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email tactics

So, you've finally set up your email list and you've even started to get some subscribers coming through (hurrah!) BUT what on earth are you meant to do now?

Everyone keeps saying the power is in the email list but what are you supposed to do to tap into all that power?

Read on dear chum, I'm going to share NINE types of email that you can, no - SHOULD send your list. Each email will help your audience to connect with you, to trust you more and ultimately, they'll all bring your subscribers closer to buying from you.

PSST! After a spot of further reading when it comes to all things email marketing? Check out my Ultimate Beginners' Guide!

1) A Welcome Email

This one is pretty obvious but worth mentioning nevertheless as I've often seen it butchered and I don't want that for you.

Your welcome email will be the very first communication that your new subscriber receives from you. The key purpose of the email might seem to be to deliver what ever free delight they signed up for. However, this is just the secondary purpose. The real purpose is to make a memorable (in a good way) first impression.

You want to introduce yourself and your business in a way that will inspire such a positive response that people will be eagerly searching their inbox for your next message.

You should have a clear idea of who your ideal client is and your welcome email should be written as if speaking directly to that person.

If you'd like more insights into how to write a great welcome series for your new subscribers then look no further as I've created a great cheat sheet you can follow...

Your email series welcome sheet

Not sure what to even write in your emails?  Don't worry - I've done the work or you 😉 Grab your free copy of my Email Welcome Series Cheat Sheet and I'll lead you through  a fab 6 email welcome series that will make your subscribers fall in love with you and your biz - and ready to buy what you're selling 🙂

Download Now!

2) Your Story

Your welcome series is actually a great place to share your brand story for the first time but it certainly shouldn't be the only time you share it.

As content creators (and if you're an online business owner you're also a content creator) we naturally want to avoid repetition. However, a certain amount of repetition is not only advisable but necessary if you truly want your audience to connect with you, trust you and buy from you.

There are a few reasons why this is true:

  • Not everyone sees every piece of content you create 
  • Not everyone remembers every piece of content you create
  • In marketing, there's something called 'the rule of 7', which basically means that on average, someone has to see something seven times before they'll act on it.

Stories are one of the most powerful tools that a marketer can use because we remember them, we relate to them and in the case of a really good story, we share them with our friends.

So please don't just leave your story gathering dust in your first welcome email and your 'About' page. Share it often.

You can focus on different parts of it or you can vary how you tell it - perhaps mixing up the written word with a video or a Facebook Live...

However you choose to do it, make sure your story is an integral part of your regular content.

3) An Ask Campaign

If you're wondering what the heck an 'Ask Campaign' is, then it's simply a way of finding out more about your audience.

The better we know who are audience are, what they're struggling with and what they want, the more easily we can serve them and more easily we can sell to them.

Your 'Ask Campaign' could be a survey that you send your subscribers to ask them more about themselves or it could be as simple as asking them to hit reply to your email and tell you what they're struggling with right now.

However you choose to do it, Ask Campaigns should be another regular tool in your email kit box. While your list is still small, you may not get many responses but even one response is better than none, so persist and don't be discouraged by small numbers.  

Not sure what to ask? Here are a few great examples:

  • What's your biggest challenge with <your niche> right now?
  • If we went for coffee, what one question would you ask me about <your niche>?
  • If you could overcome <challenge related to your niche>, what would that mean for your life?
  • If I were to create a solution to help you overcome <challenge related to niche> what would you want it to include?
  • If you could pay to overcome <challenge related to niche>, what would that be worth to you?

4) A Case Study

Case studies offer a huge amount of value, both to your audience and to you. You can of course source a case study that someone else in your niche has created but the value here is much less than if you create one of your own...

You see, if you create your own case study, you can base it on work that you've done, clients that you've helped and results that you've achieved. And the benefits of that? 

  • You are producing a valuable and completely unique piece of content that your audience can't get anywhere else.
  • By sharing results that you've achieved, you are increasing your credibility as an expert in your field
  • You can also include testimonials and feedback from clients and customers, which will be a huge boost to your own brand.

5) Feedback Survey

This is similar to an Ask Campaign, but not quite the same. You see, an Ask Campaign helps you to learn more about your Ideal Clients, but a Feedback Survey gives you insights into your own products, services, brand and business.

We can be an arrogant bunch, us online business owners. We think we know what our ideal clients need - perhaps we even do know what they need. The problem is, we often don't take the time to find out what they want. And if we want to make money, then we need to sell people something they actually want.

A feedback survey is a wonderful way to do just that - and there are tons of examples of when this strategy can (and should) come into play...

  • Just finished a launch and want to know why some people didn't buy?
  • Just completed a 5 day challenge but no one engaged?
  • Want to learn how effective your latest product or service is?
  • Not sure how often to email your list?
  • Can't decide whether to blog or do podcasts?

The list could go on and on...

But the response is always ASK. If you want to know what your audience likes and what they don't like, then ask them.

TOOL TIPS: Want to create your own survey? Check out SurveyMonkey or Typeform to get started.

6) A 'Sneak Peak'

Now, if you're taking the trouble to build an email list - and to worry about what content you should be sending them, then something you'll definitely want to be doing on a regular basis is selling your stuff! Cos otherwise, what the heck's the point?

A really fun and non-salesy way to do this is to offer people a 'sneak peak' behind the scenes. This helps people to feel part of something while also showing off your products and services in a completely fun and non-pressure way. Boom! 

Not sure how to give your audience a sneak peak? Here are a few ideas...

  • Create a video of you doing your thang 
  • Selling a course or membership? Create a 'guided tour' to share with your audience
  • Use social media channels like Instagram Stories to share snippets of your day or your creative process
  • Write a 'day in the life' style blog post which gives people an insight into your business

Here's an example of a 'Sneak Peak' type video that I created when I was launching my first membership, Your Business Lounge.

7) A One Time Offer

There's no denying it, urgency sells.

The key here is to not create fake or 'sleazy' urgency.  If you're going to tell people about a 'one time offer' then make darn sure it's just that. The second you start repeating the same 'one time offer' again and again, you will lose your audience's trust and your own credibility.

That being said, if you can create fun ways to add scarcity and urgency to your sales process then you'll definitely benefit from it.

People are procrastinators. If we can put something off, we will! So giving a little incentive to take action NOW rather than later will definitely improve your conversion rates.

Another bonus of a one time offer is that it gives your audience the opportunity to grab a good deal! There will always be folks who are on the fence, unsure about whether to buy or not and sometimes, a good old one time offer is just what they need to push them off the fence and on to your check-out page.

8) Re-engagement Check-in

Now this one can feel a bit painful but it's SO worth it.

You see, you will inevitably get a certain number of subscribers who have just stopped engaging with your emails and if you let this carry on too long, the number of unengaged subscribers will increase and in turn, your engagement rates will decrease and you don't want that because poor engagement rates can have an impact on your email deliverability. 

SO, what's a poor list owner to do?

Well, first of all you want to try to re-engage those sleepy subscribers who aren't paying attention. There are a few ways you can do this - all involving your subject line as this is the only part of your email they'll see unless they actually open it!

  • Be direct - use a subject line such as 'do you still want to receive these emails?' The trick here is to be transparent without sounding needy. Please don't resort to subject lines such as 'why don't you like me?' or 'Was it something I said?' - I've seen these used and they don't come off well!
  • Be different - well if what you've been doing so far isn't working then try something completely different! It could be something super simple like adding some emojis to your subject line or it could be completely changing the style of subject line.
  • Be irresistible! - what would your audience find hard to ignore? Perhaps a download or some inside gossip relating to your niche? Perhaps even some inside info on YOU! I recently had an email from Carrie Green with the subject line 'this was my first ever video' and I can tell you, there was no way I wasn't opening that one!

PS. Once you've sent a re-engagement email, it's well worth clearing out your remaining unengaged subscribers because this will boost your open rates and clickthrough rates - which is a GOOD thing! It feels hard because none of us like to see our numbers go down but believe me it's better than having a list full of people who just aren't interested.

9) Content Round-up

Last but by no means least, the good old content round-up email! This is basically a regular 'newsletter' style email which you can send your list. You'll share links to whatever content you've published that day/week/month (depending on how often you choose to send it).

This email should be a staple for any list owner because:

  • It will drive more traffic to your content 
  • It will give value to your subscribers
  • It will keep them engaged with your business and checking out your other social channels and platforms
  • Oh, and it's easy! You've already created the actual content so this is just a no-brainer!

If you're on my list you'll know that I send a regular email to let you know when I've published a new blog post - and if you haven't subscribed to my list then you should totally do that now - and I'll even send ya a free Welcome Series Cheat Sheet!

PIN this:

engaging emails

Not sure what to even write in your emails?  Don't worry - I've done the work or you 😉 Grab your free copy of my Email Welcome Series Cheat Sheet and I'll lead you through  a fab 6 email welcome series that will make your subscribers fall in love with you and your biz - and ready to buy what you're selling 🙂

Download Now!

About the Author

Colette Broomhead

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