We all want (and need!) to reach our audience in such a compelling way that they engage with us in return.
There are few things as discouraging and detrimental to you and your business as putting yourself out there, expelling a ton of effort, implementing painstaking strategies, only to hear crickets chirping in response to your hard work. Am I right?
A decrease in audience engagement is a sign that something is malfunctioning. Whether there’s an issue with the products or services you’re offering, the marketing strategy you’re implementing, or the particular audience you’ve targeted, consider these tips for getting over the hump that’s keeping your audience engagement from growing.
4 Tips for Increasing Audience Engagement
Learn Your Audience! Why would you expect someone to engage with you if you haven’t spent some time to engage with them first…in the way they respond to well? It’s possible that you’re not seeing a lot of audience engagement because the particular audience you’re attempting to sell to isn’t overly interested in what you’re marketing or the way you’re attempting to market it. You need to learn who your audience is, what they like, and what makes them more inclined to engage. This might mean narrowing your audience substantially from “everyone” to a more specific group. Once you’ve done this, you’re better equipped to create and market specially for them in order to increase engagement.
Now, it might sound counter-intuitive to narrow your audience in order to increase engagement, but keep in mind that “everyone” will not be interested in what you’re offering, no matter how perfect your product or service. You must identify your audience, dedicate time to learning what they like, and then engage with them in order to grow your engagement!
Examine Your Product/Service. It’s perfectly normal to love your business and believe everyone should want what you’re offering. To an extent, if you didn’t believe this about your business, then you might want to be in a different business altogether! However, often times we think our products or services are perfect and irresistible when, in fact, they could use some improvement. Don’t hesitate to examine your products or services for defects, mistakes, or weak points. Look for places to improve and then do so. You want people to engage with your business because it’s valuable, you’re worth it, and your product or service is actually good.
Consider Your Marketing Strategy. Understanding your audience and your product or service is key to developing a stellar marketing strategy. For instance, if your product is meant to help elderly people, then you might not want to expend a ton of effort in creating Facebook ads (since the majority of your audience might not use Facebook). In the same way, if your target is business owners, then your Facebook ads need to be targeted in such a way to identify people owning a business rather than any and every Facebook user.
For online marketing, keep in mind that the day of the week and time of day also have an effect on your engagement!. Different industries tend to be “online” at different times. For instance, desk-job employees tend to be more active on the internet during business hours (between 9am and 5pm) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and social media accounts tend to be more active in the afternoons and evenings. For a different industry, these “popular” times might be different, so learning what’s accurate for your particular audience is valuable for increasing audience engagement online.
Look at Yourself and Be Genuine! It will be easier for people to relate and engage with you if you’re as true as you can possibly be to yourself and your brand. Don’t try to be someone else (people will see through it and consequently not engage)! Now, genuineness can be hard to manage sometimes, especially through website content where we want to remain professional, social media posts we want to keep catchy, or webinars where we’re trying to educate others. Nevertheless, it’s so important that you remain true to yourself and your brand so that people who will click with you can do so easily.
Remember that not everyone will like you and your business, but that’s fine! You just want the engagement from your desired audience.
If you have an email marketing campaign and you know that it’s not getting you the result that you want, then there are probably a couple of reasons for this. Email marketing can be incredibly successful, but only if you do it right. Here, we’re going to talk about the various reasons that your email marketing campaign could be failing and what you can do about it. Read on to learn more:
You Don’t Know Your Target Audience
Knowing your target audience is key to getting the very best results from your emails. You should know their demographic, what they want and need, and what their preferences are so you can craft personalized messages that get you the results you want. Doing as much research as you can on your target audience is key.
You Have An Outdated Database
If you have an outdated, under-performing database, you can’t expect to get the best results from your email marketing. Your database should be well maintained and fully up to date, so keep an eye on it and make changes when you need to.
Your Email Design Is Poor
Your email design needs to be honed so that it looks attractive enough to your audience. You need an appealing subject line, and this shouldn’t be misleading or ‘clickbaity’.
Focus on the design, look, and feel of your email. You can use things like this email newsletter software in order to get the template and lay out right. Then you’re going to need to focus on your logos, colors, pictures, and call to action. It should also be optimized for better readability on different devices. Think of all of the people who probably view your emails on their mobile devices and then create with those in mind.
Your Content Is Poor
You need to be putting relatable, personal content out there if you want results. You should never use robotic content. Be clear about the purpose and what your message to the reader is, and always end with a call to action so that the reader knows exactly what you want them to do after reading your email.
Sending Too Many Emails Out To Your List
43% of subscribers want to be sent fewer emails. If you send lots of emails out to your readership, they are going to be viewed as spam. People will stop reading them, and they will unsubscribe. Make sure you’re being mindful about how many emails you are sending out.
You’re Only Sending Sales Messages
Engaging content used alongside sales messages is important; sales messages alone will not get you the results you want. When you put together engaging content, you will build loyalty and deepen brand awareness.
You Haven’t Got The Timing Right
Your email marketing plan should be tailored depending on who you are sending to. Your audience is unique, so test out different times and see what gets you the best results. It’s all well and good looking online to get an idea of the best times, but there’s no one size fits all.
As an entrepreneur and business owner, one of your primary concerns is earning enough revenue so that you can continue to be an entrepreneur and live a comfortable lifestyle!
Nowadays, many business owners are getting distracted by different marketing methods, but are not making enough traction to be worth the time and energy they are spending.
Whenever a struggling entrepreneur approaches me for advice, one of the first things I ask them is, “How is your email marketing going?”
Many will sigh, chuckle or wipe the sweat off their forehead and admit that they haven’t sent anything to their list in weeks OR they don’t have a solid email marketing strategy.
I quickly reassure them that email marketing is NOT dead and that they are missing out on an incredible opportunity by not fully utilizing their email list. Some would say the most important way to earn revenue as a business owner, practically on demand, is to build a healthy email list full of prospects.
Are you intimidated by email marketing and don’t know where to start? Have you tried it a few times and been unsuccessful? Here are my top strategies for successful email marketing that you can start implementing today:
Strategy One: Bring In Subscribers With An Irresistible Offer
In order to have a good email list, you need a steady stream of subscribers. The easiest way to get subscribers is to give away something and require only an email address to get it. You want to create something that really stands out to your target audience. Common opt-ins include eBooks, pre-recorded webinars, eCourses, reports, tools, tips, etc.
A lot of business owners are hesitant to give away something really valuable for free. But remember, the better the offer, the more subscribers you will attract which will help you grow your list and earn more revenue.
A couple of tips for your offer: make it stand out with a great headline and a professional cover/banner. Give social proof that lots of people are signing up for it, and the power of FOMO (fear of missing out) will get you more subscribers.
Strategy Two: Put Your Irresistible Offer Somewhere Lots Of People Will See It
There are a lot of platforms where you can drop your opt-in where potential subscribers will see it. Consider where your target audience is hanging out the most. Instagram? Facebook? Twitter? LinkedIn? Browsing Google? Your blog? Put your opt-in wherever the most potential clients will see it. Test it for a while and if it isn’t working, adjust your offer. Keep adjusting until you create something people really want. This doesn’t mean writing an entire new eBook or eCourse. Sometimes simply changing the title or making a better cover will do the trick!
You can also try putting a pop-up or banner on your website (people hate popups so make it worth their time!) If you have an effective popup you can 10x your amount of daily subscribers.
Strategy Three: Set Up An Autoresponder Series For New Subscribers
Using a good email marketing program like ConvertKit (you can try it for free), you can set up an email series that will automatically be sent to new subscribers! Once you set this up, it can run forever without you even thinking about it! I like to call this a “welcome series” and will write up 3-4 emails introducing them to my brand, thanking them for subscribing, letting them know what I have to offer them and giving away lots of goodies. If they like the first few emails they get from you, they are much more likely to open stuff from you in the future.
The biggest thing you want to remember when creating a welcome series is to provide VALUE, VALUE, VALUE. Make it worth their time to open your emails and read them! As you know, everyone is getting tons of emails every day. You want yours to stand out. You want them to open your welcome series and immediately think, “Oh, I really like this. This is valuable to me.” This is the key to creating engaged, active subscribers!
Strategy Four: Create A Consistent, High-Quality Email Marketing Strategy
As your list continues to grow, you want to become consistent in their inbox. I like to stay in touch with my email list once a week. This is regular enough that they know who I am and expect me but isn’t over the top or annoying. I also make it a priority to provide them (you) with high-quality content that is valuable and can have a positive impact on their life and business.
If you don’t have the time to write weekly emails, consider hiring someone to help you. Make sure your emails stay personal, personable and high-quality. Do not spam, do not email every day, and do not make every email a sales pitch. Treat your email list like a relationship, where you have to fill up their “bank account” before asking them to make a deposit into yours!
Tip: it looks much less spammy to have your emails come from YOU than your BUSINESS. When they see your email it should say it is coming from your name and not your business’s name.
Strategy Five: Plan Ahead
We talked a lot about planning ahead in marketing last week, if you missed it, click here! I like to plan ahead my email marketing strategy at least a month or two in advance. When you do email marketing on the fly, you might get some sales and make some progress, but it is often more stressful and less organized. Planning in advance gives you the opportunity to be intentional with your strategy, your content and your offers. You can also more easily plant seeds for soon-to-be-launched products or services.
Many entrepreneurs and business owners who commit to their email list make up to 80% of their revenue this way!! It is definitely time well spent and has both long-term and short-term benefits.
Not ready to run an email marketing strategy on your own? Need some help with the technicalities? Wondering where to start? I would love to chat with you!
Do you have a strong welcome series for new people on your email list?
First impressions in the marketing industry are huge- and if yours doesn’t go well, if can be hard if not impossible to come back from!
A high-quality welcome series for new leads is vital to:
Creating a positive first impression
Motivating your readers to keep opening what you send
Building a solid foundation for future sales.
Your leads likely come from opt-ins where you give away something your target audience wants. People give you their email not because they WANT to subscribe to your list necessarily, but because they want your opt in.
Your job then becomes to convince them that your company ROCKS and that they should be excited every time one of your emails pops into their inbox!
How can you do this effectively? Here are a few tips:
#1 The Welcome Email
In your welcome email you give your new reader access to the opt-in they wanted. This may seem like a simple task, but remember, this is your FIRST IMPRESSION of your company! According to data fromExperian, the average open rate for welcome emails is 58%. That’s probably the highest open rate you’ll ever have for any one email!
You want to personalize the email by:
Addressing the reader by their name
Including your photo and signature
Making it obvious and easy to find support/help if needed (even advertising a free consultation, if that’s something you do)
Adding some personality to the text- it should read like a letter from a friend, not a textbook
Ensuring your opt-in is exactly what they were hoping for and MORE
Over-delivering
Psychologically, people want to know you are competent and have good intentions. If they feel like you underdeliver, are unprofessional, sound fake or like you just want their money, they will likely unsubscribe immediately OR never open one of your emails again.
Tip:At the end of your welcome email, include a “curiosity loop” in the P.S.! This is a teaser that gets them excited about your next email.
#2 Provide A Quick Win
At the end of your welcome email you should have ended with a promise/teaser about what would be in this email. Give them what they want right away (i.e. Just as promised, here is the WXYZ).
I recommend giving something that will provide them a “quick win” that they can use immediately to help improve one of their pain points.
For example:
How To Find Your Target Audience For FREE
The Secret To Attracting A High-Quality Man
DIY Toxic Free Cleaning Products That Won’t Cost You A Dime
5 Strategies To Find New Clients In 24 Hours
Don’t worry about a fancy CTA in this email- your focus should be on GIVING them tons of value without asking anything in return.
#3 Create Emotional Connection & Relate To Your Audience
The third email is all about YOU and your brand and how your relate to your audience. In this email, consider all the following points:
Why should your reader care about you?
How do you relate to them?
Why should they LISTEN to you?
What problems did your reader sign up to solve, and how are you the answer to those problems?
Get vulnerable and real with them. Create a vision in their mind of your brand and purpose. The more you can relate to them, the more they will trust you. Go deep into their pain points by expressing how you once experienced them too. Then show that you overcame them and can help them do the same.
This email might end with a CTA inviting them to sign up for a call with you or start one of your programs. You should also invite them to follow you on social media, sign up for a free Facebook group or become a part of your community.
#4 Surprise With More Value
Remember, you will build trust and a favorable impression as you continue to overdeliver. In your final welcome-series email, provide more value for your reader. Point them to your most popular blog posts, give them a free PDF download, show them your favorite resources, etc. Basically, give them free stuff that they want and need!
You can also include a time-sensitive CTA in this email. Encourage them to sign up for a call with you (and emphasize that spots are limited) or offer them an exclusive deal only for new readers. You can also include some testimonials or success stories in this email.
How Far Apart Should These Emails Be?
Your audience will be themost engagedduring your welcome series because you are new and exciting. Stay on the top of their mind by sending them 1 email each day. After your welcome series is over, I recommend sending 1 email to your list on the same day every week.
Need help setting up a killer welcome series? I have some effective email templates that I would be happy to share with you! For access to them or for any other related questions, claim aspot on my calendar here.
Have you ever heard or read this phrase in relation to business marketing?
Unfortunately for business owners, this myth spreads around quite frequently, deterring many inexperienced entrepreneurs from taking full advantage of their email list.
While email is an “old” and maybe un-sexy technology compared to the more flashy social media world, email marketing is one of the most effective tools you have for turning leads into sale.
Don’t believe me? Here’s the truth.
#1 More People Use Email Than Social Media
Ipsos recently did astudywhere they found that 85% of people who actively use the internet also use email. Only 62% use social media platforms.
#2 Email Has Much Higher Click-Through And Open Rates Than Social Media
Click-through rates are generally much higher using emails than social media posts. According to a 2016studyby GetResponse, email open rates across all industries averages21.73%.
This is a stark difference from social media where less than 10% of people will even SEE your message (due to constantly changing algorithms) and even less will click-through.
Data from twitter shows average click-through rates of only1.64%. Facebook rates can be even worse at only.14%unless you pay for ads.
More clicks lead to more conversions. According to Litmus, emails have a 4.16% conversion rate, whereas social only has a .48%.
#3 Email Has Higher ROI Than Social Media Ads
According to data compiled by an email marketing analytics company, Litmus, email brings in a much higher return on investment per dollar spent. The numbers they reported are as follow:
Return On Investment (ROI)
Email : $40 for every $1 spent
Keyword ads: $17 for every $1 spent
Banner Ads: $2 for every $1 spent
As you can see from the data above, email marketing can be an effective way to increase your revenue.If you are not giving it much attention, it might be time to rethink your business priorities.
Feeling discouraged about your email marketing strategy, or another aspect of your company?Let’s chat. You can sign up for a complimentary business strategy session with mehere.
“You need a list,” they said. “The money is in the list,” they said. “You need an autoresponder,” they said. So you purchased an autoresponder; you added an opt-in box on your website; you have a couple of subscribers; now what?
Now, you sit down and plan out what you’re going to send to your list. The money is in the list ONLY if you stay in contact with the list. If you send out random emails every few months or every few years (yikes!) chances are you’ll have several unsubscribes and maybe even a few spam reports. Simply because you weren’t consistent in your communication and your subscribers probably don’t remember who you are or how they got onto your list.
Know Your Subscribers
Your subscribers should also be your ideal clients. You may have a few who don’t fit that ideal description and maybe they subscribed because something about your opt-in offer intrigued them but basically, speak to your ideal clients.
What do they need? What are their pain points right now, this minute? How can you help them? What products or coaching packages can they use in their lives right now?
Knowing the general details of your subscribers’ lives and their needs will naturally tell you what kinds of offers to make. Of course, offer your own services and products first but also investigate affiliate programs of products that compliment what you offer.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
In this social media age, people are gung ho to offer opinions on absolutely everything, so don’t be afraid to ask open ended questions about what your subscribers need. This is market research and shouldn’t be construed as an invasion of privacy. You want to fill their needs and guessing isn’t a productive way to use your time.
Get Used to Planning
Consistency is key to developing loyal followers so plan your emails to correspond with your other content efforts during the month. Decide how often you will email your list then pick a specific day of the week. Mark it in your calendar so it’s official (yes, you should consider yourself a client). At the very least, tie in your weekly blog content with your email theme/offer or get adventurous and choose a monthly theme. Write it all down so nothing falls through the cracks.
Your Clients Want Your Content…Are Your Producing?
Email marketing is just one small part of content creation that every online business owner should be doing. If you’d like some more tips for creating content your clients want, join my free webinar, “5 Tiny Content Tweaks that Boast Big Benefits.” We’ll talk about how to create content, how to repurpose content, and mistakes to avoid when creating content. Don’t miss it!
