If you’re a marketer or small business owner, you probably know that email marketing is your secret weapon for increasing sales and brand awareness. In fact, for every $1 spent on email marketing, the average return on investment is 122%.
122%!
But email can feel tough to wrangle. What exactly are you supposed to send...and when? Setting up automated and triggered email sequences for your business not only helps you capture that value and preserve your marketing strategy but also takes the pressure off of you to continuously create and send new emails while juggling all the different types of subscribers on your list.
Plus, your customers will thank you for it. With all of the poor email tactics being used today and giving email marketers a bad name, truly taking the time to understand your customers' needs and meeting those needs through email at the right moment...well, that is a game-changer that sets you a league above the competition.
What the heck is an email sequence?
An email sequence is a batch of emails that fall under one theme and that are triggered to send based on a set of time- or action-based circumstances. If you run in marketing circles, you may have heard these emails described as automated emails or drip campaigns. Regardless of the name, the intent is the same: to send targeted emails to achieve a specific purpose and set them up in advance, so they're automated rather than manually sent.
There are a lot of benefits to this approach. By setting up your emails in advance, you’re helping customers move through the customer journey in a deliberate and strategic way. This improves your customer experience and controls the interactions they have with your brand. It also saves you time and ensures your email marketing is focused and strategic rather than a scattershot approach.
4 email sequences for your business
Here are four popular email sequences to consider for your business to nurture new prospects, upsell customers, and encourage repeat purchases and customer loyalty.
The welcome sequence
When a new subscriber joins your list, the welcome sequence introduces them to your brand and nurtures that relationship. The goal is to pack a ton of upfront value to keep your new subscriber engaged and make it clear why your brand is valued, trustworthy, and authoritative.
You can even put subscribers through different welcome sequences based on behavior. For example, a new customer who joins your list post-purchase can and should receive different emails than a customer who subscribes to get your newsletter (or to claim a discount code). You’ll also likely want a separate sequence for new subscribers who join your list to get access to a free download or lead magnet, so the number and type of emails you include should consider these factors.
Number of emails:
Anywhere from 5-10 emails dripped out over a 1-2 week period.
Content ideas:
Personally welcome your subscriber in a letter from the founder
Tell your brand story
Explain your why
Discuss your ingredients or production process (for e-comm) and your project process (for service providers)
Feature your best-selling products or services and pair them with testimonials and other social proof
Walkthrough the benefits and outcomes of your product/service
Write an email explaining what makes you unique, different, or higher quality than a competitor (or commonly held misconceptions within your field)
The lead nurturing sequence
A solid strategy for encouraging new subscriber sign-ups is to offer a highly valuable and free resource, often an e-book, checklist, quiz, or other quickly digestible and free lead magnet.
Number of emails:
Anywhere from 3-7 emails dripped out over a 1-2 week period
Content ideas:
Unlike your welcome sequence, this one is more like a marketing funnel and should follow an arc from download/receipt of the lead magnet to a new sales or bump offer:
Include access to the free download or offer
Pique interest with added free content that supports your lead magnet
Explain your why or UVP (unique value proposition)
Tell a story about a time you solved a problem with your product or service
Offer a low-cost but high-value upsell to compliment the original lead magnet
The post-purchase sequence
Have you ever bought something online and then wondered if your order went through or whether your package is even on its way? Once a customer makes a purchase, their enthusiasm for your brand is at its highest. This is the perfect time to stay engaged to encourage repeat purchases and brand loyalty.
Number of emails:
3-5 triggered after purchase, shipping, and receipt
Content ideas:
Purchase confirmation
Shipping confirmation
Shipment check-in
Special care or handling instructions
Request for feedback/review
The launch sequence
The launch sequence is a particular set of sales emails created for the sole purpose of driving excitement and sign-ups for your online course or program. But even though your ultimate goal is selling, your emails still need to provide great value for your reader.
Number of emails:
Anywhere from 7-15 (or more) depending on the funnel you’ve created for your launch, the timing, whether your launch is evergreen, and other sequences you have in the mix as part of the launch.
Content ideas:
Webinar or live replay links
Origin story about the program: why it solves a particular problem
Objections and testimonials from past clients or participants
An FAQ email (working through objections by answering ‘common’ questions)
Cart open email(s)
Cart closing email(s)
Last chance email(s)
No purchase survey/feedback
It’s important to remember that based on the type of business you have and the types of clients/customers you serve, you may need different sequences. Here are some others that are worth consideration:
Abandon cart sequence
Nurture sequence
Sales or discount sequence (for short-term or holiday promotions)
Upgrade or renewal sequence (SaaS)
Tips for making the most of your email sequences
Segment & tag your customers:
Ask your customer to choose the kind of content they’re interested in seeing and tag them accordingly.
Follow the 3:1 rule:
For every sales email you send, send three that provide free and helpful content.
Time your drip campaigns:
Send more frequently when the excitement is highest (after sign-up or purchase, for example), and then space your emails out after that so you’re not spamming your list.
Keep readers engaged:
Use a copywriting formula for your emails to keep things fresh and keep readers engaged. Use PAS (pain > agitate > solution) and storytelling techniques to hook and hold interest. Also, pay close attention to your subject line and preview text...the first hurdle is to get your reader to open your email!
Stick to one CTA and objective per email:
And not every call to action should be a hard sell. Focus on engagement, too. Ask for a social follow, a testimonial, a survey, or just a reply back to let you know their thoughts.
Make ‘em readable:
Keep paragraphs short, use images sparingly (and make sure you add alt text to any images you do have), bold important lines, and be respectful of length. Read your emails on a mobile device before you send them to get a feel for the customer experience.
Keep it personal:
Make sure there’s a human being on the other end of your emails and include a name in your email address. This encourages engagement and builds trust with your audience. Above all, do what you can to make your customer feel seen and start a dialogue. Even though your emails are auto-sending, your customer should feel like you’re talking just to them.
Keep things tidy on the backend:
With tagging, segments, and auto-campaigns set up, things can get unruly on the backend, which can wreak havoc on all your careful planning. If you’re really serious about email marketing, consider using an email service provider (ESP) that can support your goals, like ActiveCampaign or ConvertKit for service providers (with discounts for each if you’re an AMSE Premium member), and Klaviyo for e-commerce.
And finally, track your progress:
Note open rates, unsubscribes, and click-throughs so you know which emails and sequences are performing the best for you.
Want even more help with email marketing? Our Member Dashboard has templates and downloads to help you with everything from emails to finances to foundations. And Premium Members have access to Masterclass replays, including our classes on marketing this month! Sign up now for your membership!
Heather is a fellow military spouse, conversion copywriter and digital marketing strategist. She helps small businesses and entrepreneurs grow their online presence through persuasive website copy and a solid SEO strategy. She’s currently stationed in Fort Leavenworth, KS, with her spouse and twin boys, who just started Kindergarten. You can learn more about her work at her website, HD Copywriting.
