Email will forever be my favorite marketing tool. While social get’s a lot of buzz and creates the feeling that you’re making progress in your business, an email funnel is what will actually get you the conversion you need to grow your business. Social is the invite, email is where the party is at. The growth that you’re looking for in your business all starts with the simple tool of the email sales funnel.
What is an Email Funnel
Email funnels, sales funnel, drip campaign, etc., are all names for the same thing. Essentially you’re creating a line of emails that will go out at different times directing your customers to purchase from you. By highlighting your offerings, showcasing proof that your product works, and acknowledging their pain points and how you solve them, you’ll speak to your customers directly in these emails and convince them that they need to buy from you.
Do Sales Funnels Really Work?
Yes! An email sales funnel does work and will be one of the highest converting marketing tools you could use in your business. As a brand strategist, many of my clients would rather put their time into growing their followers on social rather than feeding the small group of people they already have on email. This is a mistake. Yes, social media can bring people to your email list, but if you don’t have an email funnel that’s working for you, you’re just wasting precious time and resources.
How To Create an Email Funnel
Email lists are people who have already told you that they’re picking up what you’re putting down, so to speak. They like your business and want to know more before converting. This is where you build trust. To do that, we put them into an email funnel that goes through who you are, what you do, how you solve their problems, proof that you’ve solved other problems and then an offer they just can’t refuse.
To break this down even further I’ve created a an email template of how I set up a basic email sales funnel.
Get People On Your Email List
It starts with some sort of freebie or offer to get people on your email. You need to give them something because their email is worth something. It has monetary value to your business. So a discount for their first purchase or a free download that solves a pain point is a great trade for their email address. Test the waters and try different options to see what works best for your brand.
Email Sales Funnel Template
You can learn everything you need to know about building your first email sales funnel in my blog post “4 Steps to Creating an Email Sales Funnel That Converts.” I’m also working on an online course that will touch on email marketing. This will be live this Summer and you can stay in the know about it by signing up for my email list.
Types Of Email Funnels
The thing about your email list is that there are tons of different email campaigns you can create to connect with your audience and lead them to converting. I’ve talked a lot about the Sales funnel for when someone comes into your business but you could also make email funnels for:
- Canceling a Subscription
- Abandon Cart
- Upgrading to your next pricing tier
- Haven’t purchased in 90+ days
- First time purchase welcome email
- New Subscriber – Highlight all their benefits + features
The options are endless when it comes to your email funnel and having a variety of funnels that customers can enter into will allow you to stay front of mind and provide value for them. After all, that’s why you’re here; to make sure you’re solving their problems.
Where to Create Your Email Funnels
There are a ton of different email marketing softwares out there including Mailchimp, Customer.io, MailerLite, and ConstantContact are to name a few. You’ll want to find a software that fits your budget and provides you with the tools that you need.
Features to Look For
I love to be able to start with a free software until you reach at least 100 subscribers. However, some of the better softwares will require you to pay up front. You’ll have have to decide if this fits with your brand’s marketing budget. Aside from the cost though, you should look into the following things:
- Does it integrate with your shop? – This will allow you to send emails based on purchases from your site, abandon carts, etc.
- Does it allow multiple lists? – Having separate email lists allows you to send emails in different categories and customers can opt-in and out of those specific categories so that they don’t have to unsubscribe all-together.
- Does it have a sign-up form you can embed? – You need an easy way for your customers to sign up and that usually means a form you add to your website.
- Is there a limit to how many emails you can send per month?
- What’s the cost and how does that align with your budget?
Using Email Funnels in your Business
Social media is great, but email is where you’ll get the conversions you want to see. It’s where the real growth happens. If you don’t currently have an email funnel set up for your business it’s time to get started on it. This is so important for growing your brand and reaching your financial goals.
Not sure where to get started with your email funnel? Sign up for my FREE 30-minute strategy call and let’s talk about your email funnels.
Katie Leigh is a brand strategist and photographer based out of Denver, Colorado. Her experience as a former graphic design and former marketing director provides a unique perspective when it comes to your brand. Whether you’re looking to find out more about your user’s experience with a brand review or want ongoing brand strategy support with a 1:1 package, Katie Leigh will give you confidence in your brand so you can connect with your audience and grow the brand of your dreams.
