Remember when email lists were so new that you could just slap up a “join my newsletter” and maybe throw in a “fam” or “community” in for good measure and get a substantial response?
“The average office worker receives 121 emails per day,” according to Campaign Monitor. But who can even imagine how many emails entrepreneurs are inundated with on a daily basis ,considering that they cover the role of multiple office workers on the regular?
So, is email marketing dead?
Not a chance. In fact, it’s still probably the most reliable marketing channel because it combines a direct line of communication with an element of exclusivity.
That, my friends, is the recipe for wooing new visitors into lifelong fans. AND, you can do it in a shorter time span than any other platform.
BUT, it is true that boring email marketing is definitely dead.
Simple email best practices will get you to a solid email, but, the questions remain:
- How do we get someone to open the email in the first place?
- How do we ensure that we’re contributing to inbox happy mail instead of being lumped into a dreaded delete routine?
- How do we utilize email to build a relationship that results in that need and desire to pick up whatever it is you’re putting down, even when it comes time to actually sell?
Information is not enough.
I want to teach you how to craft an evergreen nurture sequence that will have people dying to book with you, buy from you, and be your bestie–even as it’s running while you sleep.
(For more tips on this topic, head over to my blog for all the goods!)
Elevated Evergreen Sequence Email Best Practices:
Nurture, don’t welcome.
When you think “welcome sequence,” you probably think of introducing someone to yourself and your business. WELCOME TO ME, people!
“Nurturing.” That word probably brings up thoughts of who it is you need to nurture, support, guide. Nurturing means putting your audience first, and strategically positioning yourself alongside them as the systematic solution to their current problem.
Email Marketing Best Practices Takeaway: Instead of telling your whole life story, use very specific stories that will relate to what you want to help your audience do, who you want them to become, the transformation you want them to have. They’ll start to see you as an authority on that transformation, because you’ve been through it, too. But, they’ll also trust you more because you haven’t always had it figured out.
It seems like a given, but infusing your imperfection into your message belongs on your list for best practices in email marketing.
(I mean, who else thinks some fashion bloggers/influencers are robots? Just me? Cool.)
Build a culture of action.
Repeat after me, please: Engagement is a privilege, not a right.
This is a lesson I learned in the teaching world. My high school kids didn’t owe me their attention, I had to earn it by showing them that when they took action, success (and transformation) would follow.
You have to earn engagement from your audience by showing them the actions you ask them to take will have an optimal result.
This doesn’t have to always be a result like “making 6 figures” or “getting their first client.” A result can be as simple as receiving a response when they reply to your email or comment on your Instagram feed. If they take action and it only comes up with crickets, they’re not likely to take that action again, especially when it really counts.
We are all in the business of selling a transformation.
Transformation requires action, not from us, but from them.
Let’s get even more nerdy: When someone takes action, it activates the procedural brain. This gets more neural pathways involved than the act of simply taking in information.
Translation: When people take action with information, it actually sticks.
Translation of the translation: The more your people interact with you by taking small action, the more they’ll REMEMBER you, and you’ll be top of mind when they come into contact with the pain you solve.
Email Marketing Best Practices Takeaway: Focus each and every email on just one small action. Do you want them to head to a blog post? What about hitting “reply” and tell you something? Want them to click “enroll” on your program? Every word, every story, every hilarious GIF in your email should work toward that one goal.
Be consistent.
This one is like, duh. I even thought about not including it.
But despite the fact that we know consistency is key in the know-like-trust factor, we still say things like, “I just don’t want to annoy them.”
You know what’s really annoying? Someone popping up in my inbox like they KNOW ME, when they only have something to sell.
Email Marketing Best Practices Takeaway: Email your list enough to build a culture of action with the small things before you ask for something big (like buying your thing). Nothing gets your people hitting “delete” before they even open your email like only showing up when you have something to sell. Don’t be the friend who only asks and never gives.
It’s time we work together to rid the world of boring email marketing. With these email best practices, you’ll start to craft email sequences that work while you sleep, truly care for your people, and convert like crazy.
Oh, and people will open them. That’s nice, too.
Ready to have email marketing do the heavy lifting for you? Get our Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing here.
