Introduction
When it comes to doing business on the Internet, theres no better way to guarantee your success than by building a loyal, targeted database of opt-in subscribers.
Once you have a list you OWN it. Nobody can take it away from you.
There just arent that many other business assets you can say the same thing about.
For most businesses, you can quickly see a dramatic downturn in sales and/or profits (virtually overnight) if big competition happens to settle into your market... It happens everyday in every industry imaginable. Think about what happened to all those small grocery stores across the country when Wal-Mart opened!
But once you build a list of permission based opt-in email subscribers it doesnt matter how much competition you have in your market.
Youve already built a rock solid foundation: A strong customer base eager and willing to hear from you over and over again. You're in control of your business, because you are in control of your AUDIENCE.
And email marketing is all about developing and engaging with your audience.
Think of it like this... if you were starting a band, what would you need to do? You'd need to get people to find out about your band, come to your show or maybe visit your website so they can buy your CD or merchandise, right?
Regardless of what business you're in, or what you want to promote - the example of the band doesn't sound all that far off from what we all do online, does it? That's because it's not. It's virtually the same. Online, we're all in the audience-building business.
And the way we capture, engage, and grow our audience is by staying in touch via Email Marketing.
So... what does it all mean for your profits?
It means you can send your email subscribers discounts, special offers, or just great information that makes them like you on a regular basis (whenever you want, as often as you want) and theres nobody stopping you! You have full control.
What types of offers? Let's explain.
On the Internet theres certainly more than one way to make a great living, and our personal favorite tool for generating income is Email Marketing.
Email Marketing all starts with building a loyal, targeted list of opt-in subscribers within your niche. Once you have that loyal list your opportunities are endless:
- You can promote your own products & services.
- You can promote other people's products & services for commission.
- You can send holiday specials, discounts, and other special offers.
- You can do all of the above... and more!
The truth is
We can send a dead simple email to any of our lists any time wed like... any day we'd like... and KNOW, with 100% certainty, that well see a profit from that email.
How do we know? Because we've been and will continue marketing to our email lists for many, many years.
Nothing is more predictable than effective email marketing - that's why everyone is always saying "the money's in the list..."
It's critical for you to understand just how important it is to start building a list right away and begin focusing the majority of your efforts on this one mission-critical marketing strategy.
- Suppliers will always come and go.
- Products get discontinued every day.
- Search engine ranking fall off the charts without warning.
- The list goes on and on...
It's not aways easy-street for entrepreneurs and business owners.
There are dozens upon dozens of variables that can negatively affect your business and your profits and they're often unforeseen and totally out of your control.
But if you focus your efforts on building a responsive email subscriber list in your niche, then none of that even matters.
Your list is yours and yours alone! It will make you money week after week, in good times and in bad.
And let's make sure that we're on the same page here - there's absolutely nothing wrong or unethical about earning money from your audience. It's simple to agree with that statement, but lots of new marketers get a little bit hung up by the idea of asking their subscribers to buy things.
Don't fall into that trap!
If you build your list with integrity and deliver real value to them, theyll look forward to hearing from you again and again, and gladly take advantage of the offers you give them.
And thats when youll REALLY start to see your profits soar!
- You can provide your unbiased opinion about certain products youve used or recently discovered that might benefit them in some way. Of course, youd have your affiliate link embedded just in case a few might want to purchase the product for themselves. CHING!
- You can begin creating your own information products and offer subscribers a discount for being a part of your list of loyal followers CHING!
- You can offer your services at a discounted rate for a limited time to subscribers only CHING!
- You can send holiday-focused emails If you owned an online Halloween store or Costume Shop, for example, you could start reminding last years buyers a few months before the holiday itself... CHING!
- You can inform subscribers about new promotional materials you have for your affiliates (who earn a percentage of all sales they generate for you) and if anyone is interested they can sign up and start promoting some of your products and services for you CHA-CHING!
We hope you get the point were trying to make here...
Dont approach your list as simply a list of names only there to make you money. Develop a relationship with your list and truly work on helping them achieve their goals as well.
We see far too many short-sighted Marketers who email their list every single day, and all they send them are offers to other products.
How is someone supposed to find benefit in that?
Provide some useful content. Add some personality too!
If you do, then chances are youll have a goldmine of opportunity at your disposal in no time.
Simply put: just care a little! Do the right thing.
Before you know it you will have a responsive, targeted list eager and willing to spend money with you at will.
It's As Easy As 1, 2, 3...
Email Marketing systems can be broken down into three critical steps.
All three need to happen in order for you to be successful. Heres a little more information on each step:
- You Need People. They need to be visiting your website. Call them whatever you like: Traffic, Leads, Customers, Prospects... Whatever you want to call them, you need them.
- You Need Conversions. Once you have people visiting your website, you need them to take action. They need to enter their name, and email address (or in some cases, just their email addresses) and join your email newsletter list.
- Finally, you need to know what to send them. How to communicate with them in a way that fosters respect and trust... And in a way that makes them comfortable buying from you, again and again.
In Email Marketing Kickstart, our focus is on the third and final step.
The act of emailing itself...
Well show you how to write great emails, when to send them, and how to get the most out of them. Well even show you how to automate the process so your Email Marketing works on its own, without you babysitting things around the clock!
Now, thats not to say we wont dig into the first two steps. In fact, in the supplemental materials for this module, youll find some great information on the first two steps, including a set of awesome templates that you can use to quickly build your landing pages.
But save that stuff for later...
We want you to stay focused for now on building the system, writing your emails, learning the ropes.
Worry about visitors and the technical stuff later.
Fair enough? Cool.
Lets move right on to the second Module, where we will be talking about the nucleus of your Email Marketing system...
Your AutoResponder.
Introduction to AutoResponders
In this Session we're going to choose and set up your AutoResponder.
An AutoResponder, also known as an Email Service Provider (ESP) is an online service that collects, tracks and manages all of your email subscribers and email marketing activities for you.
When a new subscriber signs up to your email list (or buys your product online), your AutoResponder will automatically send them pre-written, personalized follow-up emails in the exact order and timing you've set up.
Your AutoResponder does it all when it comes to the "list" part of your email marketing system.
It's an absolute MUST to have a reliable, affordable, easy to use AutoResponder, because it manages and automates your entire email subscription and cancellation process for you.
This is a HUGE timesaver!
Frankly, once your list grows, there's no way you'd be able to manually coordinate all of the activity that your AutoResponder handles for you 24/7. Imagine processing hundreds of new subscriptions and/or cancellations by hand every day!
Most email marketers are building multiple email lists at the same time.
Your AutoResponder helps you send emails to only the right people, based on the criterion you require.
For example, you don't want to keep sending buyers promotional emails encouraging them to... buy. They already have.
Instead, you'd want to move someone from your "prospect" list onto your "buyers" list as soon as they purchase.
Your AutoResponder will handle that for you automatically, without requiring anything of you or your customer.
This is what's known as "segmenting" your list... and your AutoResponder makes it a breeze.
Finally, the most important thing your AutoResponder does is send out your emails to your list(s) for you.
Getting emails from your keyboard all the way into your readers inbox is far more technically challenging than you may realize.
Professional AutoResponder services specialize in handling all the many headaches and hassles of spam complaints, deliverability, getting "whitelisted" by ISP's, and a hundred other geeky things you definitely don't need to concern yourself with.
The bottom line is this... your AutoResponder can make or break your entire eBusiness.
It's the COMMUNICATION ENGINE for all of your marketing efforts.
So let's get one!
Choosing Your Autoresponder
There are hundreds of AutoResponders out there.
If you don't yet have one, these are the three we recommend, in no particular order:
aWeber:
http://www.emailmarketingkickstart.com/go/aweber
GetResponse:
http://www.emailmarketingkickstart.com/go/get-response
Constant Contact:
http://www.emailmarketingkickstart.com/go/constant-contact
We have a bunch of experience working with all three, and they all have their pros and cons.
So which one is for you?
Two services have a generous free trial ($1 for Aweber), then a $20-ish/month basic account. Price isn't going to be the deciding factor here... Nor should it be!
This is the cornerstone of your Email Marketing, so we recommend you check out all three.
I know that sounds like some work, but trust us. Take your time and do it right.
Read through each website. Check out their features. Watch the demo videos.
Eventually, one will just "feel right" to you, and that's probably the one you want to go with.
If you need more help deciding, we've prepared a detailed Autoresponder Comparison and provided it as a supplement to this module.
Configuring Your New Autoresponder
Awesome...
Now that you've picked an Autoresponder, you'll need to login and create your first list.
It can be for anyone, really.. Product owners, new prospects, whatever. Pick one.
Name your list, and enter some details to customize it a little. This shouldn't take more than 20 minutes, because all three AutoResponders have excellent, step-by-step instructions...
If you need more hand-holding, heres some more awesome training:
aWeber Tutorials:
http://www.aweber.com/videos.htm
GetResponse Tutorials:
http://www.getresponse.com/learning-center/tutorials
Constant Contact Tutorials:
http://www.constantcontact.com/learning-center/index.jsp
You'll have to plug in a real-world address, to keep yourself compliant with all current CAN-SPAM laws.
You'll also need to write a quick, basic email to go out immediately once someone subscribes.
Don't waste time on this step. In the next Module well show you what to send 
For now, just write a simple "thanks for joining" message and move on...
Here's an example:
SUBJ: Welcome to The YOUR TOPIC Newsletter, NAME!
======================================================
Hey {!firstname_fix}...
First of all, I want to thank you for checking out The YOUR TOPIC Newsletter.
I am thrilled and honored that you are interested in (YOUR PRODUCT, SERVICE, TOPIC)
Secondly, I am excited for you, {!firstname_fix}!
Over the next couple weeks I'll be sending you some great stuff...
In the meantime, if you have any questions, comments, or feedback, I would love to hear from you:
LINK TO CONNECT (FACEBOOK, HELPDESK)
To your success,
NAME
=============================================================
Our records indicate that NAME at EMAIL requested information
by email from our company on SIGNUP DATE.
Want to unsubscribe? You can use the link below:
And just like that, your AutoResponder is all configured and ready to go!
Well, almost...
You need to use the "form builder" tool to publish the form that folks will use to join your newsletter list...
Then, you need to take the code, and get it onto your website somewhere.
Take a deep breath...
I know this sounds like a technical nightmare, but it really isnt.
We've prepared a couple checklists to help with the process...
And the truth of the matter is that your AutoResponders form builder wizard thingy does almost all of it!
Just follow the steps, and when the builder is done you'll be left with a little hunk of code.
Now you (or your webmaster, or an overseas freelancer) will need to place on your website.
Believe it or not... But that's it!
You're in business at that point, and can start building your subscriber base.
</p>Welcome Back!
Hopefully, at this point, youve breezed through the first two Modules of the Email Marketing Kickstart... And you understand what this whole Email Marketing thing is all about now.
Youve got your AutoResponder. Its all configured and ready to go.
Maybe youve even taken the bull by the horns and you already have an opt-in form on your blog, or youve built a landing page. Awesome!
Or...
Maybe you already already had all this stuff, and you skipped the first two Modules since you are a little more advanced, and here you are.
Whatever the case... were glad youre back and we hope youre ready.
Because this Module is where we start to dig deep into the Kickstart method, and show you exactly how to write really awesome, really fun, really effective emails.
Want some good news?
The Three Types of Email
There's really only three types of Emails you ever need to write and send out.
Understanding these different types will make it easier for you to quickly crank out great stuff...
And will also also enable you (as you become more advanced) to create crossover pieces that accomplish more than one goal.
More on that in a little bit.
First, here are the three types of Emails:
Type #1: The Consumption Email
No matter what you're selling, It's critically important that you capture (and keep) the attention of your audience.
Ease up too much or get really lazy and stop emailing them regularly...
And they'll find someone else to listen to instead.
Remember, the only way you can solidify your authority and build a profitable long-term (lifetime) relationship with your audience is by keeping them engaged -- you always want them to be thinking about and USING what youve sold them, told them, or otherwise given to them.
You do that by sending them Consumption Emails.
Consumption Emails are emails specifically created to get (and keep) people focused on you.
Here's an example:
1. You give away an audio or an ebook.
2. You send several follow-up emails encouraging your audience to actually read (or listen to) what you just gave them.
Essentially, you're reminding them to consume your material.
These followup Consumption Emails add value to what youve given them and communicate that value more clearly.
Heres another Consumption Email example...
You send your audience a pre-written series of informative emails each hinting at what's to come in your NEXT email.
All the emails in the series combine to present a much more clear picture of what you want them to understand,. And the serialized delivery, one email leading the next, powerfully reinforces your importance in the mind of the reader. Anyone can shrug off missing some random email, but a series of email episodes... no one wants to miss one of those!
Its pretty obvious why Consumption Emails are so important - they help your prospects and customers receive maximum value from you. They make you more VALUABLE to your readers.
Type #2: The BFF Email
Erik used to call these types of emails "Trust" Emails, but since he has an incredibly cute and funny 10-year old daughter, hes changed the name
Either way, what were talking about is TRUST.
These are Emails that are specifically designed to turn your readers into your "Best Friends Forever" by melting away their resistance and building a powerful bond with you.
These BFF Emails dont sell anything. They should be purely 100% free and totally informative awesomeness that helps your reader.
There's a bunch of different ways to do this, and well discuss several of them...
But for now, here's some ideas for BFF Emails:
- Send your subscribers emails with personal stories in them.
- Sprinkle relevant current events or funny anecdotes throughout your Emails.
- Post personal videos (you on camera) on YouTube and your blog, and link to them from your emails.
As we mentioned earlier, you can blur the lines and combine these types of emails. For example, An email sent out that contains a funny story and then links readers to a blog post where you continue the story...
And then provide the reader with a downloadable worksheet...
Well, thats really kind of a Consumption/BFF email, isnt it?
Type #3: The Money Email
Ahhh, yes...
We finally get to the type of Email that brings I'm the bucks, right?
Wrong!
Over time, you'll find that the first two types of Emails (Consumption and BFF) are the types that actually make you the money...
But yes, in order to make money, you first need to ask for it. And that's what this type of Email is all about.
Money Emails are Emails that tell people how they can buy your valuable products and services...
Or tell them why they need to take you up on your recommendations for other related products that will help them solve their problems and achieve their goals/dreams.
Typically, Money Emails are going to fall into two categories:
- Selling your own product or service.
- Promoting someone elses product or service.
In either case, the goal with Money Emails is to pre-sell the reader on the product or service (either your own product, or someone elses that you promote through a referral link)...
And then to cause them to take an affirmative ACTION by calling a phone number, or clicking an order link.
Which Type - The Gameshow!
How To Write Great Emails
Have you ever heard of The Zeigarnik Effect?
It's mega important, and we will get to it in a minute. But first...
Welcome back!
Now that you know what kinds of emails you need to write, its time to get into exactly how to write them.
Good emails always try to sell the next step.
- The goal of an email subject line is to get the email opened.
- The goal of the email itself isn't to sell a product... It's to get the click.
And so on, and so forth.
If your email is trying to do too much, it's not going to do much at all.
So lets start with the first step: Subject Lines.
Subject Lines
The Subject Line of your emails is critically important.
Most people get way too many emails. I know I do. The Subject Line of your emails is your only way to stand out against this sea of nonsense.
It's the first thing people see.
As you write Subject Lines, it's important that you remember one simple rule:
The single, solitary goal of your subject line is to GET YOUR EMAIL OPENED.
That's it.
People won't read your email unless they see it and it sparks an interest, or they recognize it as coming from you. If they don't see it, they won't read it.
So you need to write Subject Lines that get attention. The kind that stand out like a sore thumb.
You can achieve this in a couple different ways:
1. Be consistent.
Have you noticed that the Subject Line of every single email we send you, starts with "EMKCK?"
It's not an accident.
Consistency breeds familiarity. And familiarity breeds trust!
2. Be mysterious, enticing, fun, or borderline inappropriate.
Believe it or not, but one of my best converting emails had this Subject Line:
"Pickle Juice"
Another friend and coaching client named Dani used this Subject Line:
"Finding the G-Spot"
Her email was about gratitude... learning to be grateful.
She sells personal development stuff
My "Pickle Juice" email was about not sweating the small stuff. (My son had spilled a jar of pickles in the car)
See what I mean?
3. Use personalization fields!
With personalization fields, it's possible to include the recipient's first name or last name in your Subject Lines.
Like this:
"Important Webinar Update: Open ASAP, {FIRSTNAME}"
In our experience, this does improve open rates But not as much as you would think. Including localization fields though, or time/date fields, helps improve open rates drastically. One of my best performing emails had this Subject Line:
"Sleepless in {GEO_CITY}"
For readers, this tag was replaced with the city they lived in And when sent late at night, this email had a massive open rate.
In the email, I went on to explain that I couldn't sleep because I had found something cool I was investigating.
Body Copy
Now that you have the first step taken care of, and have a good Subject Line that is going to get your email opened...
Now you need to focus on the second step: Getting the email read, and getting the click.
And believe it or not, but the emails that convert the best look like poems.
They are shorter, punchier, and more broken up. Paragraphs arent too long. The language is simple.
Think of it like this...
You want to make it easy for the consumer to read.
You want their eyes to sort of drag along each line, and down to the next one...
Effortlessly.
And without fail, always remember to tell the reader to take action!
Dont assume that just because theres a link there, people will click it. TELL THEM TO CLICK IT!
Be confident. Be clear.
And let them know what to expect.
If youre linking to a page with a video on it, for example, tell them to click the play button.
If youre selling something, tell them how to buy it.
Like this:
Just click the Join Now link below, and youll instantly be taken to our secure order form...
Enter a couple details, and as soon as youve completed youre order, youll be taken to our private members area where you can immediately download your files and get started.
Youll also get a confirmation email within a couple minutes containing our telephone number and support information, just in case theres any problems.
You also want to use clear, simple language.
Dont overcomplicate things.
A good soup isn't a GREAT soup without a careful sprinkling of spices, and emails are no different.
Only instead of spices, we use words.
And like a good recipe, the more simple the ingredients, the better the email.
Here's 5 power words you should make sure you are using through out your email copy:
- You: You're so vain, I bet you think this email is about you. We all have the vanity streak. We all care mostly about ourselves... And we want to hear about ourselves.
- Free: Free stuff is almost mesmerizing. Even if it's something we dont want or need, we'll often take it just because it's free!
- Because: The word because gives a reason. Even if it's a stupid reason, you'll respond to it just because you were given a reason. It's shocking how powerful this word is.
- New: Who doesn't like new stuff? We all want the newest, latest, greatest stuff.
- Easy: People are inherently lazy. We want things that make our lives easier.
Action Triggers!
We almost always have a call to action in every email we send.
Like, 99% of the time.
It might be something as simple as asking people to click a link to continue reading a particularly long email.
Or maybe a link to a page where they can take a survey, or provide feedback, or comment on what youve shared.
Or even a link to watch a video on YouTube.
Whatever it is, if you dont have something to sell, always try to include a clickable link, and a firm, clear call to action.
This will help train your readers.
Eventually, theyll know that when they receive an email you expect them to open it, read it, and then act on it.
Advanced Tactics
The Zeigarnik Effect is the act of creating suspense by bringing something up, and leaving it hanging.
Like we did at the beginning of this Module.
Maybe you're not old enough to remember... But when I was a kid, I watched Batman almost every afternoon.
Not the cartoon.
This was live-action, and was cheesy as hell.
Remember that show?
When Batman would punch out a bad guy, big animated "Whack!" or "Blammo!" text would appear on the screen.
Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLZQ3OLEJWE
Anyways, here's my point:
Each show ended with Batman and Robin in a terribly dire situation.
They would be tied to a rope, hanging over a pit of acid...
Slowly sinking to their doom...
And the announcer would jump in with: "Is this the end of the dynamic duo? Tune in tomorrow to did out!"
Then the show would be over.
And I would sit there and agonize over it for an entire day until the next show.
Human nature is to remember those sort of things.
When someone brings something up and doesnt resolve it, it always sort of bounces around in your head like a pinball.
It keeps people reading!
So go through your emails and write in a couple of cliffhangers.
Numbered lists (or steps) are great for this.
Learn more about The Zeigarnik Effect here:
http://www.spring.org.uk/2011/02/the-zeigarnik-effect.php
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
Broadcast Emails
In the last Module, we talked about exactly how to write compelling emails that get noticed, get opened, and get results.
Now that you know how to write emails the Kickstart way, we need to talk about the two ways you can send them out:
- With a broadcast email. This is a "one-time" email sent to only your current subscribers.
- With an email sequence. This is basically a series of pre-written emails that are sent in order, according to a schedule you determine.
We'll dig into email sequences in the next Module...
But for now, lets talk about broadcast emails, and the best days and times to send them.
Broadcasts: These are emails that you write and send out to everyone who is on your list at that moment. If you send out a broadcast on Tuesday, and somebody subscribes on Wednesday, they'll never see that email. But everyone on your list at the time you "hit the button" and send it out WILL receive it. Broadcasts are great for delivering news, special offers and timely information on demand.
Scheduling Your Broadcasts
Its critically important to determine a mailing schedule for your lists... And its even more important to be consistent and stick to the schedule you determine.
If you decide you are going to mail a particular list three times a week, do it three times every week.
Going to send a week in review email every Saturday morning?
Do it every Saturday. Without fail...
This sort of consistency breeds familiarity, which breeds trust.
What Days Should I Mail and How Often?
This can be a touchy subject... Nobody likes getting pummeled in their inbox.
At the same time, allowing your personal preferences about how YOU like to receive email dictate how you conduct your email marketing is a treacherously slippery slope. You can easily make very bad choices that severely cripple your profits and the overall effectiveness of your email marketing if you're not careful.
Remember, you are not your market!
The great thing about email marketing the way we do it is it's purely permission based. The recipient gets to choose how often they receive your emails by either staying on your list or unsubscribing.. then they decide how often they're willing to open, read and act on the emails you send.
It's really a pretty democratic process that you shouldn't let yourself get in the way of.
When it comes to determining a schedule, youre going to want to consider two different factors:
1) Your own availability and personal preferences.
Dont set a schedule you wont be able to keep. This may mean mailing less often for those of you who have job and family obligations... Or it may mean mailing more often, for those of you who are forgetful!
Heres an example: Tellman Knudson is widely regarded as an expert email marketer...
Erik asked him at an event once, Why do you email your lists every single day?
At the time, Tellman was one of the only email marketers Erik knew who was mailing that often, that consistently. Erik assumed it was so he could make more money...
Tellman's answer surprised Erik.
I have really bad ADD, Tellman told him. If I dont email them everyday as part of my daily routine, I forget to email them at all... Sometimes for weeks.
So, yeah... Pick something that works for YOU - and stick with it.
The benefits of that are not just more sales, they're more predictability, and predictability is extremely valuable for any entrepreneur looking to grow their business. Predictable, incremental growth is what we're after in the email marketing game.
As for what time you are going to mail on those days, the same concept applies. If you tend to be more focused and less busy in the morning, mail during the morning hours.
Test it out and see how it works.
2) Your audience.
Your audience may respond best to an email every day, or it may respond best to one email a week.
The best way to determine which is best for your audience is to try different things, and look at your metrics.
Do your unsubscribe rates skyrocket when you email them more? If so, mail them less, and determine the difference.
Another great way to find out is to simply ask. Send your people an email requesting feedback...
Do they want to hear from you more often? Or less often?
We love doing this, but keep in mind that some people dont really know what they need
They may tell you one thing, while your numbers tell you something totally different!
Data Makes For Good Decisions
Here at Kickstart Media we take a good hard look at our statistics every month.
About a year ago, we decided to start tweaking our mailing schedules based the Domain extensions of our users... and we got dramatic results!
Heres how it works:
Export your list into a spreadsheet, and take a look at the different Domain extensions.
Based on what you see, you can make some pretty accurate assumptions:
- If you have a bunch of AOL users, chances are you are communicating with older (maybe retired) folks.
- Working folks tend to use Google gmail, or personal email addresses on various Domains.Is your list noticeably heavy with one of these audiences? If so, you can change things up and try to reach out to them when they are more likely to be receptive to your message.
Email Sequences
Sequences: These are emails that you write ahead of time and load up into your Auto Responder in a sequential order - to be delivered to every new subscriber over time. If someone subscribes on Tuesday, they get the first email in your sequence immediately and the rest as you've set them to be sent out. If someone else subscribes on Thursday, that same process begins all over again for them.
Sequences are great for delivering structured, pre-planned content, training, information or sales messages designed to work over time.
We love email sequences!
Broadcasts are awesome... But theres one little problem with them:
Say you send a broadcast email to your list right now... Anyone who subscribes to your list after your broadcast was sent will NEVER get it.
Broadcasts only go to your current subscribers!
Sequences, however, continue to go out no matter what.
We created a two week sequence for you, our valued Email Marketing Kickstart customers. Youre probably still getting those emails as you read this.
If someone buys Email Marketing Kickstart on a Monday, for example, theyll get the first email in that sequence. Automatically.
A couple days later (on Wednesday), theyll get the second email... Automatically.
And at the same time that's going out, someone who joins on Wednesday will just get the first email in that sequence!
Make sense?
Sequences are incredibly valuable
Imagine: You could write a sequence of prospects emails 2 weeks (or even two months) long...
And people can signup, day or night...
And when they do, they'll automatically start receiving those emails. And they'll keep getting 'em until they unsubscribe, or buy your product, or reach the end of your sequence.
They'll start getting to know you, your products, your services...
Maybe even buy them... Theyll get a ton of extra value...
Without you lifting a finger!
You could also write a really thoughtful, helpful sequence for your product owners only (as weve done for you)...
Or even deliver an entire training course...
Completely via an email sequence!
This is that whole system leverage thing we were talking about in the introduction to this course. This is what the 4% does.
Once you plan and write a sequence, it's done.
Cool, right?
You can write sequences for your new leads...
Sequences for your buyers...
The possibilities are endless.
Start With The Story
Creating email sequences is all about telling stories.
While each email can almost be viewed as a chapter, they must all tie together to tell a bigger story.
So the first thing you need to decide when writing a sequence is what story you want to tell.
Writing a sequence to send to people who just bought one of your products?
Your story is how effective and easy it is to use your product.
You might include an email with some user tips. Maybe another couple reminders to people to actually use the product.
Another email with information on an upgrade or related add-on that helps them use what they bought.
And of course, they all tie together to tell the bigger story:
Why your product is great, and why they should use it.
Here is a list of common stories that can be told via a sequence:
- A sequence reminding people to use something you gave them or sold them. We call this a consumption sequence.
- A sequence containing a special offer every week or month. Perhaps a weekly cigar review or wine review.
- A series of step-by-step emails that provide a solution. The ten simple steps to building a Facebook fan page, for example.
- A series of emails motivating your affiliates to promote your products.
- A series of case studies to establish your expertise or the value of your products.
How We Write Sequences
When we write sequences, the first thing we do is create a folder for our new sequence.
We never write emails directly into our AutoResponder. (More on this on a minute.)
We then create a blank text file for the first email.
Once we've got our blank canvas, we start with some broad strokes.
1) First, we write a global footer that will appear at the bottom of all emails.
In it, we put a reminder of why and when the subscriber signed up, and information on how to unsubscribe.
Depending on the sequence, we might also add our bios, or links to our websites, products, or support systems.
This can be something as simple as:
Want to stop receiving these emails? As always, you can
permanently and instantly unsubscribe by using the link below:
Or something more complex, like this:
This newsletter is never sent unsolicited.
Our records indicate that {!name} at {!email} requested information
by email from our company on {!signdate long}.
Have a question? You can ask it here:
Want to stop receiving these emails? As always, you can
permanently and instantly unsubscribe by using the link below:
Either way, both of these options are better than putting nothing, and simply having an unsubscribe link at the bottom of your emails.
Put some thought into it. You only have to write it once.
See "Email Footers" in the supplemental materials inside Module 2 for more ideas.
2) Once we've copied this to every email, we move on to the introductions and closing statements.
We always start and end each email the same way.
As we've said, consistency breeds familiarity...
And familiarity breeds trust.
If you run an antiquing newsletter, for example, you might end every email with:
"Happy hunting!"
See the supplemental "Sample Signoffs" document for more ideas.
Now that youve got a consistent intro and sign off, and a well-written footer in every email...
You should have a pretty good looking blank template to write in...
We need to finish off our template by adding an area for our Subject Line and our Subject Starter... And then you can use this template to create the entire blank sequence.
3) Subject Lines and Subject Starters.
For sequences, we always begin each email Subject Line with the same name or abbreviation...
Often we will include a number, and sometimes even the word "Issue" like this:
"Kickstart Issue #1:"
It's crazy how effective this is.
It reinforces the fact that time and energy has gone into these emails, and also let's people know subconsciously that if they don't pay attention, they might miss something!
Believe it or not, but we've had many people email us and ask us to send an older email AGAIN because they have emails #1-6, and #8-12... But can't find email #7.
That's important so I'll repeat it:
While most email marketers are struggling to get emails opened and read...
We actually have our subscribers reaching out to us if they feel they've missed something!
How awesome is that?!?
It all comes down to being consistent, being memorable, and providing value.
So we add our Subject Starters, with a line under them to make it easier to distinguish the Subject from the body copy.
This comes in handy when we are ready to copy and paste the emails into our AutoResponder.
Awesome!
Now, you should have a really strong email template that you can use across your entire sequence.
It should look something like this:
Copy your template, and paste it in the same folder a bunch of times.
Create 3-5 copies for each week you have planned for your sequence.
So for a 2 week sequence, youll want 5-10 blank templates or so.
For a 4 week sequence, youll want 10-20 of them. It all depends on how many emails you plan on sending each week.
Now, rename them in a numbered fashion.
It should look like this:
All right! Everythings ready to go and its time to start writing.
Your sequence should be a great mix of three types of emails we taught you in Module #3. Head back and review that Module if you need a refresher.
And you should know how to write great emails now. If you need a refresher on that, go back and read through Module #4 again.
Heres some advanced tactics to keep in mind:
Ninja Tricks
When writing your emails, dont forget to hint at whats next. It keeps people interested and looking forward to the next email.
You dont have to do it in every email, but you should sprinkle these hints throughout your sequence.
Loops are very similar, only a little more advanced.
We will talk more about loops in the next Module, but basically they involve opening a thought (topic, idea, concept) and then leaving it hanging until later in the sequence.
It creates suspense and helps tie your bigger story together
Scheduling Sequences
When it comes to scheduling sequences, it works a little differently than scheduling broadcasts.
You can pick a certain day or even time that you want to send your broadcasts.
With sequences, the day an email is sent will often change depending on when that person subscribed to your list, and where they are in your sequence.
Youll want to pay close attention to the three types of emails you are going to be sending...
And schedule your emails appropriately (in order) based on the type of sequence youre building.
For prospects: If you gave them something to watch or read (when they subscribed) you should start your sequence heavy on the Consumption emails. Remind them to get in there and consume that material.
It helps position you as an expert.
Gets them interested in you, your products, your style.
Sprinkle in some BFF emails so they understand that you value them and wont just try to sell them. Dont do this for more than a week or two.
Then, over time, begin sending occasional Money emails. Slim down the Consumption emails, or stop them all together. If they havent bought yet, they arent going to.
After theyve been on your list for awhile, send even more Money emails.
Mix them with occasional BFF emails...
But sell hard!
The worst they can do is unsubscribe...
And the fact of the matter is that they are getting value from you. They can put up with an occasional pitch.
For customers: Youll need to treat your customers even better. As you should!
The same concepts apply...
Only make sure your Consumption emails go for longer, and are focused on getting them to use what they bought.
Also, make sure your BFF emails are heavy from the start. Really show your customers the love by providing a ton of value.
As you build, you may find that you need to create additional links, pages, videos, blog posts, or other material that is going to appear on the other side of your clicks.
Wrapping Everything Up
Once youve created your sequence, its ready to insert into your AutoResponder! It probably looks like a work of art now!
Put your emails in, scheduling the appropriate number of days between each email. Then, test every single email by sending them to yourself, and carefully reading through them...
And then grab a pad of paper and get ready...
Because in the next Module, were going to share all of our deepest, darkest Email Marketing secrets with you!
#1. Personalization
Remember that a persons name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language...
-- Dale Carnegie in How To Win Friends & Influence People
Personalization means to insert dynamic data fields (sometimes called 'tokens' or 'merge fields') that are personalized to each reader. You're probably familiar with the concept if you've ever done a Mail Merge function in your word processor.
For example, inserting the subscriber's first name in the salutation:
Hey {!firstname}
or...
I just grabbed this and immediately thought of you, {!firstname}
One clever way of using personalization that's totally underutilized is Geo-Location, dynamically inserting the subscribers location into your email.
NOTE: Not all Autoresponders support Geo-Location.
For example, you might use it in a Subject Line like, "Sleepless in (Reader's City)..."
If you live in Austin, Texas and get an email with the subject line "Sleepless in Austin..." you're WAY more likely to become curious and open it up... because just based on the subject line, that email is obviously and directly relevant to you, as the reader.
For some extra personalization mojo, you can add Geo-Location tokens inside the body of your email in some pretty subtle yet devastatingly effective ways.
Here's an example:
"You've probably seen these amazing devices in action while driving around {Reader's City}, {!firstname} - you just didn't realize that's what you were looking at!"
Or...
"If I could, I'd just fly into {Reader's City} and do this FOR you, {!firstname}... but we both know that's simply not possible."
When you get this right, it flies completely under the radar - the reader doesn't consciously take notice of it. The email just reads as powerfully relevant to them (and thus, more effective!)
Another hot tip: Use personalization to customize the time and date references in your emails...
Think about how much more personal it is to tell someone to "look for my next email on Thursday" than just to "keep an eye out for my next email..." It's as simple as pasting a {!dayname+2} token inside your email copy.
In Module 2, we talk about another place where personalization can be really helpful - setting up customized footers for all of your emails inside your Autoresponder to help people remember how and when they subscribed to your list originally.
#2. Email StorySelling
The most powerful skill you could ever posses is the ability to tell stories.
Stories engage people. Make them laugh. Cry. Identify with you.
And when your stories are sprinkled with power words, and formatted correctly so they relate to the reader...
They become absolutely irresistible. Nuclear.
You need to start turning personal experiences into stories for your audience.
It may seem overwhelming at first. You might be thinking "My stories are boring. My life is boring!"but we can assure you, nothing is further from the truth.
Your stories are GOOD... They just need to be framed right.
The trick is to realize that your experiences won't automatically turn themselves into good stories. It's how you RELATE THEM that makes them good stories.
A great place to begin this process is by LISTENING to more stories.
Try attending a storytelling event. Or try to meet a professional storyteller. Observe how teachers tell stories to the kids in their class.
Or listen to Snap Judgement or This American Life. Both are free podcasts hosted by amazing storytellers:
http://www.snapjudgment.org
http://www.thisamericanlife.org
Each time you listen to someone other than yourself tell a story, pay attention not just to what they say - but also to how they say it.
All great stories share these three characteristics:
- They have a single theme, that's clearly defined.
- They have a well developed plot.
- They have style. They paint a mental picture with words.
This is the one tactic weve shared with you thats going to take real work...
But its so worth it in the end!
#3. Facts Versus Benefits
The biggest mistake we see people make when trying to write emails is they mistake FACTS for BENEFITS.
This is something that every world-class copywriter I've ever worked with has really drilled home...
Because benefits are what sell, plain and simple.
Not facts. Not features.
Facts and features are easy to write...
Benefits, however, are a real pain in the ass.
You need to train yourself to look for them.
This short explanation will help you:
A fact is simply that: A fact about your product, service, or offer.
A benefit is the end result the fact translates into.
A benefit answers the question Whats in it for me?"
For example:
FACT: The new Chevy Godzilla SUV weighs 28,000 pounds and is the heaviest vehicle on the road.
BENEFIT: Your family will be safer.
------------
FACT: The Minolta EZ Click 9000 has a light-adjusting automatic triple-action lens.
BENEFITS: It takes perfect images from dawn till dusk.
------------
FACT: The new NIKE Para-Glider XL has a heel that's filled with ass feathers from the Australian Mongoose.
BENEFITS: You're going to run faster. Jump higher. Migrate south for the winter.
Make sense?
So rewrite your facts as benefits. Either that, or at least include them.
#4. Segmenting
Segmenting is what separates the serious email earner from the hobbyist. Plus, it's so easy... and yet most marketers never do it, because it takes just a WEE bit of extra effort.
Segmenting is the process of splitting your subscribers into smaller, more focused lists and it's incredibly powerful.
Say for example, you have a list of people who are interested in NASCAR.
Imagine how powerful it would be to have a sub-list of Kyle Busch fans... and a separate list of Dale Earnhardt fans!
Let's say you're selling NASCAR clothing and posters - you could email the Bush fans just Kyle Bush stuff, and email the Earnhardt fans just Dale Earnhardt stuff...
You'll never bother one set of fans with promotions for the other guy... and also you won't bother the entire list with such specific stuff.
List Automation
With nearly all decent Auto Responders, you can unsubscribe someone from one list when they join another list.
So when someone buys one of your products, for example... You can automatically add them to your customers list...
And have your AutoResponder automatically remove them from your prospects list.
Pretty handy...
But we like to dig even deeper and segment even further.
Imagine again that you have a list of NASCAR fans.
Rather than send Formula One information to the entire list over and over again... and lose subscribers every single time (because they really just want NASCAR information...)
You could slot just one F1 email into the followup sequence instead. Something like this:
Awesome F1 Interview
=============================================
Recently I had the great pleasure of interviewing Fernando Alonso for my subscribers.
In 2005, Fernando Alonso became the youngest Formula One World Drivers' Champion ever to hold the title.
After retaining the title the following year, Alonso also became the youngest double Champion in history.
On the call we discussed Ferrari Motors, the current state of Formula One racing, and his inspirations in general...
You can check the interview out for free...
But you need to head over to a private page Ive created, and enter your name and email address to get the interview:
I don't want to clog up your inbox with emails about F1 if you're not interested.
Now, whenever you want to send out Formula One information, guess which list you send it to?
Thats right! Your new Formula One list.
The Squeeze Page doesnt even need to be fancy... Remember, these are people who know you!
#5. Measuring Your Results
You cannot improve what you do not measure.
Metrics. Analytics. Stats... That's what every good direct marketer lives for.
Marketing legend, Gary Halbert famously said, "Whatever business it is you THINK you're in, you're wrong... You're in the ARITHMETIC business"
Of course, what he meant was that smart marketers always rely on their "numbers", the empirical evidence... to drive their marketing decisions.
So what's the best stuff to track and measure?
Obviously, the end results are what you're after, so the ultimate question always comes down to whether or not your sales are improving. But to get to that ultimate goal, you've got to break things down to smaller, more manageable measurements and milestones.
When it comes to Email Marketing, you always want to be keeping tabs on the following:
Open Rates - This is the measurement of how many people clicked on your email in their inbox to open it.
It's important to realize that this number will never be 100% accurate because lots of people can read the the preview of a short email. Plus, this kind of tracking is generally done by your Autoresponder inserting a small 1-pixel tracking image into the email, and LOTS of people have images turned off in their email by default. Unless they specifically accept images in your message, they won't count as an "open", even if they read every word.
Improving your Open Rates is all about improving your Subject Lines. But you can also test changing your From Name to increase opens. A personal name is generally better received than the name of a business in the From section.
Click-Through Rates (CTR) - This is the metric for how many people are clicking on the links inside your emails.
While no one will ever click on a link inside an email they never open... your CTR is arguably the more important number. Getting readers to take an action (clicking through) is where the rubber meets the road.
Improving your CTR comes down to effective Body Copy and how well you're doing at getting people to READ your emails, in general.
You can test changing the length of your emails - if yours are long try short emails and vice-versa. You can test how soon you present your links. You can test the number of links you put inside each message, and how you present those links. You can test placing text arrows before the link like this: ==> LINK
Earnings Per Click (EPC) - This is how you measure the overall dollar value of each click - by dividing the amount of money you've earned by the number of clicks you received. For example, if you earned $1,000 from 430 clicks, you'd have an EPC of $2.30. Earnings in the range of $1-$2 per click are not at all uncommon. But remember, some Email Marketing super-studs can get their EPC's as high as hundreds of dollars per click!
If you're promoting products and services created by others, there's only so much you can do to improve EPC's. You can do a better job pre-selling in your emails. You can make sure you're only sending targeted offers that are perfectly aligned with your list's interests.
However, if you're in control of the end product/service as well as the emails going out to promote it, your only limitation in terms of EPC's is your creativity. Basically, what you're trying to do is get more people to buy, more frequently, and for more money. Test different campaigns and time-sensitive event-based promotions. Frank Kern is famous for his "4-Day Cash Machine" email sequence which is simply a 4-day 50% Off Sale for current subscribers.
Surveying Your Readers
One not so obvious way to measure the effectiveness of your Email Marketing is to... wait for it... ASK YOUR READERS.
Survey your list every so often and "take their temperature".
Are you delivering real, tangible value to them? How so?
Are there things they wish you'd talk about more often?
Things you've forgotten (or never knew) that they want?
Your list will tell you everything you could ever need to know if you'll simply ask them and make it worth their while to answer.
Try offering some cool incentives for completing the survey (free reports, audio interviews, webinars, discounts, etc).
You can even try running a contest for "best question" or "most valuable feedback" - who wouldn't love to win something cool just for sharing their honest opinion with you?
Do or Do Not... There Is No Try...
Well, that's going to wrap up this module, and the course as well.
We hope you've had as much fun going through the training as we've had preparing it for you.
As you move forward with your Email Marketing, please try to keep this in mind:
There is no such thing as failure - it's ALL DATA.
Give yourself permission to do stuff, to try new approaches and experiment with new things. The absolute worst that can happen is NOTHING!
We love you and wish you all the success in the world with your Email Marketing.
Please keep us posted on your progress,
Brian McLeod & Erik Stafford
Co-Creators, Email Marketing Kickstart
Meet Andre Chaperon, the modern-day master of effective relationship-based Email Marketing. When you see some of the markets Andre is working inand see the way he communicates with those audiences
You'll be shocked!
Meet expert copywriter Craig Eubanks, and swipe his brilliantly simple method for consistently cranking out great emails in 25 minutes a day...
Craig will reveal how he "wrote himself a pool" using nothing but emails!
And probably talk about bunnies a little, too.
And how to create a whole new language just for your tribe!
Here's a detailed list of all the resources inside Email Marketing Kickstart
Printable Module eBooks
- Module 1 PDF - Beautifully designed eBook version of Module 1
- Module 2 PDF - Beautifully designed eBook version of Module 2
- Module 3 PDF - Beautifully designed eBook version of Module 3
- Module 4 PDF - Beautifully designed eBook version of Module 4
- Module 5 PDF - Beautifully designed eBook version of Module 5
- Module 6 PDF - Beautifully designed eBook version of Module 6
- Module 7 PDF - Beautifully designed eBook version of Module 7
Checklists & Cheat Sheets
- Email Marketing Glossary PDF - Printable Email Marketing Glossary
- 100 Easy Email Marketing Tips PDF - 100 simple tips to improve your Email Marketing
- AutoResponder Comparison PDF - Our top 3 recommended AutoResponders
- Building Basic Websites Checklist PDF - Printable checklist/worksheet for building sites
- New List Configuration Checklist PDF - Printable checklist/worksheet for configuring new lists
- Email Writing Checklist PDF - Printable checklist/worksheet for writing your emails
- Email Footers Cheat Sheet PDF - Printable cheat sheet for writing your email footers
- Email Sign-Offs Cheat Sheet PDF - Printable cheat sheet for your email sign-offs
- Sending Broadcasts Checklist PDF - Printable checklist/worksheet for your Email Broadcasts
- Creating Sequences Checklist PDF - Printable checklist/worksheet for your Email Sequences
- Advanced Steps Checklist PDF - Printable checklist/worksheet covering advanced tactics
- Good, Bad & Ugly Emails PDF - Example emails from our hot-seat reviews of emails in Module 4
Email Swipe Files
- BFF Money Email Sequence PDF - Swipe file for BFF / Money Email Sequences
- Product Launch Email Sequence PDF - Swipe file for Product Launch Email Sequences
- Topical Email Sequence PDF - Swipe file for Topical Email Sequences
- Weekend Email Sequence PDF - Swipe file for Weekend Email Sequences
- Year-In-Review Email Sequence PDF - Swipe file for Year-In-Review Email Sequences
Part 1 of 4 - Introduction
Part 2 of 4 - Tools & Technology
Part 3 of 4 - Deliverability
Part 4 of 4 - Viral & Social Listbuilding
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