You may see the ads in your social feeds telling you “email is dead” or that you don’t need a big email list to sell your message. But at Worthy Marketing Group, we beg to differ with anyone advising against the strategy of growing your email list.

In this Facebook Live session, Worthy Marketing Group CEO Jayme Johnson discusses why she continues to advise our clients on steps to build an email list.

getting set up

The easiest way to get someone on your list is to offer a digital asset. We recently wrote an article all about digital downloads — a great reference to get started with your lead magnet. Once you have the offer created, we recommend displaying the offer “above the fold” on your website (aka something visitors can see without scrolling) or using a timed pop-up delivery so they are asked to register after being on your site for 5-7 seconds. Due to GDPR (regulations from Europe) it’s a good idea to state that they are joining your list and getting this download as a free gift. You want to be explicit and clear about what is happening and how you will use their email address in the future.

nurture sequence

You’ve got them on the list, now what? This is where things stall for a lot of our clients. They come to us having had an opt-in on their site for months (or even years!) and haven’t been consistent in emailing their list regularly to keep them “warm” and engaged.

We recommend the following best practices:

deliver the download

Deliver your free download on a thank-you landing page immediately upon sign up, but also follow up with an email right away containing the link to the download (as a backup in case they exit out of their browser window). Thank them for their interest in your work and set the tone for your messaging and how you look forward to building a relationship with them over time. This is someone’s first chance to see what you’re about so make sure it’s on brand and part of the bigger picture you’re presenting.

nurture sequence

Now that they’ve raised their hand to be on your list, stay in communication with them. Set up an automated nurture email sequence that delivers to them over the first couple of weeks they’re on your list to further introduce them to your message, your work, and how you can help solve their problems.

We start with the following guidelines as we build lead nurturing sequences for our clients.

  1. Welcome, short email with download delivery (as mentioned above)
  2. Quick Action Suggestion: something the person can DO in 10 minutes or less to make their life better (meditation, checklist, etc – action based and quick)
  3. A Personal Story – tell something about yourself to build a connection with your readers. Ideally, this is centered around the “why” of your work.
  4. Testimonials – don’t just list “I’m so great because…” but think of a way to tell what others are saying about your work while making it useful to the reader. Even better if you can share success stories that your clients are experiencing as a result of working with you. You’re shining a light on their win and getting the benefit for yourself as well!
  5. CTA – The Call To Action you want your reader to take as the next step in their journey with you Is it to buy a book, a course, sign up for a consult? You decide, but the idea is that they are no longer a cold audience. You’ve “warmed them up” to your message and services and now you can ask them to engage with your services/products.

 

Hear more about what Jayme thinks about the long game of building your tribe:

2:14 Jayme talks about the “long game” and the temptation in it and how many authors want to take the easy way around.

3:37 The hard approach when it comes to populating more growth on your social platforms and how it is better in the long run.

5:28 Jayme’s take on social platforms: they are more a “means to an end” and are the “party” to creating more growth.

8:16 Why the audience that you build organically without any cheats will usually stay with you and will stick with you if you have a steady theard of content.

9:28 How the community you build organically can also help you with feedback on potential content.

10:39 Client example – how she took the “short way” and how she didn’t get much back in terms of authentic growth and sales and how you don’t get great results going this route.

13:52 How you will get more quality engagement by taking the “long run.”

 

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Email isn't Dead. It's alive and nurturing your tribe and fans. | The Worthy Marketing Group Blog