If you think that email marketing is dead, think again. Email marketing is far from dead. With an average ROI of 38:1, a lot of companies still employ email marketing campaigns in their sales and marketing strategies. Consider these other encouraging statistics on email marketing:
- 80% of business professionals believe that email marketing increases customer retention.
- 59% of respondents say marketing emails influence their purchase decisions.
- 68% of millennials say promotional emails have influenced their purchase decisions.
- Marketers who use segmented campaigns note as much as a 760% increase in revenue.
- 87% of marketers use email campaigns to nurture their audiences.
According to research, there are two main types of automated emails used in campaigns. These are:
- Multi-step welcome emails for new contacts (by 47%)
- Promotional sales-focused campaign emails (by 46%)
For this post, we’ll focus on the second: promotional sales-focused campaign emails. These emails are sent with the goal of nurturing and converting leads. You will send a series of emails in the hopes of convincing a prospect to make the purchase.
What do you need to set up this sales-focused campaign? First thing you need to do is strategize on the content and set up the sequence.
Remember that there is no one formula for what will go into your email marketing campaign, but there are proven tactics that can help you, especially if it’s your first time to create and implement one. One thing for sure though: each email must serve a purpose, and the message has to be loud and clear.
You can set up your email marketing following this sequence and content strategy:
Email 1: Acknowledge the prospect’s needs
The “gist” of the whole relationship and communication with prospect is the need to address a concern, issue, problem, challenge, or pain point. That’s what got you talking and trying to build a rapport in the first place. So start off with that: acknowledge what the prospect is going through, what he wants changed or modified, and what he wants to ultimately achieve. The email serves to validate the whole reason you are there: to service the prospect.
Email 2: Explain the value—what you will do for the prospect
You want to be upfront about the value you offer the prospect. It’s not too bold or brazen; in fact, client will appreciate it. Why beat around the bush when you both know that the client’s real priority is finding a solution for his need and/or discovering the means to achieving his goal(s)?
Email 3: Send a product-centric message
This email should explain what your product or service can do—its features, benefits, advantages. You don’t want to explain everything in the email. One, you don’t want to bore the prospect and two, the rest are best explained in an in-person meeting, like in a demo. Or you can tease the prospect for a trial, which you can offer for free (more on that later).
Email 4: Show social proof
Social proof can help accelerate sales because they offer solid proof on the quality of your product or service. A social proof can be a case study, testimonial, or a white paper. Send the website links to these or attach them directly in the email.
Email 5: Give a valuable freebie
Everyone wants a freebie. Why not offer a limited-time free trial to your prospect? Or send an e-book on a topic that you know your prospect will appreciate. Just make sure it’s something of value to the prospect.
Email 6: Reiterate your value message
It’s worth repeating what you’re offering the prospect, so do reiterate your value message.
Email 7: Initiate the “bold ask”
What’s the bold ask? Sometimes, even after a string of emails (and phone calls), a prospect is still unresponsive. It may be time to ask the tough question—the big ask—to see if you should “break up” with the prospect and move on. It’s not a bad thing. Some prospects are really just not ready to make a purchase, and you can’t be wasting your time on them.
Email 8: Reach out one last time
Some marketers and sellers use this line when reaching out one last time: “Do I have permission to close your file?”
If a prospect falls through and doesn’t convert, don’t feel too bad. Rejection is part of the sales game; you should learn to handle it like a pro. Besides, you can always re-engage these cold leads another time.
So you have the sequence and content strategy, now make sure to always personalize your message to your prospect. And remember these other things:
- Use multiple touch points. Your email sequence should be part of an overall sales cadence strategy that uses multiple touch points: email, phone, and social media.
- Consider your timing. Give the prospect two to three days in between touch points. You don’t want to spam them with emails. The above sequence, for example, should last about three to four weeks (including phone calls and social media touch points).
- End each email with a clear call to action (CTA). You would always want to move a prospect towards the next step—whether it’s a quick chat on the phone or in person, a demo, etc.
Good luck!
Photos from Pexels. Main image from cottonbro
