Do You Want To Increase Your Sales?

I bet you thought, “Hell yeah!” I am right there with you.


After doing a lot of research, I’ve learned that there is one surefire way to make more sales. Yes, one thing. If you knew it would increase your sales, would you do it?


The one thing that you should be doing consistently is emailing your list.


That’s it. Seems easy… Right?


I didn’t think so. This is the story I told myself:

  • If I email too much, people will unsubscribe in droves. (This is when I was emailing once every two months.)
  • That’s a lot of work. Will it be worth it?
  • I don’t want to be salsey, yet the only times I was emailing was when I was selling something.
  • Isn’t social media enough?

Yes, social media is important, but ultimately the purpose of social media is to lead people to get on your email list. We know that we have no control over when or if social media content shows up on someone’s feed, and it’s very difficult to know exactly how your social media is influencing your bottom line.


While the results of social media marketing are difficult to quantify, the ROI of email marketing is clear.


And for 40% of B2B marketers, email newsletters are the most important tactic in their content marketing strategy. The ROI of email marketing is $42 for every $1 spent according to snov.io.


Almost 19% of email campaigns are opened within one hour of sending. Emails influence the buying decision of 51% of customers. That means you have a 50/50 chance of getting a sale from every email you send.


So I committed to my email marketing strategy. I started with monthly emails and have recently increased it to twice-a-month emails.


What’s changed for me?

  • My list is interested in what I am sharing. I have a 30+% open rate for my emails. This is much higher than industry average, which is 20%.
  • My list is engaged. My contacts click on links in my content 4.8% of the time, which is three times more than the industry average.
  • I see discovery calls scheduled from existing contacts after my emails are sent.

Yes, I have seen an increase in my sales from being consistent with my email marketing. I also feel much less salesy because I email educational content far more than I am pushing my Work Smarter CRM or paid workshops. My goal is to educate my list on how best to use their digital tools.


Clearly email marketing is important, and it has massive potential for success. How can we optimize our email marketing for the best results?

Best Practices for Sending Emails that Convert

1 - Make Your Subject Line Click-worthy

A great subject line makes the difference between an email that gets opened and one that is left languishing in the inbox unread. Which subject line would you click?

Read my new blog post on Email Marketing


Or


Jenn, do you want more sales?

We have to be strategic to optimize the open rate. The best way to do that is by creating compelling subject lines with good preview text. Consider using a question that will pique the reader's interest. Or use action-oriented verbs in the subject line. But always be catchy.


When it comes to subject lines, length matters. Keep it between 5 and 10 words for best results.


For an additional open rate boost, personalize the subject line with the recipient's name. According to snov.io, emails with personalized subject lines have a 22% higher open rate.


By creating compelling subject lines, you will get your recipient to open the email, but you’ve got to craft a valuable email that is well-written and easy to read to get them to take action.

2 - Provide valuable content that is personalized and speaks directly to your ideal client

It all starts with understanding your ideal client and your unique value proposition. Make sure your content is relevant and important to your ideal client.

"Since email gives you unrestricted access to your subscribers’ behavior, you can learn more about their interests and habits to create targeted campaigns. Personalization is important—even mandatory—going into 2020." ~ From My Emma

Personalization is very important in the email salutation. Make sure to use the recipient's name. All email marketing tools allow you to do this. In the corporate world, you could get away with addressing “All,” “Guys,” or “Everyone.” That is not going to work for your business. Make sure when you are collecting emails that you ask for their first name, too.


Several of my clients work with students ranging from elementary school to high school. Although most of their information is sent to the parent of the student, their email messaging must be appropriate for their student’s age. This is called segmenting. You can segment your audience based on behavior, niche, interests, demographics, and past purchases. Segmenting your audience allows you to send emails that are targeted to a specific group interest, which will get them opened and read.


The content in your email should be interesting, but to the point. Make it easy to skim by using lots of whitespace, bullet points, and short paragraphs. We all read emails on our phones, so make the font legible. I’d say 12 point font or larger.


Keep your email focused with one major call-to-action.

3 - Be consistent

You may be wondering how often you should be emailing, and that’s a great question. Once a week is best. And you definitely should be emailing at least once a month. Twice a week is okay, but more than that is usually too much.


Another good question is what day and time should you email. Tuesday is the best day to email if you’re emailing once a week, and one company determined that 11AM got the best open rate. And weekends are not good.


Of course the only way to know what is actually best for your audience is to test it.


Be consistent with your frequency. It is more important to be consistent with your email than it is with your social media. Your ideal client needs to hear from you.


I’ve gotten sage advice from my business coach, Cyndy Porter, which is to “train your list to open your emails.” That is what being consistent will do for your business.

4 - Extend the conversation beyond the email

Think of your emails as a conversation starter. You are connecting, communicating, or educating your audience, and you want them to engage in the conversation. Engaging looks like…

  • Replying to the email with an answer to a question.
  • Providing feedback on a survey to learn more about what your audience wants from you.
  • Learning more about a new program or workshop.
  • Inviting them to an event you are hosting.
  • Asking them to make a purchase.

If you want your audience to click something to learn more, sign up, register, or pay then use landing pages to expand upon that topic. Landing pages are perfect for focused information and calls-to-action that will help you turn a contact into a client.


You will make more sales through email marketing by consistently sending personalized, valuable emails with catchy subject lines to make them read your email and click the link to work with you.

Are you ready to make more sales?

Awesome! There are two things you need to make this possible.


1 - You need an Awesome CRM that will enable you to personalize, segment, and automate your email campaigns.


2 - You need support to make it happen.

Take this quiz to determine where to focus with your digital tools and what you should be doing to increase your sales.

Mary Sue Dahill, Founder & CEO of Work Smarter Digital

We help female entrepreneurs make more impact and income by simplifying their digital tools with the All-In-One Work Smarter CRM. Schedule a Work Smarter Demo & Consult to explore what’s possible.