Recently, I asked my Facebook group of new coaches (closed now) what topics they would like me to cover in my upcoming podcast episodes. By the way, I LOVE it when coaches like you ask me burning questions, so don’t hesitate to reach out and ask me something specific. I’ll answer in a solo episode or find an expert to interview.
DeShawn, this episode is for you. And, it’s dedicated to all coaches who want to build an online community of potential coaching clients called a leads list! Find related resources below.
I’ll cover the goal of marketing emails, do’s and don’ts, plus the top 5 quick tips for more effective emails.
First …
Don’t Sell Coaching By Email
Being sold to by email feels skeevy. You don’t like this and neither will your audience. So, resist the temptation to sell to people who do not already know, like and trust you well. That causes unsubscribes.
By the way, unsubscribes aren’t all bad. Part of what’s happening with unsubscribes is natural selection. Your IDEAL clients are staying and those who don’t connect to your message are moving on.
Building trust is the #1 reason to email your target audience. Your goal is to relate, inspire, entertain and educate. By the way, that’s what you also do in a blog, podcast, videos and social posts. It’s called generosity marketing and it works!
If you inspire some sort of action you’ve succeeded. The long-term goal with email marketing is to inspire successive actions that bring your prospect closer to hiring you. Potential actions your reader might take include clicking through:
- to download your lead magnet
- to experience your content on your website — a blog, podcast or video
Later in an email series called a campaign you might also inspire them to sign up for an enrollment opportunity such as:
- a Discovery Call
- to register for free webinar or another event
But those things aren’t something you want to offer out of the blue in a one-off email. It takes a strategy. That’s why it’s called a campaign.
Selling your services isn’t at all like selling a gadget or makeup — the kinds of ads you see on social media. Coaching is a co-creative relationship and the service has a relatively high price point. Your prospects deserve a chance to talk to you or have a more personal connection before they enroll. But even then, never hard sell.
Show That You Know Who You’re Emailing
You can imagine that to relate, inspire, entertain and educate, first you have to understand your audience well. What makes them tick? What are the BIG problems you help them solve on the way to big goals they are struggling to achieve:
Are YOU solving a big enough problem? That’s a key to success. Check out episode 65 for help with that.
If you haven’t yet chosen a viable target audience to serve and discovered why they would seek out help and hire you, let’s fix that. It’s the cornerstone of everything you’ll do for your coaching business.
Create a Strategic and Attractive Customer Journey
Never write and send an email or series of emails without the end in mind.
Most people will get on your leads list through an opt-in. You know, those spaces on web pages where your prospects type in their name and email address to receive something of value from you.
If you want to build trust with the person who opted in, deliver real value and not just another coachey concept they can find elsewhere. Your lead magnet should provide UNIQUE insights that strike a resonant chord with your target audience. If they come away inspired, you’ve begun to build trust.
I did a whole series of podcast episodes about creating meaningful lead magnets starting with Episode 124 through Episode 129. The last episode has a free download for you called How to Make Your Free Offer Irresistible. Creating a valuable freebie and enticing opt-in will help you frame the follow up series of emails that goes out afterwards.
Your lead magnet and the emails that follow are part of your customer journey ‑ the gentle path you strategically create for your audience that leads them to following you. It includes everything you put out into the world to your target audience – your website, emails, social posts and content.
That customer journey is how you attract a steady stream of new clients who are ready to hire you.
I remember realizing that I didn’t have a strong enough customer journey for my coaching business. I had been putting out a bunch of satellite messages unconnected to each other. I’d wake up create something and get it out there without thought to the end result. You don’t have to make that mistake.
Show Them Who You Are, Coach
On every step of your customer journey you are gently relating and sharing your story in a way that directly connects to their story.
Show them who you are. I’m not just talking about your credentials, life & work experience and why they should listen to you (although that is important). Start by being vulnerable. Show them you understand their challenges and goals in a personal way.
Don’t tell your life story all in one shot. Do share your personal story a little at a time as it relates to your email topic. A sentence or two keeps you approachable, authentic and real to them.
5 Quick Tips to Get Your Coaching Emails Opened
Learning how to write effective emails that get opened, read and inspire clickthroughs is an art form. Set a goal for continuous improvement. And to help you get this right sooner here are 5 quick tips:
- Be sure that you subject lines raise curiosity and use keywords for your audience. Which one of these emails would you open?
- Long paragraphs are demotivating. Most people read on their phones so keep paragraphs to 3 lines because on the phone it will become 20+ lines.
- Don’t meander too far. Connect with your audience and state the problem you’re solving fast.
- If you’re using an email campaign company like MailChimp or Constant Contact, Aweber (the one I recommend) or another one, be sure to personalize email subject lines and the salutation by use coding that pulls in the name of your subscriber. It’s been proven the email will more likely be opened and read.
- Avoid over-design. Use an easy-to-read font and only one image, if any, such as a branding header or podcast episode or blog art. I recommend black 18-point type for most fonts. Include only one call to action in an email with one link.
And a bonus tip … communicate with your audience at least once per week. I know, that seems like a lot. But the most common mistake of new marketers is inconsistency in marketing and that includes with emails. If you’re connecting less than once a week, your subscriber will unsubscribe because they will forget who you are.