Why Leaving Your List Unloved Could Be Costing You Thousands
Ask any business owner or coach what they want and they’ll answer the same thing: more clients.
More clients means more money, but it also means more impact and more people helped. What if I told you that there was a simple way to convert more clients, without constantly scrabbling for new prospects or pumping more cash into paid ads?
There is! Email marketing.
I know what you’re thinking, “Yeah Nathan, but I’ve tried email marketing before and it didn’t work for me. No one replied to my offer.”
And that’s the problem. Most people think that email marketing is all about sending offers and sales emails.
But that’s not how effective marketing really works.
It’s All About Relationships
Think of email marketing a bit like dating. You’ve seen someone you like and they’ve given you their number. Now imagine what would happen if you sent them a text message asking if they’d like to marry you?
I’m pretty sure they’d ignore you – or tell you to jog on!
That’s what you’re doing when you send a sales email to an un-nurtured list.
But what if instead of sending that marriage proposal, you sent something interesting instead? What if you spent the next few months building that relationship, getting to know each other and sharing engaging, useful and valuable conversations with that person?
They’d be much more likely to say yes when you popped the question, wouldn’t they?
That’s what good email marketing does.
It nurtures your prospects, builds a relationship with them and keeps you top of mind… so that when they’re ready to buy, they know you, like you and trust you – and your proposal is much more likely to get accepted.
No Second Chances
So why is nurture email marketing so important?
Without email marketing, you get one shot at converting a customer. If you don’t convert them into a sale when they’re sitting on your website or as soon as they enquire, then they are lost forever.
But let’s be realistic here – MOST people won’t buy the first time you ask them to. In fact, research shows that 96% of your website visitors are not ready to make a purchase.
When I first started out in marketing, it was thought that the average prospect needed between 5 and 7 “touches” before they were ready to buy. That was 18 years ago. Today it’s more like 11 to 13.
That’s 11 to 13 points of contact before they’re even ready to consider becoming your customer.
Email marketing is the ideal way to get those “touches” in. It’s easy, affordable and doesn’t rely on complex social media algorithms. You’re in control of when your prospects hear from you, allowing you to nurture them and gently nudge them towards a sale.
And most importantly, it works.
Current data shows that engaging in nurture email marketing can increase the results of your campaigns between 4- 10x. What would a 10x increase in your next sales campaign do for your business?
The Goldmine In Your List
So why is it so effective? What makes your list such a goldmine of potential sales?
It comes down to three things:
- Qualified prospects
- Relationships
- Timing
The people on your list are worth more than a cold prospect or a new visitor on your website. Why? Because they’ve already qualified themselves.
If you’re list building properly – which I’ll talk about in more detail in my next blog post – then the people on your list have either enquired about your services or opted in to your mailing list by downloading your lead magnet or signing up to your newsletter.
This means they are interested enough in what you do to put their hand up and say “Yes, I want to get to know you better”.
This is where building a relationship comes in. As we’ve already discussed, a nurtured list converts up to 10x better than a neglected one – and regular emails are an easy, affordable and effective way to strengthen that connection with your prospect and build that know, like trust relationship so that when the time comes – and they are ready to buy – you’re the obvious choice.
Every prospect will have their own journey to take before they’re ready to become a customer. For some, this might be quick. For others, it may take months or even years. That’s where nurture comes in.
When you send regular weekly or monthly newsletters to your list, you make sure that they still remember you 2 months, 6 months or even 12 months after they first enquired.
That’s where the true power of regular email marketing comes in: no matter how long it takes, you’re the first person that springs to mind and the obvious choice.
