Get your nurture sequence to do all the work for you, while you sip on your latte.

Let’s talk about first impressions…

I sign up to a lot of email lists.

Partly because I’m nosy.
I like to know what people are saying, and I like to see different lead nurturing email sequence examples.

But it’s also because I like to know a brand if I’m going to spend my money with them.
And what better way to do that than to sign up for their list, and devour the 4-5 emails they send me introducing their brand, their ethos, their origin story, their funny little foibles, and what their dog did in the office that one time…

Except that often doesn’t happen.

Why you need an email nurture sequence

When I discover a new brand and sign up to their email list, I’m not just after the discount/freebie/special offer. I’m motivated (excited even) to find out more. I’m ready to get to know them, to dive into the story, to become part of their tribe.

Which means I’m waiting to spend money with them (and tell my friends about this great new business I’ve found).

When there’s nothing…except for maybe a 2 line templated email saying: “Here’s your discount code”…then I’m left deflated. I want my email nurture sequence. I want more!

This was their opportunity to make the perfect first impression.
To pick me up in my excitement and plonk me in front of all they had to offer.
So that I’d jump in and become their newest customer.

Without it…if I’m honest…they end up in the graveyard that is my Promotions tab, only to be noticed if they send a particularly interesting subject line in a month’s time.

Which is why I’m so passionate about getting all the businesses I work with to create (and continuously one) their welcome sequence – those 4-5 emails that get sent out to new subscribers.

It’s your one chance at a first impression. An opportunity to develop the initial excitement of a new visitor and turn them into one of your tribe.

Increased sales, increased customer LTV, increased organic referrals, you name it: your welcome sequence can hand it to you.

How to write a good email sequence

You’re sat, staring at the blinking cursor, your discount code already entered into your Shopify backend.

How do you sum up years of mulling over your idea in your head, the late nights struggling with stock levels, or tying down your USP, the bookkeeping, hiring your first team member, the way your product or service has made people’s lives better, what you want every one of your customers to feel like when they hear from you…

What can you write that will make them feel like they know you, and want to be a part of your story?

Well, that’s it really – you need to give them a story to be part of.

What is the story of your brand?

Human beings love stories, and we share the good ones. We used to share them around campfires at the mouths of caves, then we traded them in return for food and shelter as we travelled to new towns and lands. We wrote them in books and wove them into songs and turned them into multi-movie franchises.

Now we click tiny arrows as we scroll through our phones, sharing the best stories with our friends and followers. And our reach is endless.

Story nurtures connection – and that is how you get customers that buy from you, stick around, tell their friends (and Insta followers), and take your brand off into the stratosphere.

What’s your story?

How an email nurture sequence is your dinner party opener

Sipping your warm glass of pinot grigio, you glance nervously around the room.
Couples and small groups are scattered across the space. Some are staring at the comfort of their phones, some checking their watches, some trying to work out the best place to sit.

School performances, college reunions, company parties…
Life is full of situations where we have to make artificial connections with people we just happen to be thrown together with.

And what is the first thing everyone asks?
“So, what do you do?”

Your stomach seems to have made its way towards your knees.
As an entrepreneur, you often don’t have the luxury of an easily explainable job title or field.
“I’m a doctor!” is easy. Everyone fills in the rest.
“Oh, I refurbish antique furniture and sell it to rich women at craft fairs” is understood.

“Well, I own a business that helps female entrepreneurs find their joy” is likely to elicit a confused furrow of the brows and a nervous sip of wine.

• What do you say to people who ask what you do?
• What are the important things you want people to know about your business?
• What do you wish you had written down when you were trying to work out the best place to put your name tag?

Those things are what your welcome sequence of emails should be made up of.

A primer for your business, how it helps people, and why they should care

How do you make a connection?

You can’t make a connection if you don’t know who you’re trying to connect with.

Imagine walking up to someone at a party, and launching into a heartfelt story about how Airfix models have been the thread that pulls your life together.
And expecting that to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship/romance/lifetime filled with the smell of glue and balsa wood.

I mean, there is a chance that they delight in opening a new model aeroplane too. But you’re taking a pretty big gamble. Surely a safer way would be to start a general conversation, and maybe ask if they had ever heard of Airfix models? Before you commit yourself to going all in!

Emails are the same.
When you’re getting ready to build that connection with your subscribers – the one that will bring you sales, greater customer LTV, and free advertising from all your loyal fans – you need to know who you’re writing to. Who is the “lead” for this lead nurturing email sequence? Yes, I know using the term “lead” is a little dehumanising. But you all knew what I meant!

Who is your audience?

Were they die-hard Friends devotees who’ll spot a Ross reference a mile off? PIVOT!!!
Did they burst into tears at the news that BTS are taking a hiatus?
Are they spending their weekends trying to work out how to stop the pigeons eating their tomato plants?
Or are they balancing caring for their aging mum who refuses to have outside carers, whilst supporting their teenagers through exams?

This is why so much of my job when I start work with a new client is research.
There are many ways to say who you are and what you do.

But it takes finding out about your audience to pick the one way that will resonate with them the most.

So, before you even start with your “Hi! I’m just popping into your inbox to say thank you for signing up! email…

Take some time to investigate who you’re talking to.
You might even get to talk about Airfix models.

The importance of providing value

For me, marketing will always be about the long game.

Your welcome emails, your nurture sequence – they’re what draw new people in. You give them a taste of who you are, and a story to dive into – be part of.

But then you need to get them to stay. And that’s where your ongoing emails come in.
I’ve been on too many email lists that shift from an endearing welcome email, straight to “BUY MY STUFF!” with a shedload of high res images and lots of “SALE!” banners.

Now, I know that I am a customer. A way of making money.
But I’m also a person. And I want to know that a company has thought about how they can serve me, as well as sell to me.
I want them to play the long game.

Keep your customers on board by sending them value. Articles you think they’ll find interesting, stories you think will make them laugh, tips from your industry that will make their day easier.

This works for other sequences too. If you’re trying to work out how to write a good email sequence for a product you’re launching, or a membership you’re advertising. In any of these cases, you need to mix your more salesy content with serving your subscribers.

Because, when you do this, they feel less like a cash cow, and more like a valued part of your business.

And then they’ll give you more cash.

Getting this off your plate

If you think this all sounds great, but you don’t have the time or the inclination to do it yourself…

Then it’s time to bring in the big guns…

Me…

Head over to my email services page to find out about my packages. Or fill in my contact form and we’ll have a chat about the best way to introduce you to your people.

And, if you’d like more ideas on how to play the relationship marketing long game, then you probably want to sign up to my newsletter. It comes out on Friday mornings, and it’s packed full of value, funny stories, and things I think you’ll find interesting (see what I did there?).

You can sign up here

Carry on reading