As a coach, you want to help people improve their lives. You do this by sharing your knowledge and providing an amazing service. Imagine how much more impactful you could be if you had a marketing tool that helped you share your knowledge and spread the word about your services.
You’re in luck! Such a marketing tool exists. Although it’s nothing new, email marketing is still one of the best ways you can attract potential clients and grow your business.
The best part? Email marketing is a great complement to other marketing strategies like social media. Connect directly with your fans you’ve converted from social media and other marketing channels and shower them with some of your best content.
With great email content you can build trust with your subscribers and grow a loyal fanbase. Your loyal subscribers will fall in love with the incredible content you send them and begin to consider the ways in which your services could benefit them or someone they know.
Keep reading to learn how to start email marketing today!
Choose an Email Platform
The first step in getting started with email marketing is choosing the right platform. You’ll need a reliable platform that can capture email addresses from subscribers and send automated content. Below are platforms to consider:
Convertkit – Converkit has the features you need to start and grow your mailing list. You can create eye-catching sign up forms, design beautiful emails, and set up seamless automations with Convertkit. This platform is easy to navigate and user-friendly for mailing list novices.
Note that, Converkit is slightly more restricted for free users. If you want to take advantage of the platforms full features, like automation, consider a paid plan. Convertkit offers a free version based on your number of subscribers, as well as paid tiers that include upgraded features.
Drip – Like Converkit, Drip has everything you need to start and grow your mailing list. However, Drip offers slightly more advanced features. Drip is ideal for coaches who already have some experience with email marketing and are looking for tools to take their mailing list to the next level.
You can start a free 14-day trial with Drip and continue using the service for a monthly fee after that.
Flodesk – Last but not least, Flodesk can be a great option for coaches like you. There are tons of free templates to choose from with Flodesk and no limits on the number of subscribers you can have! Flodesk offers a free 30-day trial and a monthly fee after that.
Compare and contrast the perks of the platforms above and choose the one that works best for you. Be sure to choose a platform that offers room to grow and customer support. Once you’ve selected a platform it’s time to start building your mailing list.
Create and Email Lead Magnet
Now that you have chosen a platform it’s time to start building your mailing list with a lead magnet. A lead magnet is something you offer your audience for free in exchange for their email. A free gift will grow your list like crazy which in turn helps your business grow.
The goal of a lead magnet is to get your followers on social media and visitors to your website on your mailing list and eventually on your roster of paying clients. Your lead magnet should align with your niche and provide a solution to a problem that your ideal client has. Consider how you can help your ideal client with their problem for free.
Sharing a free lead magnet will show your subscribers that you care, you can be trusted, and that you’re an expert in you’re niche. Being generous with a great download, ebook, or discount code gives your subscriber a glimpse of what you have to offer and positions you as the person that can help them solve their problem.
Popular kinds of lead magnets include ebooks, quizzes, or a discount code for your services or a product you offer. Pause here to brainstorm potential lead magnets.
With a lead magnet in mind, you’ll need to create a sign up form. The email marketing platform you selected should have a sign up form feature. Customize your sign up form to reflect your brand and messaging.
Share your lead magnet offer and watch as your mailing list grows! Once you have a growing list of subscribers you can start to share content that converts them from a satisfied subscriber to a paying client.
Pro tip: Embed your sign up form on the front page of your website. Your lead magnet should be one of the first things visitors see when they land on your website. Converting someone you visits your home page into an email subscriber is the goal here.
Develop an Email Strategy
Now that you’ve got subscribers rolling in you’ll want to keep them engaged. You’ll need to periodically send your subscribers emails packed with content that adds value to their lives. Below is a breakdown of the building blocks you’ll need for a solid strategy.
Frequency
First things first, decide how often you will email your list. Be realistic here. Will you email your subscribers once a day, week, or month? It’s better to send your subscribers an amazing email once a month than to send them a half-hearted email once a week.
Pro tip: You can always increase the frequency of your emails but it’s a bad look to decrease your frequency. You want your email subscribers to know, like, and trust you. Establish trust by maintaining the frequency you promised when your subscriber joined your list.
Exclusive Content
You’ve got a grip on how often you’ll email your subscribers, now you need to consider your content. The content you send your email subscribers should be exclusive. Share courses, challenges, workshops, and downloadables that you don’t share anywhere else.
Offering exclusive content to your email subscribers incentives them to open your emails and engage with your content.
Automation
The final step in your strategy is setting up automations. After exchanging their email address for your lead magnet your subscriber wants to receive their free download immediately. Send your lead magnets on autopilot with an automation.
To send your lead magnets on autopilot you’ll need to start by setting up an automation with your platform. Navigate to the automation feature of your platform and establish a rule that anytime a subscriber joins your lead magnet list they should be automatically sent an email containing a link to their freebie. Do some research with your platform to navigate the functions of setting up an automation for your lead magnet.
You can streamline your email strategy further by batching your newsletters or email series. Write out your emails in bulk and schedule them to send on certain days and times. With automations you can schedule your newsletter or email series weeks or months in advance.
Take a moment to consider what kind of email series you can send. You might email your subscribers some Monday motivation every Monday or a Sunday tip for preparing for the week ahead. Start writing once you have a series in mind and don’t forget to automate your emails to send while you sleep.
Write Your Email Content
Now that your email list is filling up with subscribers and you have a solid strategy it’s time to give the substance of your emails some TLC. You don’t want to send your subscribers a half baked email with some embedded links. Spend some time crafting the content of your email so that it engages your reader and adds value to their lives.
Great Writing
Great content starts with great writing. You don’t have to be an expert writer to draft email that your subscribers will want to read. Simply follow the tips below every time you write an email and your subscribers will be hooked.
Tips to keep in mind when drafting your emails:
- Think outward – Your emails should speak to/about your subscriber, not you. You might be the most interesting person on the planet but at the end of the day, your subscribers want content that speaks to them and their interests.
- Relevant topics – Address topics that your subscribers are talking about. These topics will likely align with your niche or area of expertise. Spend some time googling phrases that your potential clients are seeking answers to. You might also hop into Facebook groups that align with your niche and see what group members are buzzing about.
- Practical tips – Be generous with your tips and tricks. Your subscribers want practical tips and helpful advice that is easy to implement.
- Value – Remind your subscribers that they are receiving something valuable in exchange for being on your mailing list. Share bonuses and freebies that your subscribers can’t get anywhere else.
- Call to action – Always give your subscriber a next step. Ask them to follow you on social media, click a link to apply to be a coaching client, or respond to your email.
Keep the tips above in mind every time you write an email. The goal is to create content so valuable you keep your subscribers coming back for more.
Pro tip: Be strategic when it comes to selling your coaching services. You want to establish yourself as an expert and build an engaged mailing list before you embed an offer in an email.
Eye Catching Subject Lines
People’s inboxes are more crowded than ever. Make sure your content stands out. Eye catching headlines can make all the difference in your open rate.
Below are a few examples of subject lines that your subscribers won’t be able to resist:
- A surprise gift for you…
- I have a quick question for you.
- The biggest mistake you might be making…
Spend some time working on your subject line before sending or scheduling your email. It would be a shame for your amazing content to go unread. Crafting your subject line is a step you won’t want to skip!
The Coach School features an amazing Bonus Library full great marketing freebies like the List of Irresistible Email Subject Lines. Learn more about The Coach School here.
Analyze Your Email Performance
Once you’ve started your email marketing journey it’s important to take some time to analyze your effectiveness. Once a month carve out some time in your schedule to review your email marketing analytics. Your email marketing platform should have built in analytics that give you insight into open rates and click through rates.
Your open rate is an indication of how well your subject line worked. Your click through rate reveals how effective your offer inside the email was. Review your emails with the best click through rates and pause to consider what those emails have in common.
You want your subscribers to open, read, and follow through on your call to action. Let analytics guide you as you prepare to create future content.
Put Your Email Marketing to Work!
You’ve got the steps in place to start and build your email list. Now it’s time to get to work coach!
Start by finding a platform that works for you and crafting an epic lead magnet. Next, strategize and start creating incredible content that keeps your subscribers coming back for more.
If you liked this blog post you’ll love The Coach School. This 12-week program is designed to help you grow a successful coaching business. Through The Coach School you’ll learn how to attract the right clients, master your marketing, develop systems to streamline your operations, and so much more!
Join The Coach School to grow your business with step-by-step guidance, live coaching, and dedicated mentors.
