How Should I Structure My Email Follow Up Messages?

You can’t be in all places at once…

Which is why when it comes to e-mail marketing, having an autoresponder series (that converts) can be like having your own sales force working around the clock to nurture leads, build relationships, and drive more sales.

Of course, being the savvy marketer you are, you know all of this. So you grab your favorite drink, get comfortable, and sit down to write your e-mails.

But then it happens…

The first of several blank windows tapping their cursors impatiently on the screen, waiting for you to work your magic.

And then the big question hits you…

“What’s The Best Way To Structure My E-mail Follow Up Series?”

But fret not…

Because on this page, we’ve outlined an example structure you can model and/or adapt to meet your needs.

Just remember:

Not every e-mail campaign has the same goal.

So it’s important to move things around accordingly.

Plus, be sure to inject your own personality/tone into your messages to avoid being plain and boring.

With that in mind, here’s the structure!

E-mail #1 – Give ‘Em The Benefits

Depending on what brought them onto your list, your subscribers might be hunting for a product or service to fill a need you cater to.

If that’s the case, be sure to use the first e-mail to recap some of the key benefits using what you offer will give them.

Keep this short and sweet, no more than 500 words (ideally).

If this first e-mail is for a download, you can include the download link and remind them of how they’ll benefit by reading/watching/etc.

This is to ensure they consume the content you’ve offered.

E-mail #2 – Establish A Specific Need

What are the thoughts racing through your prospect’s mind as they’ve researched and come across your page to opt-in?

What is the BIGGEST problem they’re trying to solve?

Focus your second e-mail on that need, and explain why your product/service is the must-have option.

Don’t go heavy on features here. Try to still focus on benefits.

E-Mail #3 – How To Consume / Use Your Product

If your product is heavy on information your prospect will have to consume, explain how to best go through the material.

You can also highlight specific sections that are the most interesting / talked about from others.

In general, you can explain what they get and how they can use it.

And if you’re offering a service, simply let them know what it’s like when they decide to become a client.

What do you do to make the process easy to get started?

What steps should they follow?

And so on…

E-mail #4 – Dealer’s Choice

Have a little more fun here…

You can customize this e-mail to your product/service – here are a few examples:

1. Client case studies…

2. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) e-mail…

3. Invite them to visit/call…

4. Explain your shipping/download process…

5. Cross-promote related products/services…

E-mail #5 – Ask For Questions And Comments

Chances are, your prospects are still interested in what you have to offer.

However, there might be one or two questions burning in their mind.

But sometimes, no matter how big the need, people will not make the time to contact you to ask.

So use this fifth e-mail to ask your prospects if they have any questions, and offer several ways to contact.

Then, if you haven’t done an FAQ in the fourth e-mail, you can use this opportunity to shed some light on popular questions.

E-mail #6 – Testimonials

Being proud of your product/service is one thing, but having others sing your praises will carry a lot more weight.

There’s no better way to prove your know your stuff, than by having the social proof that comes with testimonials and endorsements.

That’s why you should use this sixth e-mail to show off your satisfied clients and customers.

Take several of your best testimonials and share them.

And try to find some that have a nice balance between showing their excitement, but are still believable.

E-mail #7 – Urgency

This final message will serve as a final reminder of your product/service.

Take a few lines to recap some of the most impressive features/benefits.

Add another dash of testimonials.

And then end with your contact information for those who will want to get in touch.

How To Keep All Your E-mail Marketing Affordable

As more and more prospects opt-in to your lists, it often takes very little time until your monthly list management fees start to grow as well.

But what if you could pay at least 40% LESS than any other major e-mail platform available?

Would you rather focus on content and promotions, instead of getting slammed with a big bill at the end of the month?

If so, there’s no better time than now to try ListStream.Net for yourself.

ListStream.NET is the affordable solution for your list management software and email list management service. An Integrated suite of marketing tools, including autoresponders, email tracking tools, and landing page creator.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Click this link to grab an account for just $1
2. Enter your details.
3. Log in for immediate access.

How Do I Get More Subscribers To My List?” – List Building Tips For 2013 And Beyond

If you’re wondering how to get more subscribers on your e-mail list, we’ve got good news and bad news…

The bad news, is that you’re unlikely to find a perfect way to add subscribers; everyone’s goals, patience, and skill sets are different.

The good news, is that you’ve got many ways to grow a list at your disposal, which we’re going to cover first.

(Want to keep costs of growing your list low? We’ll help you get started.)

Ready? Let’s do it!

Developing The Right Offer/Strategy

Here are a few ideas you can use to build your list…

Free Downloads

Whether you sell your own products and services or are an affiliate for someone else’s, chances are you operate within one or a few niche(s).

Look at what you’re trying to sell, and think about who the ideal market is for the offer.

Can you create something that will be timely and useful for them?

Here’s an example: Let’s say you’re promoting a web design course aimed at beginners. You could create frameworks and templates, or a guide for a specific language, and give it away.

If you’re not too savvy yourself and just like promoting other offers, you can still create a simple guide. Perhaps a list of resources? It doesn’t have to be complicated.

Newsletters

On your site, you can offer to send an e-mail newsletter to anyone that subscribes to your list.

The publishing schedule is completely under your control, and it depends on your market and the expectations you set from the beginning. But you can publish as frequently as each day, or dial it down to weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.

Two good rules of thumb, though:

First, when you’re just starting to build a relationship with subscribers, it’s best to follow up often enough that they get to know you and get value from you.

(You can write several e-mails and have that same sequence go out to each new subscriber using autoresponders, so you don’t have to do it from scratch each time…)

Second, you should NEVER fall behind more than a month when mailing your list.

If you can’t do daily, try for at least once a week.

Your goal should be to stay top of mind with your subscribers, so you’re the first person they think of when it comes to the specific problems you can help them solve.

Company Updates

If you’re releasing a new product, service, feature, let subscribers know!

You can also share the spotlight with new clients or those making breakthroughs, especially if your company is helping.

One of the most types of company updates, of course, are special offers and deals only your subscribers can get.

Everyone likes to save money, and if you’re combining it with something like a newsletter (mentioned above)…you’ll have a nice mix of content and promotional material.

Event Updates

Whether you’re solo or have a team, if you go to a lot of seminars and trade events, let subscribers know where you’re going and when you’ll be there.

Taking the connection “offline” and meeting people in person is the BEST way to build rapport and relationships with subscribers.

And while you’re at the event, don’t forget you can also exchange contact info with new people, and ask them if they’d like to get your e-mails in the future!

Free Consultations

Putting a contact/opt-in form offering free consultations is a great way to build a list of highly qualified prospects.

If someone is looking to talk, chances are they’re at the stage of needing and wanting what you have to offer.

Even if you’re an affiliate, you can offer coaching/consulting as a bonus to products you promote.

(Note: Make sure you’re creating a new e-mail list segment for these)

Quizzes & Surveys

You can use sites like SurveyMonkey to create free surveys and embed them on your site.

If you’re using WordPress, you can also use a free tool like WebEngage Feedback, Survey and Notification plugin.

Interview Experts In Your Market

Not only will this allow you to network with influencers, it’s also a great way to build your list.

Once the interview is over, you can offer it as a giveaway on your site.

You can also create a unique landing page for each person you interview and ask them to send their followers over to sign up for the download.

What better way to provide value while leveraging other existing audiences?

Using ListStream.Net Landing Page Creator To Capture New Leads

If you want to get a landing page up in minutes, ListStream’s landing page creator is one of the easiest ways to get started.

Here’s How:

1. Log in or create an account for just $1 here.

2. Under “Landing Pages” in the navigation bar, click “Manage/Edit”



3. Select the list you want to create a page for and click “Edit”.



4. Select one of the many templates available and edit the contents.



Done!

How To Put a Webform On Your Site

If you already have a site, you can place a web form on relevant pages, to get more subscribers to join your list.

Here’s how:

1. Under “Lists” click on “Manage”



2. Click the “List Name” you want the web form code.




3. Click “Web Form Code”. Copy and paste the code to the HTML area of your page.


How To Maximize Views To Your Signup Page

Offer To Opt-In On Every Page – Have a webform or link to your opt-in page/landing page on every part of your site.

Leverage E-mail Communication – Put a link to your landing page in your e-mail signature. Preface it with a brief description of who it’s for (a benefit) and what they get when they sign up.

Add Opt-In Forms To Thank you Pages – Ask customers to sign up for future deals and alerts after making a purchase.

Advertise Your Offer Page With The Signup Form – Even if you’re an affiliate, you can create a landing page enticing visitors to enter their e-mail to learn more about the product you’re promoting. That way, even if leads don’t convert, you can continue to follow up!

Add Signup Links To Your Promotional Materials – You can have a general sign up page, or make unique pages for each type of material you’re putting a link on.

Final Thoughts

There’s a lot of info here, so be sure to save this page as a bookmark for future reference.

But when it comes to building (and/or growing) your list, there’s no better time to start than NOW.

ListStream.NET is the affordable solution for your list management software and email list management service. An Integrated suite of marketing tools, including autoresponders, email tracking tools, and landing page creator.

Whether you are starting your first list and want to shave off at least 40% of what you currently pay for list management, here’s how to get started:

1. Click this link to grab an account for just $1

2. Enter your details.

3. Log in for immediate access.


Simple!

Sincerely,
The ListStream.Net Team

PS – If we can offer any additional help, you can reach us through e-mail and chat support, or give us a call at 1 (845)383-1007.

“Can I Upload My E-mail Lists To ListStream.Net?”

When it comes to building up your lists, it’s important you be able to (and know how to) use your autoresponder to upload leads.

Sure, you’re lists are mainly built online through web forms.

But what if you meet someone interested in getting your e-mails at a local business, seminars, or any of the many potential networking opportunities you might encounter?

That’s when you’ll want to be able to manually import new contacts to your list.

Uploading New Leads For An Online Business

When it comes to running your online business, there are also a few other ways you can use manually uploading leads to your benefit.

For example, if someone reaches out to you through your contact form, you might add them to a specific segment in your autoresponder account to keep in touch.

If you offer any type of consulting or coaching, you can collect e-mails before or during initial calls with prospective clients and continue to send them valuable information (whether they immediately become a client or not).

And finally, you can use signing up to a newsletter as a secondary call to action.

In other words, if someone you’re talking to decides not to buy, you can offer them the chance to receive your e-mails. These would be newsletters with solid content or occasional offers for products/services they might be interested in.

This way, you can continue to give value to them and when they’re ready to make a purchase, you’re more likely to come to mind.

Uploading Leads On ListStream.Net’s Autoresponder Service

If you’re not familiar with ListStream already, the platform gives you everything you need to build your e-mail lists, manage campaigns, and track results.

Among our existing clients, this question of uploading leads has been coming up a lot.

And although it’s very straightforward, you might be considering ListStream as a new autoresponder service for your own use, so let’s take a look at how it works.

First, this is what the form looks like:

Here’s how to find it and start uploading your own e-mail leads:

1. Login (or create an account for just $1) and click on “Add Contacts”.

2. Choose between adding contacts one at a time, or uploading a list (CSV or Text file).

3. Click on “Bulk Upload List”.

4. Answer the few questions (pictured above) and click to upload.

5. We’ll be notified and will follow up to confirm your request is valid…

…and if so, your list is then approved.

We do this to benefit everyone using the service, because on top of daily maintenance of ListStream, making sure we aren’t hosting scraped lists also helps maintain high deliverability and a good reputation with public blacklists and ISPs.

ListStream.NET is the affordable solution for your list management software and email list management service. An Integrated suite of marketing tools, including autoresponders, email tracking tools, and landing page creator.

Start Uploading A List And Try Out ListStream.Net

If you’re looking to move your e-mail lists to a more affordable autoresponder service, you can try ListStream today for just $1.

Here’s how:

1. Click here to create your account.
2. Enter in your details.
3. Log in for immediate access.

Simple!

Sincerely,
The ListStream Team

PS – If we can offer any additional help, you can reach us through e-mail and chat support, or give us a call at 1 (845)383-1007.