Most experts agree that an email subscription list is the most powerful tool in your arsenal. But, building a subscription list is just the start. Enticing those subscribers to buy something is the tricky part.
In fact, subscribers should have a separate sales funnel where you should actively track them and push subscribers to the next level of the sales funnel.
Remind them of why they signed up
Subscribers often lose interest in why they signed up for a newsletter. In the first few emails establish clearly the value that you add and why u deserve a place in their inbox.
Don’t get unsubscribed.
Use promotion wisely
In your first email throw in a freebie. If you are a content marketer a guide of how to could be a valuable piece of content, or maybe a planner a case study is things u could throw in for free. A welcome gift gives subscribers a warm feeling and incentivises them to engage with you.
This free content should be some of your best work so that you leave a lasting impression in the minds of the subscriber.
Once past the initial stage you could throw in exclusive discounts or offers that can be redeemed only through email. These give the subscribers a feeling of exclusivity. Here you could add urgency by giving a limited time offer.
Use tiered pricing and entry-level products
By now, we’ve established the importance of the quick first sale. It’s the entry gate to future sales and long-term custom.
But, naturally, new subscribers aren’t going to jump in at the deep-end and purchase your $1,000 tuition series. However, they might buy a $10 report or webinar. They’re not going to buy a $1500 camera, but they might test the waters with a $20 accessory.
Find a Balance
It can be overwhelming to think about…when do I promote, provide content, add a personal post, ask questions and engage?
The key is balance. If you are constantly promoting your product, or asking questions, or sending your followers to blog posts, your followers will get bored! Or, worse yet…frustrated.
Segment your subscribers
As we mentioned that subscribers need to be pushed through a sales funnel. Similarly, they can also be segmented by the time they take to engage. Clearly segmenting high frequency vs low frequency buyers allows you to customize offers and map campaign goals effectively.
AB test your emails
The key to keeping subscribers engaged is content. This requires a bit of research. The advantage of an email list is that you can test this over a long period of time and constantly perfect the various aspects without fear of losing too many subscribers.
Test everything in your email
Subject lines
Call to action
Offers
Content (Graphic vs Text)
Time of day
Frequency
Personalize the emails
Even if the point of the email is promotional—that is, you’re looking to get people to click on and buy certain things—you’ve still got to take the time to say a few words. This is your chance to get personal. That doesn’t mean you have to tell your readers about the nasty cold you had last week, but it does mean you’ll want to tailor the content as much as possible to your audience. Using data, you ought to be able to see from your POS or eCommerce platform, you’ll be able to identify preferences of your customers—even subscribers who’ve just browsed your website. If a certain segment of your audience is looking mostly at t-shirts, while another segment only has eyes for corduroy pants, you should be creating separate lists with appropriate offers.
Remind customers about their empty shopping carts
It’s often difficult to differentiate between casual subscribers and those with an intent to buy.
However, if you subscriber has gone to the trouble of adding items to their cart, they’re a buyer. All you have to do is give them a nudge.
Remind them about the items in their cart and direct them to the checkout.
Building an email list is a core part of any good marketing strategy. However, signing up is just the start! Turning them into a paying customer is the real challenge.