How to Nurture Leads with Email Marketing

Are you tired of pouring your heart and soul into email marketing only to find out that you’re still struggling to reach your potential clients?

I know you need to catch up in your email marketing efforts. You’ve tried all different email marketing tools, but at the end of the day, you feel like nothing is converting.

That’s why today, I want to teach you what it takes to win in your email marketing strategies!

In my recent podcast episode, I discussed how to nurture your leads using email marketing. Listen to it now.

Let’s begin!

Assessing Your Current Email Marketing

First, let’s assess where you are with your email marketing.

My first question for you is, do you have an email list?

If so, great. If not, you need to start building one.

Assessing your current email marketing strategy is important. You first need to understand the data/insights given to you by your email marketing software. You’ve got click rate, bounce rate, open rate, unsubscribe rate, and other important metrics you should explore.

You can create data-driven decisions by switching up how you do things through this.

In the next section, I will tell you the step-by-step strategies to nurture your leads with email marketing.

I’ve seen firsthand how nurturing leads can produce BIG results. If you haven’t sent an email this year — do it now.

Step-by-Step Strategy to Nurture Leads with Email Marketing

Step 1: Collecting Email Addresses

The first step is collecting email addresses from prospects and entering them into an email autoresponder. An email marketing tool can streamline and efficiently perform this step.

If you don’t know what an email autoresponder is, it’s a program that holds all your email addresses and allows you to send personalized and strategic emails.

Here’s what I use.

Depending on the customer journey stage, there are a couple of ways to collect email addresses.

For clients, it’s straightforward.

Anytime you generate a new client, you put their contact information into a specific folder in your email autoresponder.

For prospects, the fastest and most impactful way is to use a lead magnet — giving away something in exchange for contact information.

Think of freebies like an e-book, guide, checklist, or webinar.

Step 2: Lead Nurturing Campaign

Once you’ve collected their contact information, the next step is to nurture leads with email marketing campaign. Inside your email autoresponder, you can send emails to build a relationship — all in automation.

Think of it like dating.

Get to know your new contacts, share stories, address their pain points, answer questions, and introduce yourself. They may not know you if you’re using a lead magnet.

Typically, I use a nurturing campaign of 7 to 10 emails over 30 to 45 days.

The goal is to build a relationship, position yourself as an expert, and stay in front of them without being annoying or pushy.

Once you’ve built that relationship, transition into the selling portion of your campaigns.

Offering something that helps them solve a problem is much more effective now because you’ve built that relationship. The purpose is to provide value and build that relationship on the front end.

One of the most important aspects of growing a business is nurturing leads. Not chasing new ones.

Step 3: Consistent Value-Driven Emails

After the 30 to 45-day email nurturing campaign inside your email marketing platform, you need to consistently provide value and position yourself as an expert by sending weekly or bi-weekly emails to your entire database.

Most people get this wrong by focusing on sales immediately after collecting contact information.

But think about it: do you like being sold to all the time?

Or are you more likely to go to someone who has built that know, like, and trust factor?

Gary V describes this as the jab, jab, punch structure. You jab twice with value before you punch with a call to action for a sale.

The purpose of consistently sending emails is to provide value, build a relationship, and stay in front of your dream clients. You’ll be the first person they think of when they are ready to move forward.

Step 4: Personalizing Your Emails

Now, as an email marketer, you need to understand the importance of personalizing your emails!

There are two ways to do this.

First, use the person’s first name.

This is a simple but effective aspect of using an email autoresponder. Instead of sending a mass email that says “Hey friends” or “Hey everyone,” use “Hey Sarah” or “Hey Brittany.” This makes them feel more connected and engaged.

Second, segment your email list depending on where they are in the customer journey.

For example, if you offer a course, one-on-one coaching, and a mastermind, segment your list into these categories. Each segment faces different challenges, so tailor your emails to each group.

One of the biggest challenges in email marketing is getting people to open your emails. Personalization is critical here. Also, engage with your audience by asking questions and having them respond to your emails.

The more people respond, the higher your email deliverability will be.

The amazing thing about email autoresponders is that no matter what time someone gives you their contact information, every single person will receive the same automation.

Benefits of Email Marketing

Email marketing can be a game-changer for your business. Here are some key benefits:

Driving Sales: Email marketing helps you reach potential clients directly, providing them with tailored offers and promotions that encourage purchases.
Increasing Brand Awareness: Regularly sending emails keeps your brand in front of your audience, making it easier for them to remember you when they need your products or services.
Fostering Customer Loyalty: By consistently providing valuable content and maintaining communication, you build trust and loyalty with your clients, increasing the likelihood of repeat business.

Types of Emails

Different types of emails serve various purposes in your marketing strategy:

Promotional Emails: These emails focus on special offers, discounts, or new product announcements to drive immediate sales.
Informational Emails: Share valuable content such as blog posts, industry news, or tips to keep your audience informed and engaged.
Retention Emails: Designed to keep existing clients engaged, these emails might include loyalty rewards, feedback requests, or re-engagement campaigns.
Transactional Emails: These are automated emails triggered by a customer’s action, such as order confirmations, shipping notifications, or password resets.

Building a Subscriber List

An effective email marketing campaign starts with a robust subscriber list:

Selecting an Email Service Provider: Choose a reliable email service provider (ESP) that offers the features you need, such as automation, segmentation, and analytics.
Opt-in Forms and Lead Magnets: Create attractive opt-in forms and offer lead magnets (freebies like eBooks, checklists, or webinars) to encourage visitors to subscribe.
Maintaining List Hygiene: Regularly clean your list by removing inactive subscribers and ensuring that your contacts are up-to-date.

Designing Engaging Email Content

Creating compelling content is crucial for successful email marketing:

Crafting Compelling Subject Lines: Your subject line is the first thing recipients see, so make it catchy and relevant to encourage opens.
Personalizing Messages: Use your ESP’s personalization features to address subscribers by their first name and tailor content to their preferences.
Using Visuals and Layout Effectively: Incorporate images, graphics, and a well-structured layout to make your emails visually appealing and easy to read.

Establishing a Marketing Strategy

A solid strategy helps ensure your email marketing efforts are effective:

Defining Target Audience: Understand your ideal clients and tailor your messages to their needs and interests.
Setting Campaign Goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your emails, whether it’s driving sales, increasing website traffic, or building brand awareness.
Scheduling Email Sends: Plan your email schedule to maintain regular contact without overwhelming your subscribers.

Best Practices for Effective Email Marketing

Implement these best practices to enhance your email campaigns:

A/B Testing: Experiment with different subject lines, content, and send times to see what resonates best with your audience.
Optimizing for Mobile Devices: Ensure your emails are mobile-friendly, as many people read emails on their phones.
Compliance with Regulations: Adhere to laws such as GDPR and CAN-SPAM by including an unsubscribe link and respecting user privacy.

Measuring Campaign Performance

Regularly analyze your email campaigns to understand what’s working and what needs improvement:

Analyzing Key Metrics: Track metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to gauge your emails’ effectiveness.
Refining Future Campaigns: Use the insights gained from your analytics to refine and improve your future email campaigns.

In a nut shell…

When used effectively, executive email marketing can truly be a powerful tool for nurturing leads and driving business growth!

To summarize, here are the ways you can leverage the benefits of email marketing

Use various types of emails
Build a strong subscriber list
Craft engaging content
Establish a clear marketing strategy
Regularly measure campaign performance
Refine your approach
Follow best practices and ensure your emails resonate with your clients
Email marketing is about building relationships, not just pushing sales and irrelevant promotional emails.

Each email is a chance to connect, provide value, and build trust with your audience.

Again, you can dive into this topic more in my latest podcast episode. Listen to it now!