Crafting an Effective Automated Email Funnel
Episode #9 of the course How to rapidly grow your email list by Jessica Festa
So, you’re now growing your list. But what do you do with these new subscribers once they’re on your list?
Nurture them!
When someone first subscribes, this is when they most want to hear from you. So, make sure to say something.
Instead of writing individual welcome emails to each new subscriber, craft a smart email funnel that new subscribers are automatically added to.
Keep an Objective in Mind
Now, this funnel should be written with purpose. For many business owners, this purpose is selling a product/service, though if you’re not yet selling, it could be simply growing a relationship before you create a product.
A real life exercise: Imagine you want to get married. Going up to a random person and popping the question won’t get you anywhere. Additionally, waiting until after just one date is premature. The best strategy is to take the object of your affection on multiple dates, give more than you take, and prove you’re as awesome as you claim to be.
Now apply that situation to email marketing.
Your email funnel allows you to take your subscribers on many “dates” so you can help them while proving you know your stuff. After a series of dates, you can then pop the question (i.e. pitch your product).
The Email Funnel Flow
Email funnels tend to be anywhere from three to ten emails, broken up into phases:
• The Welcome Phase [first one to two emails]. Welcome your new subscriber into the community. Let them know what they’ll get out of being a subscriber, add links to your best content, and share your story in a relatable way.
• The Empowerment Phase [next one to three emails]. Help your subscribers solve a problem and overcome doubt by teaching them strategies, busting myths, and eliminating doubt that might keep them from purchasing your product. For example, if you sell a course on profitable blogging, by the time you pitch your product, they need to believe they could actually become a profitable blogger (with your help, of course).
• Pitching Phase [final one to two emails]. The first email teaches a strategy and simply mentions your product (no hard pitching!), and the other reminds the subscriber that if they want change, they need to make change (followed by a hard pitch).
Going back to the example of the portrait photographer selling an online course, the funnel might look something like this:
Welcome Phase:
1. Welcome to the Community (Cheat Sheet Inside!) [sent immediately when subscriber opts into your list]
2. How a Budding Portrait Photographer Turned Their Passion into a 6-Figure Business [your story, sent the day after the last email]
Empowerment Phase:
3. 6 Things NOT to Do When Taking Portraits [sent two days later]
4. 3 Common Fears of Newbie Photographers (and How to Overcome Them) [sent two days later]
5. Why You Don’t Need Fancy Equipment to Be a Portrait Photographer [sent three days later]
Pitching Phase:
6. The Simple Formula for Portrait Photography Success [sent two days later]
7. Are You Ready to Turn Your Portrait Dreams into Reality? [sent two days later]
Each email should end with a Call To Action (CTA). While the pitch email(s) invite the subscriber to purchase your product, the other emails might invite them to join you in a private Facebook group (if you have one) or read an article from your blog. What actions should they take next?
Your Turn
Create your automated funnel. You can mimic the longer sample funnel above. Or if you’re not yet selling a product, create a three-part automation, including a welcome email, a strategy-teaching email, and a myth-busting email. This way, your subscriber leaves feeling empowered thanks to your words.
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