Nurture relationships with automated e-mail campaigns

After acquiring the e-mail addresses of potential customers, the next important step is to use automated e-mail campaigns to boost your business. In our recent post, Creating a Lead-Generating PDF, we discussed the importance of lead generators. A lead generator is a piece of information that you can give away in exchange for a potential client’s information – usually their e-mail address. Acquiring an e-mail address is a big accomplishment, so lead generators should offer lots of value for your potential customers. If you haven’t already read our previous post, be sure to check it out.

The whole point of a lead generator is to get e-mail addresses. So, once you have that list of addresses, what should you do next?

When a potential customer gives you their e-mail address, your relationship begins. Sending regular, valuable e-mails is your chance to continue that relationship and build toward a more serious relationship (in which the customer actually buys your product). Most people won’t buy your product immediately, so nurturing the relationship with e-mail campaigns is a valuable and effective way for the customer to learn more about your company and grow their sense of trust in your product or service.

Two types of e-mail campaigns 

There are two types of e-mail campaigns that we are going to discuss:

• Nurture campaigns. These allow you to keep in touch with potential clients and earn their trust over time. Nurture e-mails speak to your customer’s problem, give them a solution, and allow them to keep in touch with your brand.
• Sales campaigns. You’ll use these e-mails when it’s time to get serious by asking for the customer’s business and closing the sale. Sales e-mails are bold, and include a call to action.

How often should you send an e-mail, and what type should you send?

It depends. A good general rule of thumb is to send out an e-mail once a week. However, if you have a great update or lots of valuable information to share, a little more often is okay. Most importantly, be consistent. Don’t send a dozen e-mails consistently and then go weeks and weeks without sending anything.

You’ll want to send more nurture e-mails than sales e-mails. You’re working to create a bond of trust with your clients, without asking for the sale every single time. Consider sending three nurture e-mails, and then a sales e-mail. Then, start over. Again, this is a suggestion, not a hard and fast rule.

The goal: Get them to want to marry you

Sound silly? Maybe. But it’s an effective example. We love the way Donald Miller describes building a relationship with a potential customer. We’ll summarize:

When a customer first visits your site, it’s like your first time meeting. If you ask them to buy from you right away, they’re probably going to say no. Similarly, if you ask someone to marry you the first time you meet them, they’ll probably walk away.

How about after three dates? You can try asking then, but the answer will likely still be no. In the same way, if you follow up with three e-mail campaigns, the customer still may not be ready to bite. However, they’re probably warming up to your company and building trust in your brand, whether they realize it or not.

After many dates, hopefully, you’ll get a resounding, “yes!”. And after many e-mails pop up in your customer’s inbox, they’ll probably be starting to get a lot more comfortable with your brand. Keep this in mind: even if your e-mails don’t get opened, your brand is flashing in front of your customer’s eyes over and over, and likely sticking in the back of his or her mind. Eventually, they’ll either unsubscribe (which is perfectly fine, since the goal is not to annoy people), or you’ll likely land a sale.

Stay tuned for next week’s post!

Next week, we’re going to dig further into the goals of nurture campaigns and sales campaigns. We’ll discuss what to include, as well as content ideas for your campaigns. Read the post here!

Have questions about e-mail campaigns? We’d love to hear from you and answer your questions. Lifedge exists to help our customers achieve success online through high-quality digital marketing. Contact us today to see how we can help you achieve your marketing goals, see results, and enjoy peace of mind.