Turn leads into customers with email nurture sequences

Have you heard the news?

Email marketing is dead, gone, missing in action.

At least that’s what we’ve been hearing for years now.

Yet according to a study conducted by the Direct Marketing Association...“email marketing had a median ROI of 122% -- more than 4 times higher than other marketing formats examined, including social media, direct mail, and paid search.”

So to put it simply...email is alive and well.

And that goes just the same for nurture sequences which help turn new leads and prospects into first time customers and lifelong clients.

Getting this right will pour more profits into your business, helping you sell more of your online courses, coaching, and other digital products.

What’s actually dead are outdated, spam-like tactics which pester people more than they provide any real value. That’s if those emails ever make it to the inbox in the first place.

The real problem we digital entrepreneurs have to confront?

Irrelevant and boring emails.

DMA Insights conducted a survey which revealed that 53% of consumers feel they get too many irrelevant emails from brands. Not too shocking, right?

So it’s not surprising that email open rates have also declined over the last few years.

Yet here’s the thing...

Do the majority of people you know -- yourself included -- still check their email every single day? Many checking it far more than they’d like to admit? Exactly.

The issue isn’t always the medium...it’s the message as well.

So as smart business owners and marketers, your goal is to continue to leverage the incredible ROI capability of email and turn irrelevant messaging, into anticipated communication.

How you do that from lead to first sale is the subject of this article.

We’ll be reviewing our 5 Ws which we find in nearly all of the effective nurture sequences we look at on a daily basis. We share key elements instead of specific “rules” because every situation is different.

For some, a very narrow paint-by-numbers, do-this-do-that type of approach isn’t what works best. Plus, none of these are linear, meaning one email doesn't necessarily contain one and not the other. They can be used on your first email or your fiftieth.

The 5 W’s which make your nurture sequences into conversion machines are:

1. Who are you?
2. Why should they read your emails?
3. What are you saying to help them?
4. Where are you taking them?
5. When do you talk to them?

The Most Important One...

“What’s the most important part of an email?”...

You’ve probably heard this before, right?

The subject line...that’s the common answer to this question. It’s the first thing people see and has a lot to do with whether they open your email or not. And we agree. All things being equal, the same email, going to the same person...two different subject lines can perform dramatically different.

But there’s something even more important...

Something which predictably determines if your emails are more likely to get opened and interacted with...

And that’s the “From” section of the email.

“Who is this email from?”

Can you see how that immediately takes priority over the subject line 99% of the time?

This is why creating a relationship with your list is the “golden goose” to running a successful online business. Especially for people like you who sell their knowledge and expertise.

This is also why we at Kajabi take landing pages and opt-in forms so seriously. You’ll see inside the “Page Builder” that our done-for-you landing pages have been created by our professional designers to make them look and feel more personal.

This first opt-in is where you start the relationship.

Imagine you just met someone in person...how would you start a relationship with them? It’s kind of like that. But online, it’s even more so not about you...only instead how you can help them.

So they’ve landing on your page which you quickly created in Kajabi. It looks great and you’ve added your own flair to the messaging on the page...

Your first email is huge.

This email typically has the highest open rate of almost any you’ll ever send them, so first impression matters here. There are three ways you can help create rapport in this email.

Know You. Like You. Trust You.

They come to know you as you quickly share a little bit about who you are, what you do, and how it can help them.

Just like in person, they’ll like you as you’re authentic, reveal secrets, show them behind the curtain of your life, and talk like a normal person.

This will also lead to them trusting you. But it also helps if you can show some sort of proof that you can do the things which you’re saying you can and if you’ve immediately delivered any bribe you may have offered on your landing page.

Stand Out In A Crowded Inbox

An inbox overflowing with unread messages even by people whose emails you actually want to read! Sound familiar?

Your prospects are no different. They’re dealing with a barrage of daily distractions.

“Why should I read your emails?”

This is next on our list.

While there are a handful of responses to this question, we want to address one which we find transfers over into any industry or prospect...

Be Different!

The only way to stand out in the inbox is to get attention, and the only way to get attention is to be or say something different. This doesn’t mean be loud or obnoxious, just being yourself and telling someone “how it really is” can be enough.

You want the prospect to look forward to your emails because you’re not just another “me-too” showing up to tell them more of what they’re already hearing.

There’s no “one way” to be different or get attention. Here are just a few...

• Share stories from all areas in your life
• Become known for revealing the “truth” and telling it the way it is
• Be entertaining
• Use humor
• Surprise them with bonuses or other gifts

In marketing we see a pattern…

Someone figures out a new way which works incredibly well. They’ve discovered a new way to be different, stand out, and get attention. Then others begin to copy and that differentiation fizzles out and turns into the norm.

So embrace being different.

Embrace you’re not like everybody else and neither are your messages.

Within Kajabi Mail you can create this entire sequence with all the functionality of a premium priced email marketing platform. You can embed links to videos, include images, and stylize the text in whatever way you choose.

Your first email will typically be a “Welcome Email” which includes whatever free piece of content you promised them and a message to help them know, like, and trust you.

As your next few emails within this sequence follow, you want to focus on saying things that are both different and provide value at the same time. Which brings us to the next “W”...

Make It Worth Reading

“What are you saying to help me?”

Every email you send should contain some form of value for your reader.

That doesn’t mean every email needs to hard teach or tell them everything you know about something. Value has many shapes and forms…

It can be information such as tips and strategies, but it can also be insights into new ways of dealing with what they’re dealing with. Thought leaders are so popular because we all are drawn to people who show us higher ways of looking at what we’re dealing with.

Value can also come in the form of inspiration or entertainment.

The main objective is to have your emails be something they look forward to receiving because they know they’re going to take something away from it which can help them.

Remember earlier when we cited how 53% of emails feel irrelevant to the reader?

Simply by including some form of relevant education or value in every email makes your entire sequence feel more personally and less sales-y.

Email Is Your Digital Sales Team

“Where are you taking them.”

There’s differing opinions on how often you should sell in your emails. Every one? Every other? Never? You can go in circles trying to figure out the “right” way.

Remember, this is your business and you can choose to do whatever works for you.

But in our opinion, nearly every email you send should then be sending your reader somewhere else. It should be “selling” them to something.

Maybe it’s to a sales page, blog post, or for some sort of free downloadable content. No matter what it is you want to have some call to action where they can go get more of what you were just giving them.

Sometimes all that’s needed is a link, not multiple paragraphs creating urgency around why they need to click now. It can be a very simple, no pressure call to action.

Always remember...they joined your list because they believe you can help them in some way and selling in your emails is the bridge to them getting the help they want in need.

When you create a nurture sequence which creates a relationship, is different than the other “me-too” type content they have showing up in their inbox, and adds value...

Your selling feels a lot less like typical selling and more like you’re offering them an opportunity to go to the next level in solving whatever problem they have.

How Often Is Too Often

“When do you talk to them?”

This is another one of the big questions we get when helping digital entrepreneurs create email nurture campaigns.

How many emails should I send them after opting in? How close together? How much is too much? All these types of questions.

In our experience, when you’re hitting the 4 elements we’ve discussed above in your emails and campaigns, you’re putting “deposits” into the relationship bank account you have with that new prospect.

You’re communicating like a real person who is genuinely out to help them in your own unique way. Not like some furniture store screaming sale sale sale now now now.

The style of email we’ve been walking you through grants you more opportunity and flexibility in the quantity of email you can send.

If someone is emailing you and it’s boring with no value and is clearly out to fulfill some selfish motive, what are you most likely to do? Either unsubscribe or not buy.

But instead if that brand has created a real relationship with you and their emails are different, fun to read, informational, and always help you go from “Point A” to “Point B”...

...well those become messages you not only love to read, but actually look forward to getting!

For some it’s emailing every day. For others it’s two or three times a week. And for some it’s even less than that. At the end of the day it’s your business and you get to choose how often is the “right” for you.

We suggest that a good nurture sequence for a new customer should contain at least one email per day for 3-5 days after they joined your list. This is simply because when they joined your list is when they’re most interested in what you have to offer. Their problem is fresh in their mind.

Emailing in the way we’ve discussed and having daily frequency even if just for the first 3 to 5 days will help turn more of your new leads into paying customers.

An example nurture sequence overview could look something like this:

New lead joins your list from your landing page offering a free special report:

Day 1 -  1st Email: Welcome email sent immediately which includes the free report and a message which helps the new lead “know, like, and trust you”. The call to action could be a “PS” which creates curiosity about the email they’ll be getting tomorrow…

Day 2 - 2nd Email: This email shares a quick story of how you got to the point of where you are today and the struggle which you initially went through. You share the new or different piece of content. The call to action is for your lowest priced product.

***Offering your lowest priced product is typically the best way to help a new lead become a first time customer. It’s a low barrier way for them to experience what one of your paid products is like. If you don’t have a lower priced product, that’s completely ok. Your call to action can be to whatever product you want, or even to have them follow you on a social media platform.

Day 3 - 3rd Email: This email could highlight 3 reasons why how you teach what you teach is different than most everyone else. Again focusing on what’s different about your emails and also providing value. Call to action is selling your product.

Day 4 - 4th Email: Similar to Day 3 just a new angle. Same call to action if they didn’t buy yesterday. Could introduce scarcity that this low introductory offer disappears tomorrow.

Day 5 - 5th Email: Could be the last email in the nurture sequence. Last day you’re offering the introductory low price. Could offer a money back guarantee. Do whatever you can to create a compelling offer and get the first sale.

This is just one example.

As long as you’re striving to follow the 5 W’s we walked through in this article, your nurture sequence should be effective no matter how you decide to structure it or what products you offer.

Once that nurture sequence is complete you want to continue emailing them with broadcast emails using the same elements you’ve been using.

Making It Easy

Within Kajabi’s email marketing solution you can easily create tags which automatically will move your leads and new customers to different campaigns or groups based upon the actions you’ve taken.

You can even quickly create the free opt-in bribes and low priced products using our done-for-you templates.

Want to know how to grow your email list even more? Watch this quick video:
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If you have any questions about how to create a nurture sequence for your own business, comment below and members of the Kajabi team will help you out!

If you already know what you’d like to teach and would rather jump right into the Kajabi platform and take it for a risk-free test drive, below you’ll find a link for your 14-day free trial…

Use Kajabi to Turn Your Knowledge And Content Into Products You Can Sell

We know that you have something to teach the world. We also know there are people out there who want to learn what you know.

That’s why we created Kajabi. It’s a full-featured platform that allows professionals like you to create their own businesses from home.

Create online courses, establish membership sites, and sell other digital products. We offer tons of marketing tools to help you spread the word about your products and earn more revenue.

Of course, launching a business represents a huge commitment. We understand that.

To help ease you into the process of creating a Knowledge Commerce business of your own, we offer a 14-day free trial.

Get unfettered access to our tools, templates, and other assets so you can fully explore what Kajabi has to offer.

Are you ready to become your own boss? Now’s the time.

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