86 - Tip Tuesday - Email Marketing With Brittany Becher

Sometimes our paths come to be by total accident but in the end they are worthwhile and come to be very useful. The journey that Brittany has taken with e-mail marketing and becoming a certified partner with Infusionsoft has proven to be just that. Learning the ins and outs of a software that can present itself as being difficult to use and understand.  She will share ways that she has found to make it work for her and her clients that will allow you to make a very educated decision about what your next steps will be within your business and e-mail marketing strategies. Even if you are not an Infusionsoft user Brittany’s story, tips and advice can lead you in a direction for your business and how to market your business with e-mail marketing.

Tell us about becoming an Infusionsoft parter and all things e-mail marketing. The path to using Infusionsoft happened a bit on accident. She started working for a small business that basically handed her the login information to the system without any further direction. With a lot of research via Google and phone calls she started falling in love with the way that it made the sales and marketing aspect for small businesses so much easier when you do not have full on sales and marketing team to do things for you. The ease and automation were the first things that she really fell in love with when it came to the system in general. But after about a year of working for the company she decided to go out on her own and do the exact same thing for other small businesses by helping them with their strategy for email marking, marketing automation, sales and Infusionsoft. Which lead to her getting officially certified with Infusionsoft. And gaining the ability to really help others with the software that she was so in love with.

How often should you be talking to your list? You want to create a sense of consistency and giving your readers something to expect and being clear on that message upfront. This way your readers have an expectation from you when they sign up, they know what they are looking for. Basically, whatever you say you are going to do, do it. It is proven that the more frequently you are in contact with your list the more that they get to know and like you. You are creating that top of mind and name recognition for you and your readers. So when it does come to that time to sell or ask something they are a little more warmed up to you and more open to the sale.  If you have a more targeted list that is a very tactical driven with a solution based message then once a month is a great option. It also is about how often you want to sell to your list. If you want to sell to your list, she suggests sticking to a more consistent schedule, keeping in mind that every business model is slightly different. However, sticking to the rule of at least once every two weeks.

Let’s talk about content; can you share your thoughts with us? Content all depends on the relationship that you want to have with your list. If you want to have that friendly communication with the long-term relationship in mind, then it is nice to have some repertoire with your list.  If your blog post or your podcasts do not have that repertoire built-in, because they are more article based, then you absolutely need some sort of introduction to get to know them. There is nothing wrong with sending people back and forth between your blog, podcast and e-mail.  In fact, it is more of what should be happening when you are sending out information to your list.. However, giving them something a little extra to let your readers know that you are a real person is what Brittany strongly suggests. If your base is more technical than you want to make sure that the message is still in line with the brand and keeping a casual communication feel. You can also make a hybrid, and this is the approach that Brittany uses in which she gives them a taste of something new but also reuses the content that she already has created with her blog or podcasts. The reality is that people do not got to your website as much as you might think or hope that they do so linking your e-mail to your web content is crucial.

So let’s talk about formatting. Some take the very formal, yet simple approach to emails such as Brendon Burchard model. However, it does not always have to have the same feel every time either. The simplistic feel that she likes to use is either a header or a footer but not necessarily both that includes either your logo or images for your brand. Again, this does not have to be used every time but it does help instill the brand recognition. If you are using a nurture sequence, which is strongly recommended, then she suggests using this format in your nurture sequence.

Explain a nurture sequence and what are some tips to making them successful? A nurture sequence is also known as a new subscriber sequence. Basically the first few e-mails that a person gets when they opt into your list. Ideally for the first time but depends on the provider that you are using.   Once the person opts in for the freebie that you have on your website or the webinar in your world. You then give them what they have opted in for.  At this point most people stop and add them to their weekly newsletters. While that is not bad, there is still a lot of opportunity left on the table to get the, know, like and trust from your new subscribers in that period of time. When people come into your world that is when they are most engaged.  They are most likely to take in the information that you are offering because they sought you out and entered their information and wanting to learn more about you. The best way to think about this process is the getting to know you. The belief is that it takes seven times to buy into you and what you stand for so Brittany suggests a nurture sequence of seven e-mails. The term "buy" can mean that they are either giving you money or you are still getting to know them with your know, like and trust. The ideal nurture sequence takes about two weeks and in that two-week period she sets the sequence to run every two to three days with a new e-mail. However, this has to do with your market that you are reaching and what their tolerance level is. The other way is to set up a newsletter that goes out every week from the day that they sign up for your list. While it is a newsletter it is giving them more background information about who you are, what you do, how you can help and what are some blog or podcast that they must listen. This way you are building a level of consistency so you do not forget to send out a newsletter and the new subscribers are getting that consistency. In terms of the ask if you are doing a low-cost item, which is also known as a trip wire, you can do these as soon as the first e-mail. If you are working up to something that has a bigger price tag, make sure that all of your e-mails lead up to that so that you are not talking about one thing one day and a different topic or item the next, you want to make sure that you are consistent. If your sale is high-end then you want to take the person down a different path and you want to make sure that you are keeping them very tight and focused. If you are not selling then there are a number of pieces of information that you can use in your nurture e-mail. The biggest resistance that she receives is that it is more content that has to be created and written. When really the content is already written for you. You have the about page, your blog posts and different content that you have already written that is ready to be put to use in your nurture sequence and is perfect for this type of getting to know you.

Let’s talk about the sale or trip wire. So the whole point of selling something to your list is to speak to the world when it comes to Internet marketer. There is a big moment of truth to this. What you have to determine is what is the end result to sell items or are you looking to build a big community of followers and eventually sell items to them. It is easier to have someone who has purchased from you before and are satisfied to rebuy then it is to go out and acquire new customers. When someone puts their money where there mouth is, it shows to you that they are at least interested in what you have to offer instead of them just reading content and archiving the information, it is the physiological piece to it all and that is why people use trip wire marketing. However, it does have somewhat of a bad rap due to the mentality that you are just trying to get them to buy something. She argues that it is not necessarily a bad thing. At the end of the day if you are in business you are there to make money in some way and you are not relying on sponsors to always work for you.   You want to determine how you can turn your readers into buyers so that you can make money from your list. The trip wire can also be used to figure out your customer acquisition and having the trip wire covers it. So basically you are using the sale to reinvest back into your marketing funnel. This allows you to move them along the channel of a progressive sale. She is a big fan of the trip wire but feels that it is very important that you relate your sale to something that you are offering but not a total unrelated item. Your opt-in should be something consumable in less than five minutes by the end user. Your trip wire is then your way to get your hooks in but something that you could sell for ten times the value of what you are offering it for. Make it be your WOW factor. This way they will continue to open their wallet because they know that what you give them will continue to be of quality.

Can you share a little more about the strategy behind the trip wire. It depends on what you are selling and at what price point if you go directly to a sale or if you drive to an opt-in. Based on what you are selling and what the price point is of the item will determine how you go about the trip wire. For example, if you are using Facebook ads to drive your new customers. You can have your Facebook ad be your opt-in and then from your thank you, you then you take them to an informational video with the option to buy with reminders if they do not buy right then. Every industry will have to make tweaks to different strategies as some things work for one don’t necessarily work for another. If you are willing to try it then you are will to make it work.

You can find Brittany at www.foundationandflow.com.

More about Brittany: Brittany Becher is the Chief Flow Officer of Foundation & Flow and your go-to gal when it comes to all things sales, marketing, and Infusionsoft. She’s worked with a variety of entrepreneurs and small businesses – from start-ups to 7+ figure ventures – to get them set up, successful, and running with confidence in Infusionsoft. She partners with smart small businesses on their sales and marketing strategy + implementation from traffic, conversion, funnels, automation and more. With over a decade of experience teaching with a style that aims to make complex systems, simple, Brittany is committed to your understanding and success. You can learn more at foundationandflow.com.