Creating an Email Marketing Funnel Campaign

In the world of digital marketing, the ultimate goal is to grow your list of email subscribers and then convert those individuals into customers that have the highest level of loyalty to your brand. You have complete control of the steps that are taken to influence the customers that you serve. Regardless of whether you use social media to advertise, integrate the Google Display Network, or hire individuals to market your products and/or services, email marketing will render you the highest level of success. In this comprehensive guide, you will learn how to successfully create an email marketing funnel campaign.

What is an Email Marketing Funnel Campaign?

Simply put, an email marketing funnel campaign is a type of representation of how your subscribers will start as a lead and end up as a customer. This is made possible through email communications that are both highly educational and promotional. In order to create a successful campaign, you must be able to truly anticipate the needs of your subscribers and you must send the perfect email at the perfect time in order to encourage that subscriber to initiate the action that you desire.

What are the Stages Associated with the Customer Lifecycle?

In an email marketing funnel campaign, there are four stages that directly pertain to the customer lifecycle. These include the following:

1. Lead Engagement
2. Brand Discovery
3. Customer Purchase
4. Customer Retention

These four stages may be accomplished through the following:

1. Awareness – At this point of the funnel (the top), you are displaying the unique value that your business offers. This is made possible by investing in strategies that increase your brand awareness.
2. Engagement – This is where you have the opportunity to understand the needs of the customer and how you can fulfill their needs. Another way of looking at this is to determine the problem your customer has and coming up with a method you have that will solve that problem.
3. Consideration – This is where you – once again – outline how you can solve problems and what makes you different than competitors.
4. Purchase – At this point, you should be outlining yourself as a “friend” to your customer. You should be engaging in nurturing techniques and assisting your lead through their purchase.
5. Adoption – In this stage, you should be providing resources, various tools, and even knowledge for your customers that will set the pace to create a solid, working relationship with them.
6. Retention – In this stage of the funnel, you should focus on any and all measures that are necessary to ensure complete satisfaction with your customers.
7. Expansion – This is where you connect directly with your customers and you learn from their experiences. The information that you gather should help in creating new solutions and methodologies in achieving the highest level of success possible.
8. Advocacy – This is the point of the marketing funnel that you have advocates vouch for your brand. This will help attract customers and understand their journey in dealing with your brand.

Why is an Email Marketing Funnel Campaign Necessary?

Traditional marketing efforts are no longer entertained by subscribers. In fact, all of those salesy strategies that have been used throughout history hold absolutely no value. Email marketing funnel campaigns are a bit different, though. The emails will allow you to deliver the right message at the right time. It personalizes the message to the subscriber and is not just one big generic message full of sales pitches. This – alone – will boost your email opening rates by nearly 30%.

An email marketing funnel campaign is designed to treat each of your leads as a person – an individual person. Not just some random, faceless name in your email subscriber list. You will find that it is easier to identify their journey as a buyer and will be able to communicate on point – according to that journey. The personalized journey is the more rewarding journey – for both you and your leads. People know when they are just another number, so to speak. They also know when they are being recognized as a named individual that has value.

Important Points to Consider

If you are questioning whether or not to create an email marketing funnel campaign, consider the following points:

1. It is up to 10x harder to acquire a new customer compared to selling to a customer that you already have.
2. Email marketing funnels allow you to maintain your current customers while generating leads that will lend to your overall success.
3. An email marketing funnel campaign can be used to sell for your business in an “auto-pilot” like manner. It all rests in the technology that you elect to use.
4. Email funnels are not as invasive and hardcore on sales pitches as traditional marketing efforts.
5. An email marketing funnel actually creates a very positive brand experience for your current customers and soon-to-be customers.

What Strategies Should be Used When Creating an Email Marketing Funnel Campaign?

First, you should always use the “two-second rule”. Basically, this rule states that – as businesses – we only have about two seconds to grab the attention of our readers when we send an email. All of the strategies that we use should be focused on accomplishing this goal. The following strategies will help you achieve this goal:

• The “from” line should be easily recognized by the person checking their email. In other words, if the recipient knows your business name, use that name and not your personal name.
• The subject lines of your email should be 40 characters or less, include less than 8 words total, and an emphasis should be placed on the very first two words. Avoid using words that are sparkly – such as “free” – because these are often redirected to spam mail.
• Urgency is key. Make certain that the subject line always delivers some sense of urgency.
• Combinations of numbers and personal pronouns should be used as these actually engage your reader.
• If your email service provider allows it, always use pre-header or teaser text with your messages. When creating these, make sure that the receivers name is programmed in. People are more likely to open emails that are personalized/tailored directly to them.

How Do I Capture Leads?

Now that you have a little information on how to get your messages written, it is time to learn how to capture leads so that you are able to start building your email subscriber list. For funnel campaigns, there are two main methods. The first is using opt-in forms and the second is using your landing pages. The following contains a little information about each of these methods:

1. Opt-in Forms – This may be embedded in just about any location throughout the website of your business. You may put them on the home page, on your blog posts, and even on your About page and site map. You may create multiple types of forms. Basically, it is a form that provides an area for subscribers to plug in their name and their email address – easy!
2. Landing Pages – If you like, you may create one or more dedicated pages on your website that you refer to as a “sales page”. You may plug in your sales copy, make an offer, and provide an area for those that are interested to plug in their information. You may offer a large assortment of products. Examples include courses, workbooks, printables, books, and more! The choice is yours!

Creating Long-Term Customers

Not only should you place an emphasis on attracting new customers. You should always place an emphasis on retaining customers, too! To succeed in this, you must engage in behaviors that are nurturing.

First, never jump right into the sale.

Create educational emails that will help in building trust with those that subscribe to your list. As you progress in this endeavor, you will then start to include your sales pitch into the copy of the messages that you send out.

Once your subscriber transitions into a customer, you may start the process of converting them to the purchase of other types of products and/or services that your company has to offer. Never go silent. Keep the communication coming. If your communications stop, your relationship with your subscribers will grow quite stale.

Make sure your emails are more like conversations and less like some boring monologue with a single actor putting on a show. Interact because interaction equals engagement – on all accounts and on all levels.

Repurpose your content to create new content. Twist it in a new way. Create a FAQs. Send out videos. Create a podcast. Be creative!

Encourage your readers to get in on the conversation by answering questions and/or providing their feedback. You will be pleasantly surprised at just how much interaction is possible by starting an email marketing funnel campaign. This interaction all counts as engagement and will result in your building relationships with your subscribers. Once the relationships are built, those customers will become loyal to your brand.

Funneling Down to the Sale

The ultimate goal of all email marketing funnel campaigns is funneling down to the point of the sale. This, too, has several stages. Below, you will find out basic information about each of these stages and relevant information pertaining to each:

1. Value – You must present value from the absolute first email that you send out. Value comes in many forms. It could be a free download. It may be an educational gift. It could be a free course or another type of resource. Not only does this help in building trust, it positions you as an expert in your field. By giving away something, you are actually providing value. It is essential that you are as generous as possible right from the beginning.
2. Authority – In the next stage, you must position yourself as the absolute authority in your niche/industry. This is where you can share more information, studies, cases, and more. You should introduce yourself and your business at this point in the game. Be authentic and avoid including click baits, sales pitches, and subject lines that are misleading.
3. Call-To-Action – Now that you have established your value and are seen as an expert, it is time for the sales copy. You should provide your offer and highlight its benefits. You may direct to FAQs on what you offer, testimonials, and more. The point is to lend credibility to your offer and motivate your subscriber to purchase so that it may fill a need or solve a problem that they have.

If you would like more information about email marketing funnel campaigns, get in touch with us!