig even deeper into EVERGREEN email sequence tips (also called an email sequence, email series, funnel, or nurture emails).
When you’re ready to increase your sales and engagement game, you need an evergreen email sequence that includes nurturing emails. These are automated emails that send based on subscriber behavior– joining your list for the first time, opting into a specific lead magnet, clicking a specific link in one of your emails, etc. As a new business owner, you need evergreen “set once and done” tasks that grow your business around the clock without you! By implementing these email sequence tips, it’s likely that you’ll not only see immediate results but also develop long-term success.
Email Sequence Tips: Beginner’s Guide
Have you ever received an email that felt like it was written just for you, even though it came from a company? That’s the magic of a perfectly crafted email nurture sequence.
This strategic marketing approach involves sending a series of automated emails to a prospect to nurture leads and convert sales, with the goal to establish an ongoing relationship and brand loyalty.
Why is this important?? According to research, it takes an average of 8 touch points before a prospect becomes a customer. That’s a lot of effort, time, and resources spent on building a relationship with each single customer!
This is where email nurturing can make all the difference. The term “nurturing” refers to the idea that businesses need to cultivate relationships with their leads, just like a gardener would nurture a plant. By consistently engaging with your potential customers (and providing real value!), you can increase the chances of contacts choosing your services in the future.
Whether you offer classroom activities that save teachers time or provide tutoring services to parents, an email nurture sequence can help you stay connected with your audience and keep your business at the top of their minds.
However, a successful email campaign requires careful planning. Considering these email sequence tips can help! If you get stuck, I also offer newsletter start up services to help configure your first email series.
Time-Based Email Campaigns
A time-based drip campaign is a series of emails that are sent out at specific intervals, such as every two days or once a week, to provide leads with valuable information gradually over time. It’s like a drip, drip, drip of information that keeps them engaged and interested without too much information all at once.
Time intervals are typically based on the audience’s behavior or preferences, such as when they are most likely to check their email or engage with your content. You also need to consider how much time it would take to act on or implement the tips in each email in order to space them out appropriately.
Let’s look at an example. As a teacher creator, your lead magnet may be a single activity from a larger fraction unit. You give away the smaller free activity to teachers who opt into your list as a lead magnet.
Then you also send a time-based drip campaign to nurture those leads and build a relationship with your new subscribers over the coming days.
First Email
In the first email, you deliver the freebie you promised and extra tips for how to use it. You might even share a related anchor chart. Then you invite teachers to try it out and let you know how it goes, tag you on social media with their pictures, etc.
You can introduce yourself with a fun fact or story about your passion for teaching, but keep in mind that subscribers already on your email list may have also opted into this specific series.
Second Email
In the second email, you should follow up and ask them how the activity went. Offer additional tips and tricks to make teaching fractions more engaging and fun for their students. Link to a few related blog posts and share a link to the larger bundle in case they’re ready for more!
Third Email
In the third email, you should go even deeper. Share other related fraction resources that go beyond the initial bundle. Think about the scope and sequence you personally use, starting with the freebie you offered as a lead magnet and continuing through the next several steps of the unit.
At the end of this specific email sequence, it’s also a good idea to share other ways they can connect with you to keep the relationship going: following on social media, joining a Facebook group, subscribing to your podcast, etc.
These subscribers will also be part of your regular email campaigns for ongoing marketing.
Behavior-Based Email Campaigns
Behavior-based email nurturing campaigns involve tracking how leads interact with your content. Then based on this data, you send targeted and personalized emails that provide value and address their specific pain points.
Let’s look at an example. If a teacher in your current email list clicks on a link in your regular weekly email related to teaching fractions, you can automatically send her more information about your fraction curriculum, similar to the fraction series above in the drip campaign.
Keep in mind that to send a behavior-based email lead nurturing campaign, you need a robust email marketing automation platform that can track and analyze user behavior. This way, you can segment your audience based on their interests, clicks, and preferences to send targeted emails that resonate with them. ConvertKit is a great option.
Email Sequence Tips: The Anatomy Of A Great Email Series
In today’s digital world, it’s crucial to craft emails that capture your readers’ attention and inspire them to take action. Here are essential components of a great email series.
Write a Great Email Subject Line
Creating an engaging subject line is key to getting your email opened – It should be short, sweet, and to the point.
You’ll want to avoid overly salesy language in your sales funnels, as this can turn off potential readers. Instead, focus on creating a subject line that’s informative and easy to understand. You can even spruce up titles with emojis to increase the chances they’ll open your emails and help stand out in their inbox previews.
A great subject line should be:
- Attention-grabbing
- Relevant to your audience
- Aligned with your email’s content
For example, if you are a tutor you could use a subject line like: “Is Your Child Struggling with Homework? This Checklist Can Help.”
With just a few simple tweaks, you can craft an effective subject line that will have readers hooked from the start!
Decide On Length And Frequency
Now that you have learned about creating catchy subject lines, let’s discuss the ideal length and frequency of your emails. You don’t want to send overly long emails or people will lose interest quickly. No one wants to open their inbox to a novel, but especially not busy teachers and parents!
How often you send emails is also important. You want to remind people about your product or service, but not so often that it becomes annoying. Finding the right balance for your audience is crucial to a successful nurture sequence campaign.
Decide Where To Put In Your Call To Action
The placement of your call-to-action (CTA) is a critical factor in the success of your email campaigns – it leads to more clicks and, ultimately, more conversions.
However, this doesn’t mean you should cram as many CTAs into each email as possible. Instead, think about where they would be most effective for different types of content.
Let’s imagine you’re promoting a new game in your nurture sequence. Aside from the obvious CTA at the end of the email that encourages subscribers to download the game, you could place other CTAs throughout the email to increase engagement.
Here are examples of how to use CTA:
- Use a CTA within the body that links to a blog post related to the game subject
- Include a CTA that encourages subscribers to share the game with their colleagues
- Provide social sharing buttons within the email or even create a referral program where subscribers can earn rewards for each person they refer who downloads the game (this actually works really well for course launches or major bundles!).
Also mix up the style of your CTA– text, buttons, and pictures all appeal in different ways.
Address Your Leads’ Pain Points
Think of this like a doctor trying to diagnose a patient – you need to understand what’s bothering your leads before you can help them.
Here are things to keep in mind when creating effective email sequences:
- Figure out what problems parents face when trying to help their child do well in school. Do they feel lost and unsure how to help? Are they worried about money? Knowing what’s troubling them can help you provide the right solutions.
- Offer free ebooks or webinars that give parents tips on how to improve their child’s grades. Since every child learns differently, show them that a private tutoring session might be their best option. Couple this with giving discounts for a specific time purchase.
Remember, not every lead is the same. Some may need more nurturing than others. Having the right amount of communication ensures that no one slips through the cracks.
Share A Knowledge Bomb In Your Sequence
As part of your email series, you should share a knowledge bomb with your readers. A knowledge bomb is a piece of helpful information that your readers can apply to their lives immediately and that can help them achieve their goals.
As a teacher entrepreneur, you could share some tips on:
- Finding engaging morning meeting read alouds for students
- A list of recommended resources, such as educational apps, books, or websites that can help parents support children’s learning at home.
Remember to provide detailed explanations of why this information is important and how it can benefit your readers. The goal is to provide value to your audience and show them that you are a credible source of knowledge and expertise in your field.
Add Personalization to Your Message
Studies have found that personalized emails can deliver up to six times higher transaction rates so personalization should be at the forefront of your marketing strategy.
To add a personal touch, consider tailoring your onboarding email sequence to speak directly to your subscribers’ interests and needs based on their behavior and clicks. This allows you to show them that you understand their specific needs.
Adding personal details such as their name to your emails can also make your subscribers feel more seen.
Using segmentation and email automation tools are more powerful ways to send tailored messages based on user behavior, such as purchase history, website visits, and more. This allows you to create highly targeted content for every customer’s needs.
Write According To Your Goal
Writing an email sequence is like creating a novel. Instead of chapters, you have emails. Just like with a novel, you need to have a goal in mind before you start writing in order to create an outline.
Let’s say you want to promote your product bundles to teachers. Your goal would be to get more orders, so your email sequence needs to revolve around the goal of encouraging teachers to purchase your products.
In your first email, you might introduce yourself and explain why you’re passionate about teaching to build your credibility. In the next few emails, you can share your top tips for effective teaching related to the topic, offer engaging activity ideas for students, or even share some feedback from other classroom teachers.
Craft a Final Email
Make the final email count! You can wrap up your email sequence by reminding your readers of the value you provide and the benefits they will receive from purchasing your product bundles. Remember, each email should be connected to your final goal and offer value to your readers.
Tip: Your goal doesn’t always have to be about getting more sales. It could also be about building relationships, providing helpful information, or simply staying top-of-mind with your audience. Whatever your goal may be, make sure it is clear and actionable.
Automate Your Nurture Sequence
Did you know that you can make your email marketing campaigns more effective without spending all your time on them? Try automating your email nurture sequence!
Here’s how:
- Choose a marketing automation tool like ConvertKit.
- Decide how many emails you want to send and when you want to send them.
- Group your subscribers based on things like age, interests, and behavior.
- Set up triggers to activate your email sequence, like when someone signs up for your newsletter, downloads a specific lead magnet, or clicks a specific link.
- Test your emails and make changes as needed to improve engagement.
By automating your campaigns, you no longer have to send individual emails to each subscriber. This can save a significant amount of time and energy, which helps you focus on what you do best – teaching and creating!
Analyze And Adjust
Keep in mind that creating the email sequence is just the first step. To ensure its effectiveness, you need to regularly analyze and adjust it.
First, track your open rates and click-through rates for each email in your sequence. This is like a pulse check for how engaged your subscribers are with each piece of content.
Keep a close eye on metrics like unsubscribes and opt-outs after every send. Think of these metrics like a virtual suggestion box where you can get feedback about what is and isn’t working. Use this feedback to make adjustments and optimize your campaign for better results.
If one email is continually under-performing, evaluate its subject and content. Experiment with subject lines to see what really grabs your subscribers’ attention. Play around with different tones, emotions, and styles to see what resonates the most.
If you notice open rates declining over the course of your series, consider shortening or reordering the sequence to keep attention.
You need to be proactive in analyzing and adjusting your email sequence regularly to ensure maximum engagement and conversions. Keep things fresh, experiment with new approaches, and use data insights to make informed decisions.
Work With Me
Are you feeling overwhelmed with all the marketing strategies and email sequence tips we’ve discussed so far? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! As a one-person marketing and sales team, it can be tough to keep up with everything.
The truth is, marketing can be a lot to handle on your own.
But don’t let that discourage you from taking action! Break down your goals into manageable steps and find the right tools to help you along the way.
If you still find it difficult to manage, I’m here to help. As someone who has been in your shoes, I truly understand the challenges of managing a marketing campaign.
I can help with your email marketing, and together we can create an initial funnel that will help you achieve your marketing goals!
