The fortune is in the follow up!
You must have heard that saying around the marketing circles for years. And hey, let’s be brutally honest, there is some massive truth to it. There are some very important reasons why you need a strong follow up sequence for your autoresponder series, and let’s go over a few tips on how you can get the best results by giving the most value to your subscribers.
This is by no means the ‘be all and end all’ for setting up a powerful autoresponder series, it’s written to give you some tips on how to structure a follow up sequence by putting your subscribers needs first….
1. Introduction Message – The first message you should send to your subscribers should be a quick welcome note and briefly describe what you are offering them to remain subscribed. Are you giving them some great tips for dog training? Will you be going over some coaching tips for online business? State clearly what it is you have in store for them, and then let them get to know you a bit. What does that mean? People do business with those they know, like and trust. This is your first introduction to get them to ‘know’ you…Liking and trusting comes from time dedicated to the relationship with your subscriber.
2. Problem Solving Step – In the next email, you should provide two things. One a problem that your subscriber is facing and then offer them a solution with what you are offering. This is critical in getting them to ‘like’ you. If you can solve a problem they are having with a piece of advice, software or download, you’ve got yourself a new friend. Congratulations! Having a friend is great! A key thing to think about when developing a strong email autoresponder series is this…These are not just ‘names and numbers’ that are subscribing to your list, these are real people with real dreams, concerns, problems and goals. If you can help them, with what you are offering you are one step closer to winning their trust!
3. Focus On Benefits, Not Features – Every new ‘thing’ has great features. It tells time. Can cooks your eggs for you. It wakes you up at 7am. Those are features. Everything and everyone has great features. That is not what is going to separate you from the oodles of email your subscribers are getting. Highlight the BENEFITS and how they help your subscriber. A good way of looking at it is the old popular Steve Jobs example of when asked to describe Apple’s iPod when it was released years ago. Steve famously said “An MP3 players hold 3GB of data. While an Apple iPod gives you access to 2000 of your favorite songs.” Same technology, framed differently and highlights the BENEFITS rather than the features.
4. Provide Examples – This is really important in all sales based email series, you have to actually SHOW that what you are offering, does what it says. Whether it’s a live video demonstration or some testimonials from reputable clients and customers, this helps build the trust more than any other message in your email series. Why? Social proof is extremely important. People won’t always believe the representative or sales person of a company, but a trusted advisor, will give them a sense of confidence in your product / service. Talk to your best customers, ask them for a testimonial!
5. A.B.C. – Always be closing right? Nope, for me it stands for ‘A Better Chance‘! What do I mean by that. By your fifth message, you will have become known, liked and the TRUST is starting to be formed. People on your list are starting to see that you are not a flash in the pan just looking for their money. They start to see a real person sending them emails that truly does want to provide value. The longer you work on the relationship, you have ‘a better chance’ at making a sale. A soft ‘close‘ would be great in this message. Remind them of your BENEFITS and show them how what you offer can help them solve a big problem. Don’t ‘demand’ a sale. Provide them with an opportunity to continue the relationship with you.
6. Now’s The Time To Really Impress – After a sale is made, generally most marketers say thanks and move onto the next sale. Did you know that when you focus on retaining just 5% of your current customers over time it translates into a 30% increase in income? So what does that tell us? The fortune truly is in the follow up when you MAINTAIN and grow that relationship you have spent time developing. Support your subscribers. Offer assistance. Answer questions. Make it KNOWN that you are there for them. Do this with your 6th or 7th email and consistently throughout the series. This drives customer loyalty and translates into huge potential income for you in the long run. People don’t care about you until you show them how much you care about them…
I have this piece of paper taped to the bottom of my iMAC and it reminds me daily, that a sale is not made on day one. It might not even be made on days 2 or 3. But if we stay the course, and we provide big value for your subscribers, we will ‘win the game’ because most of our competition have given up. The fortune is truly in the follow up, when we create autoresponder series the right way with the focus on building lifetime relationships.
