Most small businesses get 90% of new customers from referrals. If they had more time, they could generate leads through inbound marketing, and if they had more money, they could buy more than $30,000 in ads or sponsorships. But as time and money are limited, they should take advantage of new opportunities…
Email marketing can have an ROI of up to 3,800%, generating up to $38 in revenue for every $1 spent. An email sequence adds even more value due to the time savings. Plus, they generate 320% more revenue than non-automated email sequences.
But what is the email sequence?
It is a series of emails sent to a potential, a user, or a customer, automatically thanks to automation software according to predetermined criteria such as deadlines or action in progress.
There are different types of email sequences depending on the result you want to receive.
a so-called development sequence
A so-called growth sequence introduces possibilities to your business. Maybe they downloaded an eBook or got into a content deal, but they’re not ready to sell yet. Such a sequence is designed to provide them with social proof, handle objections, and establish the value of your offer.
an engagement email sequence
An engagement email sequence uses email to build a relationship with your prospects. The idea is to incorporate them into your content to generate interest and get your organization noticed. This type of sequence can help you identify the busy customers who open, click and act on emails so that you can enroll them in other sequences tailored to their specific journey.
a conversion email sequence
This sequence is used when you ask your prospect for something (for example, to book a call or meeting). This means that you orient your entire email copy around a call to action and use a sequence to get the recipient to take that action.
a follow-up email sequence
It’s not because prospects don’t respond to commercial prospecting emails that they aren’t interested. They may need some “feelings” before they can act. With a sequence of follow-up emails, it allows you to go back and touch on your potential base after a few attempts to raise awareness. This way sales reps can reduce the number of manual emails they send and the administrative work they do.
a reminder email sequence
Whether someone registered for a potential webinar or arrived at a venue at an event, your organization has a chance to satisfy your prospect (maybe win the deal). However, you can’t offer that treatment if you forget to show the possibility. Reminders can have a huge impact on participation rates over time, increasing the number of opportunities.
Reminder emails are a way to ensure that the prospect doesn’t forget the event or appointment and also provides them with all the necessary logistics details.
a re-engagement email sequence
To get results from email as a channel, you need a healthy database. However, email addresses can change and prospects lose interest. The average email database loses contact at about 25% per year, so even if you rapidly generate new leads, you’ll find disparate data from indifferent or old contacts.
To win back some of these contacts, you can sequence the engagement again. The goal is to trick the user into opening the email and taking action, otherwise the end result is that they will be removed from your database. It helps you keep your mailing list healthy and accurate.
How long is the email sequence?
As for the duration of your email sequence, there is no ideal duration. This will depend on several factors such as the personality of the buyer, the buying phase of the buyer, the average length of the sales cycle and what you want to achieve with your sequence.
Let’s say you’re building an email sequence to get a prospect to take action. Such a sequence should do several things:
- Educate them during their shopping trip;
- deal with any objections that may arise along the way;
- Establish their authority and credibility within the market (and therefore their supplier of choice when they are ready to buy);
- Keep you in mind until they’re ready to buy.
Don’t want to do too much in one email? Every email should be designed to play a role in helping you get prospects where you want them to be.
But the number and duration of emails varies depending on several factors. For example, a first-time home buyer may begin their buying journey years before attempting to secure a mortgage, while someone seeking emergency HVAC repairs is prepared to act immediately (and therefore the care sequence). will not be needed at all). Also, if someone who downloaded an eBook for “How to Build My Credit to Buy a Home” is much earlier in the process than the person who filled out your contact form and isn’t ready to sell .
In other words, based on how long your buyer has been buying, where they are in the process based on what you already know about them (they’ve already taken action on your site), and to learn about it. What information do you need him for? Understanding these factors will help you determine the length of your streak.
How to create an email sequence?
Now that you have an idea about email sequences, when you might use one, and how long a sequence should last, here’s how to set it up.
Determine the Purpose of Your Sequence
Most email sequences (especially those created in the context of sales) have the larger objective of winning new business. There are many ways to “win new business” and context is key to delivering the right message at the right time. Understanding your reasons will help you structure your automation logic, prepare your emails, and measure success.
For example, you want to create a simple follow-up sequence designed to turn a conversation into a performance. In this case, success would mean that the prospect books a meeting through your scheduling software.
Alternatively, perhaps you want an automatic campaign triggered after an eBook or content offering has been downloaded. To be successful would mean converting them to SQL so that you provide them with information and the ability to take action and meet your SQL criteria. Once they’ve done that, you can ask your system to send them on sale.
The opportunities for targeted experiences are endless if you are strategic about it.
Identify the criteria triggering your sequence
Automation software can’t read the minds of your potential customers, at least for now, like any tool, we have to tell us when and how to operate.
This is where the admission criteria come in. When you set up your sequence, you specify the conditions that must be met in order to trigger the automation. For a sales follow-up email sequence, it can be as simple as signing up manually with your CRM or email marketing software.
If your automation software allows it, you can use the more advanced Criteria. Here are some examples of triggers:
- When someone fills out the contact form;
- When a contact visits a particular page;
- when a contact enters a new lifecycle phase;
- When a contact takes an appointment.
and many more. If your CRM records this, and if your CRM data is reliable, you may be able to automate it.
Set the duration of your sequence as well as the number of emails you want to send
As mentioned, there is no set time limit or number of emails. You need to strategically define the required touchpoints and their frequency.
For example, if I know that the average sales cycle for my buyer persona is 30 days and I want to have touchpoints twice a week, I should schedule about 8 emails. It provides a framework for planning the required message and conveying it to the prospect step by step.
On the other hand, if it’s a sequence of follow-up emails from a face-to-face conversation, you might consider getting fewer emails before sending a reminder to contact you. By telephone (this can also be automated) .
compose your sequence email
Once you’ve worked out the number of emails needed, it’s time to go from pen to paper and write the email sequence.
Each email will be sent to multiple prospects, possibly at different times. Your emails must be permanent, and the information you include must be universal enough to be applicable to any prospect who meets the criteria you set.
The universal and specific balance is how you can scale every possibility while feeling like you’re speaking directly to them.
One additional tip: Every email should have a purpose. Don’t overload each email with information. By having it in one goal and one call to action, you eliminate confusion and increase your chances of success. You can always add more emails if one of them gets too much work on its own.
Build Your Sequence Emails Using Software
When you have all your emails in text form, it’s time to put them into the system.
- With sales email, it’s often best to keep it simple, such as sending a message from your inbox to a representative in person;
- Marketing emails have more room for brand flair and eye-catching visuals.
You can copy, paste your text into the email generator. Putting them in your system lets you tell your automation software what to send.
Configure your sequence automation
Think of this part of the process as telling your automation software step-by-step how to do the job you want. It also includes:
- specify the registration criteria on which you have decided;
- the designation of the works to be performed and when;
- Configure how much time should elapse between each action, what to do if a specific scenario occurs.
Automation software is extremely literal, make sure you don’t take anything for granted or overlook anything when creating these “instructions”.
test your sequence
It’s useful to test the sequence before launching it to see if it behaves as you expect. You can do this by uploading and registering yourself.
Alternatively, you can also send test emails. You will want to make sure that emails display correctly on all devices and that personalization tokens work correctly.
Best email marketing rankings:
- For example find out the possibilities mentioned in the news;
- You can email them to congratulate them on their media coverage;
- Then follow-up emails that are tailored and relevant to their market;
- send email template with “Try to connect”;
- Finally, send “Authorization to close your file” which is the follow-up email template;
- You improve email templates based on the performance you measure for each.