Blogging
How to Create an Email Sequence that Converts
Your subscribers are pouring in, now what!? In my free guide below, I’ll show you how to create an email sequence, and the first Welcome Email Series that will keep your subscribers
Getting Started: Writing a Welcome E-mail Series
- Why should you write a welcome email sequence?
- How many emails should you add to your welcome email series?
- How often should you send these emails?
- What do you write in your welcome email series?
- How do you combine your broadcasts and your welcome email series?
- How do you transition from a simple welcome email series to selling something?
Download the free Welcome Email Series Templates ?
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Why should you write a welcome email sequence?
You may never get a second chance to make the first impression. We hear that all the time, right? Well, its the same concept when a customer lands on your page for the first time and chooses to subscribe to your email list.
They are opting in to share their contact information with you. As a courtesy, the most important thing you can do is follow up. Create a warm welcome email thanking them for signing up and offer something as a way to say thanks.
What will keep them engaged and tuned in for the long haul will be your email sequence that follows that initial “thanks for signing up!” email, or, your “welcome email.”
When your new subscriber signs up or joins, it is better for you to send a personal and targeted email to them rather than a once-per-week Newsletter that goes out to everyone. Creating an email that introduces yourself will feel more personal, and they’ll be more likely to feel connected, which creates customer loyalty.
PRO TIP: You don’t want to send a sales email to a brand new subscriber from the first email touch base. That would be rude and assuming. Let your options get to know you before sending sales-pitchy emails.
Here’s what a great welcome email series accomplishes:
- Captures your audience’s attention
- Engages with your
customers Creates a memorable experience- Builds trust
- Creates fertile soil for customers to buy
Essentially, your welcome email series is designed to get your new subscribers to get to know you, like you and build trust in you to solve specific needs or create value in their lives.
How can you do that?
For one: Always Be Creating Value first. (or, what I like to refer to as the ABCV method). Create value, create value, create value — and then Ask.
How many emails to include in a welcome email series?
I recommend to start with 3 – 5 emails, spaced out over the course of a few days. For example, send the first email immediately after the subscriber
How often to send automated emails?
Some marketers or bloggers will send more than 3, which could be seen as excessive, however, keep in mind that not all of your subscribers will see, open, or engage with every email you send. For example, if you send out 5 emails, the open rate may only be one or two. Sometimes the open rate is even zero. Which is why it’s important to always be growing your email list. A lot of your success will be a numbers and stats game.
Keep in mind also, that just one “Hello, welcome!” email isn’t enough to get someone to know you, like you or trust you. You need to build that relationship. Another thing to keep in mind is this: you won’t always resonate with everyone. Be OK with attracting your ideal clients who want to be a part of your circle, and letting go of the ones who aren’t on your wavelength.
To avoid feeling too excessive with your email sends, you can try sending more emails but choose much shorter emails or offer different, valuable content (just make sure it’s your own branded content or a collab with another brand).
What to include in a welcome email series?
Here are a few things you could include in your welcome email series:
- An introduction. “Hi, my name is Ava. This is my story..”
- How can you add value or improve their life?
- What makes you an expert? Your credibility, press, reviews, etc,
- Your brand story (want to know how to craft your perfect brand story, check out my Branding 101 Course)
- Value, value, value (ABCV: Always Be Creating Value)
- Engage, ask them questions
- Briefly introduce your products and/or services
Email #1 Example: Your Welcome Email
- Introduce yourself, give them a reason to look forward to or open your next email!
- Use the [Mail Merge] tags in your email provider so you can address your subscriber by name. It’s personal and polite.
- Ask them to add you to their contact list so that your emails won’t end up in their spam folder
- Let them know what they can expect from this email and any upcoming email correspondence
- Remind them of how they subscribed and state your value proposition or what you do to make lives better
- Provide a ton of value and give them links to your best content, or offer a freebie, download
- Ask to connect on social media (Include your social links)
- Give a teaser about your next email
- Sign with a signature that is authentic to you, and keep it consistent. (i.e. Sincerely, Always, Xo, etc.)
Email #2 Example: Thanks, Gratitude and Welcome (again)
- Re-introduce yourself (maybe they didn’t get the first email, or they forgot). Use this 2nd email as a chance to reintroduce yourself and offer ways you can help them.
- Continue to give value
- Story tell. I am a huge believer in telling your story and entertaining your audience. Pull them in with a story about you or someone you knew or worked with.
- Give them an offer or access to your best performing content or freebie also offers them your best freebie.
- You are your new sub are still in the early meet and greet stage, give her a reason to stick around. Give them high value content that will really make their lives easier/better. The best strategy is to offer something that will transform their life immediately, whether in the email or through a link.
Email #3 Example: Story Tell & Give Value
By now, your new sub is getting to know you. You’ve provided her value and haven’t been pushy or too sales-y. Engage with her further through story telling or a personal anecdote that is inspiring. Sharing more of who you are and giving your “origin story” builds a relationship.
Mention a freebie, give a download link or provide a strategy checklist. Give something of value, position yourself as the expert that you are! Use this email to sincerely provide motivation and inspiration.
Email #4 Example: ABC Value, Value, Value!
Second verse, same as the first. Just as you added story and value in email #3, do the same in email #4. Be polite, personable and provide solid tips, tricks, or strategy (i.e. VALUE) that will transform their lives.
Email #5 Example: The Ask (AKA: Sales Ask)
By email #5, your subscriber should know you and trust you a lot better. S/he’s warmed up to you and more likely to buy what you are offering. It is now time to ask for the sale or guide them along into the sales process.
PRO TIP: Do NOT be afraid to ask for the sale. If she passes, that’s OK. Remember, this can be a numbers game! If you are offering something that you know is truly valuable and you’ve worked hard on it, the price and what you’re asking for is VALID. Not everyone will be paying customers right away. Keep a positive relationship open with them, sometimes people need more time. Or, maybe they’re just curious.
To Start the Sales Process:
- Ask them for the sale directly by selling a low-cost product to try, or offering the full monty at an introductory (early bird) rate.
- Follow your offer up with 1 – 2 reminder emails and let them know the offer is limited and the doors are closing soon
- Invite them to participate in one of your sales funnels (a webinar, a free email course, or video series?) which provides value, and more specific information on a particular topic. You can use the end of the landing page or video to pitch them your full product offering.
PRO TIP: Don’t combine your email broadcasts (plain ‘ol newsletters) and your welcome email series. You’ll only want to send broadcast emails out for non-subs, and subscribers who are not in your welcome email series.
The reason for this is simple: You want to send targeted, specific, and customized emails to every new subscriber to make sure their first experiences with you are personal, positive, valuable and memorable. You don’t want to interrupt this very personal (and strategic) flow with a random sales email, or your latest blog post. Remember, we are still in the getting to know you phase.
Almost all email service providers like MailChimp, ConvertKit or Constant Contact, give you the option to create groups within email lists or exclude certain audiences when sending out your broadcasts.
So, how do you transition from your welcome email series to keeping that open dialogue and potentially selling to your subs later? Well, there are several ways, such as:
After your welcome email series is completed and they still haven’t committed to the sale, you can send them to a sales funnel to sell them a product down the line. It could be an email sales funnel, or a webinar sales funnel. Most people start with an email sales funnel. It requires less commitment, tons of value and allows you to sell without the hard sell of a webinar.
PRO TIP: A great sales strategy is offering and delivering a high-quality product that brings so much value and changes lives so much that it sells itself.
“Value Sells. $h*T does not sell.” -Dan Lok
The main takeaway you can glean from this strategy is this: Build relationships, give before asking and keep the conversation going in a way that is respectful.