A customer signs up for your email list, requests a free trial or demo, or abandons an item in their shopping cart. Obviously, you need to reach out to them to thank them, provide more info or (gently) cajole them into making a purchase. But if you emailed each of them individually, you wouldn’t have time to do anything else.
The solution? Email sequences.
An email marketing sequence automatically sends an appropriate email (or series of emails) when a customer action triggers one of the predefined conditions. Once you’ve created the copy and set rules for the sequence, it’s a set-it-and-forget-it way to ensure that each customer gets personalized, relevant information. It naturally won’t eliminate every need for a personal interaction, but it will reduce the time you have to spend manually emailing leads and customers.
And you can your email marketing sequences over and over (and over and over) again!
Whether you’re looking for a way to improve your existing email marketing sequences or get started creating new ones, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Best Practices for Email Marketing Sequences
Live (or Die) By Your Subject Line
Your subject line determines whether your reader opens your email or sends it to its digital death in the recycling bin. A strong subject line can make you; anything less will break you.
Subject lines should be short, descriptive, to the point, interesting, and personalized. If that sounds like a lot, it’s because it is — but you should never leave it to chance. A good subject line tester can help you sort out the awesome from the awful.
Create Immediate Interest
Even if your subject line is a hit, you still don’t have a ton of time to capture the attention of your intended audience. You only have about eight seconds to hook a reader, so make it count.
Don’t waste time tooting your own horn or giving them a complete history of your company. Lead with the most important thing you have to say.
Don’t Be a Robot
Yes, an email marketing sequence is triggered automatically, but your prospects should never, ever know that. Each email you send needs to sound like you sat down at your desk and typed it out just for them.
Use a conversational tone and speak as if you were addressing them in person. The more human you are, the better chance you have of creating a connection.
Always Have Something to Say
Each email in your segment needs to have a dedicated purpose. If a potential customer signs up for a free trial, they don’t need a cookie-cutter email each day of the trial reminding them to take advantage. Instead, they need a series of dynamic emails outlining tips, explaining attributes, presenting case studies or otherwise providing them with important information (and a reason to become to a paid user).
Don’t forget to include exactly one outstanding call to action in each email. You need to tell them what to do next!
Use Their Competition to Your Advantage
If you’re a business-to-business (B2B) company, don’t be afraid to drop a few names in your email sequences. They know who their biggest competitors are, and they likely want to do what those competitors are doing.
“I’m reaching out to your business because we’ve helped [insert competitor here] do some pretty cool things with their [whatever you help businesses do]. I know it’s a cutthroat industry, so I wanted to talk to you about ways we can help you get back on an even footing.”
This is a great way to get your foot in the door for even the coldest of cold emails!
Are You Working With the Right Sequence?
Email marketing has a tremendous ROI, with each dollar you spend earning you an average of $40 in return. And email sequences make it easier than ever to rake in that ROI because once they’re developed, they’re practically plug and play!
Do you need help creating an email marketing sequence that delivers results? Mischa Communications is up to the task. See what we can do for you!