Whether you are new to the blogging scene or have been running your blog for a while now, you should have email marketing and email automation at the top of your priorities.
While it may sound daunting and difficult, we hope that after reading this post you will feel confident about starting your email marketing adventure!
1. Start With ConvertKit
If you don’t already use an email marketing platform, ConvertKit is the way to go.
Too many email marketing platforms can make email automation complex and overwhelming.
ConvertKit’s simple, yet powerful, approach helps you focus on your business while leaving the technicalities to the professionals.
To begin your journey, head on over to set up an account.
Click on the “Launch your next project for free” button and go through the questions provided to create your account.
You’ll then be brought to a “Welcome to your account!” page where you can find a checklist of items to help get you on the right track.
Complete these at your own pace or skip them altogether and jump right in!
2. Content Upgrade / Lead Magnet
Before we get into tackling that checklist and creating your forms and automation, I wanted to talk about what we like to call content upgrades.
These are the freebies or giveaways that upgrade your form from simply saying “Join our Newsletter” and instead actually give your readers a reason to join your list.
This will look different for everyone. Some examples include:
- checklist
- quiz
- infographic
- webinar
- set of images
- ebook
The only requirement is that it must be something your target reader will latch onto.
Keeping these freebies and giveaways, or lead magnets, fresh will help to keep your audience curious to open your future emails and more likely to visit or return to your website.
Where do these go, you may ask?
Typically, these lead magnets or content upgrades are attached to your form or automated email after someone signs up on your site or landing page.
They are the incentive for a prospective customer to trust you with their email.
Because it may take receiving several of your emails before your prospective customer responds to a lead magnet, it’s important to vary your message and magnet.
While your product or service is the same, there are unique ways to tell the same message differently.
On that checklist you saw when starting your account, you’ll see a button saying “Learn about incentive emails,” this will provide you with some more details and ideas.
3. Landing Pages / Forms
The first item on the ConvertKit checklist of things to do as a new user is “Add a form to your site”.
Step one is to create your form (click that little button), and you’ll be brought to a page asking if you want to create a landing page or a form.
After selecting the form option, you’ll follow prompts to choose how you want your form to look and act. You will then get to customize your form to look however you would like.
Once your form is ready, click “Embed” in the upper right-hand corner of the editing screen. You’ll be given a line of code that you can copy and paste into your website where ever you see fit!
When people start subscribing to your form, you’ll begin to collect a following of emails under the “Subscriber” tab.
These are the people that you will be sending your automated emails to!
4. Automations!
Now you’re all set to start the process of email automation!
On the top banner of your main account page, there will be a button for “Automations”, click this.
Next click “New Automation” and then “Create Automation.”
Here you can choose to join this automation to an existing form, in this case, the one you just created.
Press “Add Event.”
Once you’ve done this you will press the small “+” and then choose “Action” and “Email Sequence.” Here you can create an email that will be sent out once someone subscribes to your form!
Finally, let’s create your first email.
5. Create Your First Email
Your prospective customer at this point may know some basics about your product or service, but they are still “getting to know you.”
Your email should not too long. You want to send a message in almost an elevator-speech type approach.
Keeping your message concise is key.
Also, you should have a single call-to-action. Too many messages confuse your subscriber and complicate what you are asking them to do.
It’s also important that you show how you are different than your competitors.
Can you give stats about your product or service? Do you have testimonials from current or past clients?
Make your product or service stand out, so it’s a no-brainer for them to want to purchase or work with you.
While email marketing can be confusing, ConvertKit makes it simple.
Making sure to stay up-to-date with your email automation is crucial to keep your readers coming back!
Additional articles you might be interested in:
- How To Get Better Results From Your Email Marketing Strategy
- 5 Email Marketing Strategies To Improve Brand Loyalty
- How To Get Better Results From Your Newsletters
- How To Discover And Engage Your Target Audience
- What Are Lead Magnets And Why Do You Need To Create Them?
- How To Write Emails People Will Actually Read
- 5 Ways To Get People To Sign Up For Your Email List
- How To Leverage The Lastest Call To Action Trend
- 5 Tips That Will Help Your Brand Stand Out
Fran Kolars is a blogging intern for LadyBossBlogger. She is currently working towards her bachelor’s degree in Retail Merchandising and Interior Design at the University of Minnesota. Blogging is an interest of hers that was sparked by her passion for mental health, self-care, and motivation for women.
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