You got laid, I mean leads, what now?
Well, luckily for you the hard(er) part is over.
You actually convinced someone that your content/product/offer is worth of their email. Congrats! This was a hard task to do (not really if you have Wheelio), but somehow you managed and got their email address. This is not a small task, because people really dislike giving away their email, since its a really personal thing. An email is like an invitation to their personal life and that is a big step for anyone.
You really are a master jedi pirate. Kudos to you!
How many products will I sell in my first email blast?
The answer is really simple, its NONE. NADA. ZERO.
Just image a person you just invited into your personal life and he wants to sell you a T-shirt with some stupid design. You would knock him the f**k out, wouldnt you? I would.
What to do with the emails if I cant sell to them?
Hold on, you are rushing it, just like your first sexual encounter (and you know how that went). Like all good things in life, it takes time to get to the good stuff. But, it really pays off.
Lets get to the basics. To the beginning.
WHY? Why, would someone use EMAIL MARKETING?
If you are new to marketing, this kind of question would seem logical, but if you are a seasoned guy, this is the biggest bull**** question you can get. Email marketing is the foundation of a good e-commerce asset. The bread and butter of the big stores and big brands. When you are selling an e-commerce business, the first question someone asks is about your customers and lists, because this is the real value, not how many “pay only shipping” products you have sold.
Also, I always like to add, that acquisition of new visitors/customers is getting harder and more expensive by the day and eventually you will not be profitable on the front end, but can still make shitloads of money in the backend.
How to start with EMAIL MARKETING?
To start, you need emails, email software to deliver emails and some content to send inside an email. It really isnt that simple, is it?
Lets say you already captured emails or have an email list that you can use. Its important who you got on that list and how you got them. If they are your customers and they know you, well your communication can be different and your content has to be different. If you just got the emails and the list has no idea who you are, would you try to sell them your “amazing” product? Ask yourself, would you get sales?
Probably not.
Segmentation is the key. Just like in advertising and Facebook. And E-commerce in general. EUREKA!
If you have new emails, you have to warm them up, get them to know your better. Again me with the analogies.
You met a girl, she smiles, WHAT do you do next?
a) Say to her, “hey gurl, netflix n chill?”
b) Introduce yourself
If you are not Brad Pitt, the answer is clearly B. You have to introduce yourself first. Same as email marketing. But how?
Welcome series of emails. You have to setup a sequence of automated emails that will on board the new visitor or customer.
The welcome email series should have from 1 to 4 email blasts and it shouldnt take more than 14 days.
You have a chance to introduce your company, products, products, benefits and solutions, so use that to your advantage.
Example:
#1 welcome series intro – show them your social strength in numbers and what are the benefits if they become your customer
#2 welcome series intro – meet the team behind the store, show them any ebooks if you have or guides, make them a part of your community
Visuals:
Remember, this is just an example, your welcome series creativity is determined by your limits. The more creative you get, the better chance you develop a relationship with the list emails and that is your end goal. You need a relationship with the visitor/customer to take it to the next level and turn emails into gold.
In the next article I will try to dig deeper into retention and automation of email lists, mainly focusing on your buyer lists.
2 comments
Agreed! As the Head of Digital for my company this was the first thing I implemented into the CRM strategy. It should be about driving value and giving customers great content. Eventually they will purchase on trust alone. Segmentation is key too. By breaking down our customer base we were able to be more tactical on who we targeted during specific promotions.
This e-mail marketing series of posts promises to be incredible. Even if someone already know something about email marketing it’s still good to recall the knowledge. Repetition is the king!