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The True Cost Of NOT Having A Sales Funnel

How Much Money Are You Missing Out On?

See Calculator Formulas

The Point

Sure. The above calculator is a bit ambiguous and vague; however, it proves my point – the worst thing you can do is NOT have a sales funnel.

It doesn't matter whether your sales funnel sucks or is freakin' awesome … by not having one, you're missing out on “easy” money.

The Sales Funnel Flow

The sales funnel concept is quite simple:

  • Convert a visitor into a lead by collecting contact information
  • Convert the lead into a customer by selling them a product or a service
  • Multiply the lifetime value of a customer by offering complementary and/or “bigger” products and/or services

Pretty simple, right?

Oh yeah … it's also automated.

Then Why Don't You Have One?

I Don't Think It'll Work For My Business

Baloney!

I cannot think of one type of business that couldn't use a sales funnel. Everything from B2B to B2C to Charities to Churches to Education. If you have something to sell – products, services, ideas … anything … and you have an audience to sell them to … you need a sales funnel.

Unsure? Ask me.

It Seems Too Complicated

Fortunately – the concept isn't too complicated: convert visitor to lead, lead to customer, and turn the customer into a repeat customer … mainly with automation – ie. email autoresponders.

There are even many types of blueprints or plans to follow. For example: Ecommerce, Digital Products, and Brick & Mortar.

However, I'll be honest with you – there are a lot of technical steps in creating a sales funnel. You need to understand email marketing, opt-in forms, landing pages, advertising, conversion tracking, and more.

Of course, there are several tools that make these tasks easier like LeadPages and ClickFunnels. However, you still have to learn how to use those tools … so, they are not the “end-all-be-all”. But, they can help.

The good news is that everything can be learned. Heck, I've done it … why can't you?

It Seems Too Expensive

Downright wrong.

A sales funnel is what I like to call a “force multiplier” … forgive my military jargon … it's embedded in my day-to-day lingo.

According to Wikipedia, “A force multiplier refers to a factor that dramatically increases (hence “multiplies”) the effectiveness of an item or group. Some common force multipliers are: Strategy. Technology. Tactics.”

In layman's terms – a sales funnel is going to more than pay for itself.

It's an investment with a great rate of return.

I Don't Have The Time

Yes. If you choose to go at it alone – it's going to take time to learn, understand, figure out, and experience.

But, it'll also be something that can help you for the rest of your life.

Or … of course, there are people that will do the work for you … like us 😉 [checkout our sales funnel service].

Or … you can have one of your employees take courses and learn how to do it and they'll be your “sales funnel guy.”

Or … there are other businesses like Crazy Eye Marketing that build sales funnels for clients.

Simply put. Maybe you don't personally have the time do figure it all out yourself; however, since a sales funnel is an investment that will bring you more money … you will have the money to pay someone else to build one for you.

I Don't Know What To Give People

KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid.

People are people.

And … what do people like? Things that help them and things that are entertaining.

How do you apply this to your sales funnel?

Simple, follow the 3 Es: Educate, Entertain, Earn.

Send one email that educates the subscriber on the topic of the product/service you sell.

Send one email that then entertains your subscriber on what you just educated them about.

Send one email that sells (earn) your product/service that “fills the gap” on what you just educated and entertained the subscriber about.

There are videos, testimonials, case studies, podcasts, blogs, pictures, info-graphics …. there's sooooo much stuff. Heck, there's 300 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute of every day [source].

Surely something out there will educate and/or entertain your subscribers.

Even if it's not your content … but it will help your subscribers … share it.

Simple.

In Closing

Even a bad sales funnel is better than no sales funnel at all and there are literally zero excuses not to implement a sales funnel for your business.

It's going to more than pay for itself, it's not too complicated and it doesn't take that much time … especially if someone else does it for you, and there's more than enough content to give subscribers. Even if you think you have nothing to share.

Are you ready to start building sales funnels? Checkout The Sales Funnel Training Vault!

The True Cost Of NOT Having A Sales Funnel2016-11-17T15:45:59+00:00

How To Track Your Email Opt-In Rates With Google Analytics

Opt-in rates are important.

They show how many people saw your offer (lead magnet) and thought it looked “juicy” enough to give you their email address.

The higher the opt-in rate, the more visitors you'll turn into subscribers and the faster you'll grow your email list.

Why Google Analytics?

9 times out of 10, your opt-in form software tracks conversions already.

It will tell you how many people saw your opt-in form and how many filled it out.

This is semi-helpful, but it doesn't share the whole story.

It doesn't show you where the person came from and how they ended up at your opt-in form.

This is where Google Analytics comes into play – it shows you the exact steps someone went through before giving you their email address.

Example

Example

This is just an example of one report. There are several “standard” reports and you can customize your own to get the data you need.

Other Coolness

Google Analytics also helps you track how well your advertising campaigns are doing.

Of course, Google Adwords and Google Analytics go hand-in-hand; however, you can also add UTM Tags to any link in order to see how well it performs.

UTM Tags are beyond the scope of this post; however, if you'd like to read more – here's a great article.

The Whole Story [DISCLAIMER]

I want to clarify something really quickly about opt-in rates.

They are not the “end-all-be-all.”

What really matters is: How Many People Buy.

Let's pretend that you created an opt-in form and got it to a 90% conversion rate – wow! You achieved the impossible!

The problem is, the people subscribing end up not purchasing anything you sell because they don't purchase products online.

It doesn't matter how many people are on your email list, if they don't buy anything.

I'd much rather have a list of 100 people that buy my products than 10,000 people who just want free stuff.

Keep in mind – opt-in rates are an important metric to examine and optimize for; however, the quality of people you're bringing in matters most.

How To Track Your Email Opt-In Rates With Google Analytics

Step 1: Thank You Page

The first thing you will need is a Thank You Page (sometimes called a Confirmation Page).

It's the page someone arrives on after they give you their email address that “thanks” them for joining your email list or asks them to “confirm” their email address by checking their email and clicking a confirmation link.

For example – here's one of my Thank You pages:

Thank You Page Example

Step 2: Connect Thank You Page To Opt-In Form

Depending on your opt-in form software – how to “connect” your thank you page is going to vary, so you may need to do a little bit of research … or, if you get really stuck, ask me.

Here are a few tutorials:

Step 3: Create Google Analytics Goal

Login to Google Analytics, navigate to the “Admin” tab and select “Goals”

Google Analtyics - Goals

Step 4: Create a New Goal

Click the “New Goal” button:

New Goal

Under “Engagement” select “Sign up” and then press “Continue”:

Engagement - Sign Up

Name your goal (ie: New Subscriber), leave “Goal slot ID” alone, unless you know what you're doing with it … in which case, you wouldn't be viewing this tutorial … select “Destination” as “Type” and click “Continue”:

Destination

Select “Begins with” and enter the url path to your Thank You Page without including your domain (ie. /thank-you). Assigning a Value or a Funnel is not necessary at this point, unless you really want to; however, I recommend leaving them “Off” for the time being, you can change it later.

Then select “Verify Goal”:

Veify Goal

Ideally, you'll have had some traffic to your Thank You Page so you will see a conversion rate and verify that your Goal is setup properly.

If you haven't had any traffic to your Thank You Page – go visit it now and visit it on your phone too … just to get a couple “unique” visits. You'll have to wait a day or so for those visits to “count” … so, be sure to re-verify your goal in a day or two to make sure it's functioning properly.

Click “Save”

Step 5: Track

Now that you're tracking your conversions, it's time to view a few reports!

Select the “Reporting” tab at the top, then on the left select “Conversions”, “Goals”, and “Overview”.

Make sure you have the correct “Goal” selected, view the “Source / Medium” … and checkout what's happening!

Report

It looks like the greatest percent of my conversions for this goal are coming from Google!

The “Reverse Goal Path” is also a great report (it's the one I showed in the first picture of this post).

Conclusion

This is just the beginning.

The point of this post was to get you tracking your opt-in rates with Google Analytics and to show you a few basic views.

Now that you're tracking and recording data, you'll be able to analyze it in order to figure out what traffic converts the best, where it's coming from, etc. – so you'll know where to focus your efforts.

But, that's for later … let's take it one step at a time!

How To Track Your Email Opt-In Rates With Google Analytics2016-11-17T17:45:04+00:00

Email Marketing Strategy For Digital Product Businesses

While this strategy works well … there's now a “smarter” version I recommend you checkout by clicking here.

In this post I layout an email marketing blueprint for nearly any Digital Product business to follow.

Let's get into it!

Digital Products Email Marketing Blueprint

Digital Products Email Marketing Blueprint

We can build this type of email series for you! Click here for more info!

Lead Magnet

The Lead Magnet is the “free gift” you give to someone in order to entice them into joining your email list. (I know, some people don't like how “entice” sounds because they think it sounds like “trick”. I'm not saying that at all – never, ever, trick someone into joining your email list. Businesses “entice” people all the time with sales, new products, limited availability, etc. – which is what I'm referring to.)

With regard to Digital Product businesses, your Lead Magnet should correspond with the Initial Offer, the “Big” Offer, the Upsell, and the Downsell. For example, if you're selling a course on email marketing, your Lead Magnet could be a little portion of the course, or maybe a checklist to follow in order to create great email campaigns.

It needs to make sense and lead into the products you're trying to sell.

Learn more about Lead Magnets here.

Welcome Series

The Welcome Series is the email series that delivers the Lead Magnet and also introduces your business to the newly subscribed individual.

The main purpose of this email series is to establish a relationship.

It can introduce …

  • Picture(s) of your business and/or workforce and/or you
  • Facts about your business
  • The community you support
  • Your social media accounts
  • Top products your business offers
  • Top posts on your blog
  • Testimonials

It can also ask for any questions the new lead may have – which can be a great conversation starter if you sell a more complicated product or service.

The point is to get people to know you and your business and feel comfortable with the products/services you provide.

Note: Not all digital products businesses need a Welcome Series. In many instances, the Initial Offer Action Series can introduce the business and share success stories when selling the Initial Offer.

Grab a Welcome Series Template from The Vault!

Initial Offer Action Series

The Initial Offer Action Series purpose is to qualify the lead by getting them to “open their wallet.”

You may have heard the Initial Offer be called a tripwire or a self liquidating offer.

The point is, it's priced very low (less than $10), delivers a ton of value, and makes people want to move onto the “bigger” product you're actually trying to sell.

Of course, this Initial Offer needs to be aligned with the “Big” Offer you're wanting to sell. More than likely, the Initial Offer is just a little piece of the “Big” Offer.

For example, back to the email marketing course – the Initial Offer could be the first 1/4th of the full course. It still delivers a ton of value; however, it leaves some questions unanswered.

Concurrent Email Series

As you noticed, directly after the Lead Magnet comes both the Welcome Series and the Initial Offer Action Series.

Both of these series happen at nearly the same time (maybe a couple of hours apart).

Why?

Because you want to start building the initial relationship while simultaneously working on selling the Initial Offer to the new, highly interested, hot lead.

Did Initial Offer Sell?

An important question!

Yes

The lead will move onto the “Big” Offer Action Series where they'll be sold on the idea of the “Big” product or service.

No

The lead will move to the Broadcast/Segmentation list where the relationship will be nurtured, other products will be suggested, and someday they'll make the leap to buying a product.

“Big” Offer Action Series

The point of the “Big” Offer Action Series is to sell your “Big” product or service. (Roughly between $300-$1,000 – though it really depends on your goals, market, business, etc.)

Ideally, by the time you get here – the lead will have already “made up their mind” whether or not to purchase the “Big” product/service because you've already delivered a killer Lead Magnet and an amazing Initial Offer.

Regardless, some more motivation may be needed to get the sale. This type of motivation comes from tearing down obstacles and objections (time, money, competition, laziness, etc). You'll want to send emails that negate those obstacles and objections.

For example, you may need to add an element of scarcity (price increase at midnight) or maybe offer a discount.

Pro tip! At the end of your “Big” Offer Action Series, right before you go into the Downsell Series (if a lead doesn't buy your product/service), send them a “Do you hate me?” email. A simple, one question survey that asks “why” they didn't buy your “Big” offer. These are obstacles and objections. You can then use these to write your emails in your “Big” Offer Action Series!

Did “Big” Offer Sell?

Yes

Go to the Upsell series and try to make more money!!!!

No

Sigh. Ah well, maybe they'll purchase a watered down version of the “Big” offer for about $100.

Upsell Series

So … the lead purchased the “Big” Offer – yippee!

Now it's time to turn that into something more – for example, a recurring membership where they have access to you and/or your support team.

Or maybe a one-on-one coaching session.

Or maybe a “done-for-you” service.

The whole point of the Upsell Series is to sell more than just your main product/service. You know the lead really wants their problem solved and if you can help them even more – do so through the Upsell Series.

Note: An upsell doesn't necessarily have to be an even more expensive product/service. Many times it can be something less expensive – like a recurring monthly payment of $37 for unlimited support.

Downsell Series

Even after delivering a killer Lead Magnet, an amazing Initial Offer, and negating all obstacles and objections – sometimes the lead still doesn't buy your “Big” Offer.

It happens.

Instead, offer them a “watered down” version of the “Big” Offer.

For example, the email marketing course we're selling comes in both eBook and Video format. So, the Downsell Series can sell one of those formats. ie. “So, maybe both the eBook and video course seems like too much, so … how about this … you can get the eBook version for only $97 … saving you $300. You won't get the step-by-step videos (which are incredibly helpful); however, you'll still be able to achieve the same results.”

Boom!

Broadcast/Segmentation Emails

These emails are not necessarily in a series and are not generally automated.

They're more of a “one-of-a-kind” email.

Think of a monthly newsletter or a weekly update. The content of each email is unique. Even if the email timing is the same each week/month/quarter – the content is fresh and now.

Or perhaps a one-time promotion or event.

These emails nurture the relationship with the lead while continuing to recommend other products and services your business offers.

Conclusion

Email marketing is an incredibly powerful tool for businesses that sell digital products.

All that's left to do is implement it … which … by the way … we'll do for you!

Email Marketing Strategy For Digital Product Businesses2016-10-14T18:29:26+00:00

Email Marketing Strategy For Brick & Mortar Stores

While this strategy works well … there's now a “smarter” version I recommend you checkout by clicking here.

In this post I layout an email marketing blueprint for nearly any Brick & Mortar store to follow.

Let's get into it!

Brick & Mortar Email Marketing Blueprint

Brick & Mortar Email Marketing Blueprint

We will build this type of email series for you! Click here for more info!

1st Step

The very first step is to “categorize” your customers into a few broad categories.

This categorization is accomplished by following the 3Ps: People, Products, and Problems.

  • People: Demographics, interests, hobbies, etc. (age, gender, religion, marital status, job title, etc.) Who comes to your store.
  • Products: The products/services you offer. What people come to your store to buy.
  • Problems: The problems your products/services solve. Why people come to your store.

For example, let's pretend you run a pet grooming business with grooming services for both cats and dogs. You can segment your customers into 3 categories: cat owners, dog owners, cat and dog owners.

Why? Well, cat owners don't care about the same things dog owners care about and vice-versa. And people that own both, care about both.

The point is, you want to capture everyone and try to fit them into a category so you can send more relevant content to those individuals.

Lead Magnet

The Lead Magnet is the “free gift” you give to someone in order to entice them into joining your email list. (I know, some people don't like how “entice” sounds because they think it sounds like “trick”. I'm not saying that at all – never, ever, trick someone into joining your email list. Businesses “entice” people all the time with sales, new products, limited availability, etc. – which is what I'm referring to.)

A great Lead Magnet for a Brick and Mortar store is a coupon. A coupon is great for two reasons – people like them and are willing to share their email address in exchange for one, and they drive sales … the only way to take advantage of a coupon is to buy something.

Otherwise, I've already written plenty about Lead Magnets here.

Welcome Series

The Welcome Series is the email series that delivers the Lead Magnet and also introduces your business to the newly subscribed individual.

There are two purposes to this email series: establish a relationship and to segment.

Also note, segmentation can occur before the Welcome Series even starts. For example, on the signup form you can ask them for their email, and what type of pet they have – cat, dog, or both. It's a simple, easy to answer question – but, it allows you to immediately segment. In turn, you are more relevant to individuals.

It can introduce …

  • Picture(s) of your business and/or workforce and/or you
  • Facts about your business
  • The community you support
  • Your social media accounts
  • Top products your business offers
  • Top posts on your blog
  • Testimonials

It can also ask for any questions the new lead may have – which can be a great conversation starter if you sell a more complicated product or service.

The point is to introduce people to you and your business and for them to become comfortable with what you all do.

And, if you didn't segment via the signup form, the Welcome Series helps with segmentation by “watching” how people behave.

What are their interests? What are they clicking on in your emails? How are they behaving?

Grab a Pre-Written Welcome Series Template from The Vault!

Example

The lead receives a “top blog articles” email. The purpose of this email not only serves to introduce the lead to your content, but also to segment the lead based on which article they click on.

Back to our example, we have three categories: cats, dogs, or both.

If the lead clicks on the dog blog article – we now know that they have an interest in dogs and we can segment them as such.

3 E Series

The 3 E Series are all about building and maintaining a relationship with your leads and customers, while simultaneously spurring action.

Depending on your business model, these email series can be incredibly long (100+ emails), span years, and be truly massive. Of course, they don't start this way, but are built over time – a good starting point is around 7-10 emails.

So, what are the Es and what do they mean?

  1. Entertain: These emails are meant to entertain. Videos, pictures, stories, etc provide great entertainment.
  2. Educate: Helpful emails that solve problems, answer questions, and provide guidance.
  3. Earn: These emails drive sales by bringing customers back to your business.

Ultimately, your 3 E Series is continuous. Maintaining the relationship through entertaining and educational emails, while also driving people back to your store by offering different promotions, sending reminders, sharing events, etc.

Example

Let's pretend someone joined our list and has been self-segmented (did it on the signup form) as an individual who has a dog:

Entertain

We can send them this video with a subject line: How I felt this morning

Sure, it's not “our” video, but it's cute, funny, entertaining, and relatable. (BONUS: if you can make a similar video … do that so it's kept “in house”!)

Educate

We can send them this article with a subject line: Dog have mats?

We can also include the steps in the email and give our own professional twist on the subject. And, like the video above … if you can write your own content … do that so it's all kept “in house”!

Earn

We can send a coupon for a 10% off dog grooming. Or a nail trimming, or anything similar to that. The goal is to drive people back to the store.

Mini Action Series

A Mini Action Series is an automatic follow-up to an action someone takes … that spurs even more action!

For example, the link we included in our “Educate” email about how to brush mats out of dog hair could have a Mini Action Series tied to it.

So, if someone clicks the link, we know they're interested in removing mats out of their dog's hair … so, we can send them a special promotion on “dog hair mat removal” or an email recommending a great brush we sell for removing mats. Something that spurs follow on action related to the action the individual just took.

Broadcast Emails

These emails are not in a series.

They're “one-of-a-kind” emails, sent once.

Think of a monthly newsletter.

Or maybe a weekly update.

Or even a one-time promotion or event.

Something along those lines.

They're simply “real time” emails that help keep in contact with your leads and customers.

Conclusion

Email marketing isn't just for Ecommerce or online stores, but ALL types of businesses that want to build and maintain relationships while driving sales.

Above I outlined a proven email marketing strategy for Brick & Mortar stores that automatically increases the lifetime value of their customers.

All that's left to do is implement it … which … by the way … we'll do for you!

Email Marketing Strategy For Brick & Mortar Stores2016-10-14T18:29:28+00:00

Is email marketing dead?

This is probably THE MOST asked question about email marketing.

Now, do people and businesses get 80% open rates and 40% click-through-rates like back in the “good ‘ol days”?

No. They don't. Which is why the “is email marketing dead” question exists.

Back in those “good ‘ol days”, people were only getting a few emails a day, and nowadays people get a heck of a lot more and there's just not enough time in the day to read them all. It just means you have a little more competition – but it's far from dead.

Think of it like this … email used to be about hearing from friends and family, now – it's used for business and transactions. People expect this. They expect businesses to be in their inbox.

They now have social media to keep in touch with family and friends. And according to a study by the Nielsen Norman Group – 90% of people preferred to receive business updates via a newsletter, while only 10% chose Facebook.

Now I'll rattle off a few common stats most marketers refer to when responding to this question:

  • For every $1 spent on email marketing, the average return is $44.25.
    [emailexpert] – I don't know how true or accurate this statement is … 4425% return seems a bit unbelievable to me; however, say it's for every $1 spent, the average return is $2. That STILL doubles your return on investment.
  • When marketed through email, consumers spend 138% more than people who don’t receive email offers. [Convince and Convert]
  • 91% of consumers use email at least once a day. [Exact Target]
  • Email is almost 40 times better at acquiring new customers than Facebook and Twitter. [McKinsey & Company]
  • 44% of consumers made at least one purchase last year based on a promotional email they received. [Convince and Convert]
  • 72% of consumers sign up for emails because they want to get discounts, but only 8.2% sign up because they love the brand. [BlueHornet]

So, email marketing is FAR from dead. In this day and age, people prefer businesses to be in their inbox as opposed to their social media accounts.

Is email marketing dead?2016-10-14T18:29:36+00:00

4 “Real” eCommerce Welcome Emails You Can Learn From

Last week I wrote a post about how most eCommerce stores suck at email marketing where the biggest thing that shocked me was the lack of Welcome Emails.

Out of the 20 email lists I joined, I received Welcome Emails from only 4 of the businesses (20%).

This is unacceptable.

Every email list, eCommerce or otherwise, needs to welcome the user to their list.

In this post, I will examine the 4 Welcome Emails I received telling you what I like/don't like about them and pointing out what you can learn from them.

Holstee

Holstee

I like this email for a few reasons.

I like that it's from a person – Helen Williams. This makes it much more personal and I really like her title, “Community Love Director”! Ha, that's awesome!

I like that it's fairly short and to the point. Helen introduces me to their mission, gives me a few links to get started, asks me to contact her if I have issues, and then she signs off. Excellent.

I like that she links me to her social media pages and tells me that her company shares “daily doses of what inspires us” – I know what to expect when I follow them.

I like that she linked me to her blog's most popular posts. That's great! A great way to learn more about the company.

What I may, or may not like … depending how it's used … is the third bullet, “Looking for a new Desktop or iPhone background?” If they're using it to segment their list (to see who's on a desktop and/or iPhone) then awesome! If not, then they're alienating a portion of their audience for no apparent reason (Android anyone?).

I would also like some clearer expectations as to what I'm to receive by being subscribed to this email list and how often. For example, when will I receive discounts? When will I receive updates on blog posts? How many emails a week should I expect? It's just something nice to know.

All in all, I really like this Welcome Email – good job Holstee!

Flatspot

flatspot

I like this email for a few reasons. First, it's very attractive! Look at all the pretty pictures!

I like that the Lead Magnet (Free Shipping Code) I requested was delivered to me immediately. They kept their promise.

I like that they have links to their social media profiles. This helps me easily locate them in order to Like and Follow.

I kind of like that they have one clear objective on this email – “Follow Us On Instagram”. However, I don't know that I necessarily agree with “one clear objective” in regards to a Welcome Series. I believe Welcome Series should be used to segment subscribers and by having “one clear objective”, it makes it a little harder to segment. But, this is also the first email, there's still time!

I don't like that they don't share any expectations of me being on their list. When are you going to send me stuff? How often? What are you going to send me? etc.

I'd also prefer this email to come from a person. Being that this is an eCommerce store, a personal touch is always nice in order to remind the lead/customer that they're working with actual people, not just machines.

All in all, I think it's a decent email; however, I would test a few things … and maybe they already did, and if it's working for them – great!

Shwood

Shwood

I like this email because it's pretty, it's simple, it's short, it sets expectation, it introduces their social media pages, and it lets me know that if I have an issue that I can email or call them.

My issue is … who do I call? Who do I email? Where's that personal touch?

So, for the most part – I like it, but I think they need to make it more personal.

Skinny Teatox

Skinny Teatox

This isn't really a Welcome Email – instead, they automatically sent me their last broadcast email.

This is an “OK” thing to do, as long as no context is required in order to understand what's going on. It's almost like jumping right into the middle of a conversation, maybe I can figure out what they're saying … but, maybe I can't. You never want to confuse a new subscriber.

So, I'd definitely recommend adding a “true” Welcome Email, and then follow up an hour or two later with your latest broadcast.

Anyway, what I really like about this email is that they have obvious, descriptive, buttons. For example, there's a big, pink button that says “Get A 14 Day Skinny Teatox (Free Shipping)” … and it takes me straight to that product. Great!

I also like that they're sharing their latest blog post so I can read more about what the business represents.

I'm going to stop critiquing it here as this isn't a “real” Welcome Email per se (even tho they sent it as one).

Again, I highly recommend adding a “true” Welcome Email.

6 Things All Welcome Emails Should Include

I'll leave you with a list of things every Welcome Email should include:

  1. Say thank you, Welcome!, etc.
  2. Include the Lead Magnet
  3. Short introduction to the business (maybe a link to the latest blog post)
  4. Set expectations for the email list (perks of being subscribed)
  5. Include links to Social Media profiles
  6. Be personal
4 “Real” eCommerce Welcome Emails You Can Learn From2016-10-14T18:29:36+00:00

How do I attract the first 1000 subscribers for a content website?

This question involves a few variables:

  • How fast?
  • Budget?
  • Do you have an audience elsewhere? Blog? Social media?

Depending on those variables my recommendations and answers will change.

So, how fast do you want it to happen? You can get there in a day if you leverage your resources correctly and/or have the budget for it. For example, if you have 50k fans on Facebook, it should be fairly easy and fast to get to 1,000 email subscribers.

If you don't have an audience elsewhere, it'll take more time and/or money.

Speaking of money … if you want to go the paid advertising route, for a QUALITY subscriber, you're probably looking at $1-$2 per subscriber … if not more, depending on your niche.

So, some simple math would tell you that it'll cost between $1,000 to $2,000 for a list of 1,000 QUALITY subscribers. Sure, you can get cheaper subscribers too, but you know what you get from them? Nothing. Obviously you'll want people who care about what you have to offer.

I don't know you, but $1k-$2k might be a bit out of your price range.

So, here's a tip. On your Thank You page, try and make some of that advertising money back by offering something for a few bucks. For example, if your lead magnet is a guide, can you turn that guide into a video and sell that video for $7? Whatever you come up with, try and keep it under $10.

If you're broke and don't have an audience elsewhere … depending how hard you grind it out will dictate how fast you can grow your list to 1,000 subscribers. Here are a few suggestions for your grind to the top!

  • Ask your family, friends, and work acquaintances. May any of them be interested?
    • Ask them to share it.
  • Get active on forums. Can you include a signature with a link to your opt-in form?
  • Guest blogging with a link to your opt-in form.
  • Get active on social sites. Start building relationships and making contributions.
  • Start a blog, podcast, etc. Get your name and business in front of as many people as possible.

It's pretty much the “generic” advice you'll usually see when looking how to grow your list … and that's because, that's how it's done.

Ultimately, my advice is paid advertising. Given the right funnel setup, you should be able to make your money back and be net positive in no time … I mean, that's the whole point of email marketing in the first place!

How do I attract the first 1000 subscribers for a content website?2016-10-14T18:29:36+00:00

What are some key elements to increase newsletter sign ups on a landing page?

There are several key elements to help increase newsletter signups on a landing page … and there's kind of an order to their level of importance … so, I'll try and present them in that order.

Before I answer this question, NOTE … where your traffic is coming from and that quality of that traffic is the most important element to increasing signups. If you send garbage traffic, it'll never convert.

Assuming your traffic source is good, the first thing I'd look at is the Lead Magnet. If you're unfamiliar with that term – a Lead Magnet is an incentive for someone to give you their contact information … it “pulls the lead in.” For example, discounts, checklists, whitepapers, videos, ebooks, etc are common Lead Magnets.

Having said that – if no one wants your Lead Magnet, it wont matter how good the rest of your landing page is … it'll never convert well.

Here's a hint: Many times, just changing the title and/or the picture (aka “hero shot”) of your Lead Magnet without actually changing it's content can help increase conversion rates dramatically.

The second thing I'd look at is the Headline and, if you have one, the Sub-Headline. Maybe it needs to be shorter. Maybe it's not all that enticing.

Hint: Not that I condone this type of activity as it's costly to other people and businesses … but, sometimes it's one of those things. But, take a look at other people's landing pages … especially ones you're sent to through a paid advertisement … like on Facebook or Adwords. If people are businesses are paying money to send potential leads to a landing page … there is a decent chance that they're using … at least … slightly optimized Headlines and Sub-Headlines. Try and see what they say, find the pain points their using or try and identify any underlying formulas.

The third thing I'd look at is the opt-in form itself. What information are you requesting? Just the email address? Or, are you requesting first name, last name, telephone number, address, and their pet's name? The more fields your form has, the larger the barrier to entry. Only use fields you ABSOLUTELY NEED in order to start the relationship. Don't ever ask for personal information, just because. The simpler, the easier, the better.

The fourth thing I'd look at is the Call-To-Action (CTA) button. This is the “Submit” button for the opt-in form. I'd make sure it stands out (color, dimensions) and the wording matches the offer. For example, “Submit” is a bad CTA. Rarely do people want to “submit” something. BUT, they do want to “Download The Guide!”

Finally, I'd look at the overall look and feel. Is there one objective on the page or are you leading people in many different directions? For example, are you asking for contact information, but also asking for people to share the page? Or to look at some blog articles, or to do anything other than opt-in.

Each landing page should have one specific goal.

I hope that answers your question!

What are some key elements to increase newsletter sign ups on a landing page?2016-10-14T18:29:38+00:00

Most eCommerce Store Suck At Email Marketing

I visited 32, top rated, eCommerce stores in an attempt to enter their email marketing campaigns … these are my findings.

The reason this all started is because I've been working with a few eCommerce stores in regards to their email marketing campaigns and I've seen quite a few similarities in regards to how eCommerce businesses are “using” their email marketing platforms.

Most suck at it.

In this post, I will take you through what I found vs what I expected.

Had Optin Present

Optin Forms
While I believe ALL eCommerce stores need to have an optin, only about two-thirds of this sample actually did.

Email marketing is used to build relationships, turn potential customers into actual customers, and keep actual customers coming back again, and again, and again.

By not having an email optin form on your site, you're hurting your business.

Lead Magnet

Lead Magnet
Of the stores that had optin forms, I took a few minutes to note their Lead Magnet. If you're unfamiliar with that term, a Lead Magnet is an offer that helps persuade individuals to join your email list – like a discount, a checklist, an eBook, a video, etc.

80% were offering a “Newsletter.” While most stated that they would send discounts and promotions, it was unclear as to when I would receive anything.

As a visitor to your eCommerce store, I want instant gratification – which is what a Lead Magnet should provide. Having to sit around, waiting for my discount … that's no fun … and spurs no action.

10% offered entry into a monthly contest for either a free product or a gift card. This isn't too bad, at least once a month I have a chance to win something!

5% offered nothing. Their optin form was literally a text box that said “Enter your email here” and a button that said “Subscribe”. I don't know about you, but normally I don't just pass my email address around for no apparent reason!

5% wanted me to “Join The Movement”. Whoa! I'm just shopping here … not signing up for a revolution. Tone it down, make it clear as to what I'm about to receive.

Double Optin

Double Optin

Double optin is where an individual inputs their email address, then has to go check their email and click a link in order to confirm their subscription. So, there are two steps – input email address, confirm email address (double).

While I personally do not like double optin forms, I get it … especially for eCommerce stores that get a lot of low quality subscribers and also take a lot of heat themselves as users report them as sending spam more frequently than most businesses.

Ultimately, in regards to eCommerce, I think double optin is the way to go in order to ensure higher quality subscribers and less spam reports.

Welcome Emails

Welcome Email
This is what really surprised me.

Only 20% of the businesses I gave my contact information actually said “Thank You”.

The other 80% – I don't even know if they got my information. It's just floating out there and if I get an email from one of those businesses, I'll probably forget that I gave them my information and report it as spam. Sad. (I won't really do this)

A Welcome Email is absolutely critical.

You need to thank people for giving you their contact information. You need to welcome people to your email list and your business. You need to set expectations. You need to start building that relationship and give people a reason to buy from you.

Not having a welcome email is severely disappointing.

If you don't have one – go write on now … or scroll to the end of this post.

Email Service Used

Email Service

MailChimp was the “top dog” at 55%. And, I kind of expected this. MailChimp is a quality email autoresponder service that interacts well with eCommerce.

For 35% of the eCommerce stores, I couldn't tell what service they were using. They may have been “in-house” services or something else. Either way, I couldn't identify them.

5% were using CreateSend.

And the remaining 5% were using Klaviyo. I've been hearing a lot of good stuff about Klaviyo recently in regards to how well they work with eCommerce stores. I haven't personally got my hands on it yet; however, it may be worth checking out!

Where To Go From Here

For those eCommerce stores that lack an optin and email marketing in general – here's a short video tutorial on how to get started:

For those that lack a Welcome Email … well, I'm going to give you one:

Welcome Series Email 1

 

That should help!

Most eCommerce Store Suck At Email Marketing2016-10-14T18:29:38+00:00

What are the best ways to increase a website’s conversion rate honestly?

I've actually answered this question before in a post entitled “How To Optimize Your Sales Funnel“.

Before I hop into what I'm about to say … first and foremost … you need to be offering something people actually want. If what your offering … no one cares about … the rest of this podcast is all a moot point.

Anyway, to answer your question – you need to first think of your website as a system.

It's not just “one thing” – there are many, many, many moving parts and they're all connected. If one part is broken, it's going to impact other parts.

At the beginning of your system (or your website) – you have your traffic source … which is arguably the most important aspect in regards to how well your site will convert.

If your traffic is bad … it does not matter how great the rest of your system is … no system in the world can turn garbage into gold.

So, traffic source is the first “best way” to increase your conversion rate.

The second best way is through optimizing your landing page. If you're unfamiliar with that term – a landing page is simply the page someone “lands” on after clicking through to your site … whether through an ad, a search result, a social share, or whatever.

If your landing page doesn't deliver clear guidance, have solid copy, etc. It's going to hurt your conversion rates and it will need changes.

So, that's what I would look at next.

Thirdly, if you don't have one already … you will want to have email autoresponder series in place. And, you'll want to ensure it's optimized as well.

Those are the three things … in that order (traffic, landing page, email series) … I recommend enhancing/optimizing as the “best” ways to increase a website's conversion rate.

What are the best ways to increase a website’s conversion rate honestly?2016-10-14T18:29:38+00:00