Some marketers use email marketing like fly fishing. They cast their lure into the flowing river of internet traffic.
When someone bites, they reel them in. But they do nothing with that subscriber. They languish in the marketer’s icebox.
The better way to use email marketing in your sales strategy is within your funnel. Here, you lure many subscribers into your pond.
Then you guide them through your funnel until you make a sale. 58 percent of the marketers using email marketing find it an effective strategy.
Wondering how to use email funnels to boost your conversion rate? Read on to learn more.
What’s the Best Sales Funnel?
We’ll look at a basic sales funnel before explaining how it can be applied to email.
You gather your leads who go into the top of the funnel. These people might visit your business at a trade show. Or sign up for a discount code.
Next, you qualify your leads. Some people will leave the funnel.
Follow up with the leads you’ve kept. Find out what problems they have.
Next comes conversion. Show them how your solution solves their problems. This leads to the sale, right at the bottom of the funnel.
How Do Email Funnels Work?
They work the exact same way that sales funnels work. The key factor is they work through your email marketing.
The beauty of using email is you get the opportunity to automate the whole process. Set up a sequence of emails to send at prescribed milestones once a person hits subscribe.
This gives you the chance to send useful content related to the lead’s problem. Don’t start asking for a sale straight away. Give value first.
Maybe you have video tutorials to get the most out of your solution. Or a series of entertaining emails that let subscribers get to know your team.
Whatever it is, send those before you put a ‘buy’ button in front of them.
Email funnels work even better if you can segment subscribers. Set up segments based on where subscribers sign up. This lets you send even more specific content.
For example, someone who signs up for a free trial is a warmer lead than someone who wants a PDF checklist. The free trial subscriber should get content specific to your solution.
Why Do They Work?
They follow a simple principle beloved by copywriters, known as AIDA. It stands for Attention Interest Desire Action.
By sending a warm welcome email, you get their attention. Because you didn’t push for a sale straight away.
You generate interest in your solution through your helpful emails. This, in turn, builds desire for your solution. (It also helps them to trust you as an authority)
Finally, when you ask for the sale, they take Action.
Anyone who isn’t interested unsubscribes from the sequence. They leave the funnel, but that means you’re only contacting potential customers. Not time-wasters.
Meaning you’ve built an email list of people who want to hear from you.
Final Thoughts
Now you know how to use email funnels to boost conversions. Remember they’re wider at the top than the bottom.
Not everyone who signs up will go on to buy from you. But use your emails to weed out people who aren’t interested from those who are.
Then focus your marketing efforts on those latter people.
Do you need more traffic to help you get more people onto your list? Check out our SEO guides to boost your organic traffic.