41: From Freebies to Fans: Nurturing Your Email List for Long-Term Success

To build a successful email list, I think it's really important to focus on that long term relationship and really work to serve your audience, let's say at least 90% of the time and only sell to them when you have something really, really important and like the perfect fit for the people on your list. I'm Bonnie Christine and this is where all things creativity, design, business and marketing unite. I'm a mama living in a tiny town tucked right inside the Smoky Mountains, running a multi seven figure business, doing the most creative and impactful work of my life. But when I first set out to become an entrepreneur, I was struggling to make ends meet and wrestling with how to accomplish my biggest dream of becoming a fabric designer. Fast forward to today. I I'm not only licensing my artwork all over the world, but also teaching others how to design their creative life and experience the same success. I'm here to help you spend your life doing something that lights you up. I'll help you build a creative business that also creates an impact, changes people's lives, gives you all of the freedom you want, and is wildly profitable. Welcome to the Professional Creative Podcast. Hey there. Welcome to this episode. I am so excited to talk to you about a topic that I'm pretty passionate about and it has to do with email lists. By now you likely know that an email list is important. It's one of the most important parts to your business. And today I want to talk specifically about what we call a nurture sequence. Now you could hear this also described as an onboarding sequence, but what it does is anytime someone joins your email list, they go through this sequence of emails first. And so I want to talk about what that looks like, what to include on your nurture sequence or in your onboarding sequence, the reasoning behind it, and why it's so beneficial. Then I have 15 tips on how to make your nurture sequence really, really shine and work for you and do exactly what you want it to do, which is connect with your audience. So are you ready to dive in as a creative entrepreneur? Having an email list is a critical part to growing your business and so let's just start there. If you don't have an email list, I want you to consider starting one. An email list is so important because you have complete control over it. In other terms, when you're sharing on social media and on other platforms, at the end of the day you don't own those platforms and so you are at risk. Another way to think about this is building your business on borrowed land versus building it on land that you own. And the land that you own would be your email list. In fact, a hope that I have for you is that somewhere down the road, if you are launching something huge on a day and all social media sites go down, you would be just fine. You wouldn't be worried at all because you have an email list that you're relying on as a way to communicate with your audience. And so that's the goal. And it feels like such a security and almost like insurance for your business. In fact, having an email list will actually ensure that anything that you want to do is successful as long as you are connecting with your audience and offering them something that's in line with what they want. But this is the best way to prevent launching to crickets. You know that phrase launching and it being silent on the other end, which is not fun, we've all been there and how to experience more consistent income. So speaking of launching to crickets, I see this happen, you know, every year, several times, someone will have a new offer or product or service that they are launching into the world and it'll just fall flat, they'll be disappointed in the results, they won't hit their goals and for whatever reason it feels like they launched to crickets. Chirp, chirp. And it's usually because they either don't have a list, they haven't nurtured their list, or they haven't grown their list. Meaning sometimes people will launch the same thing over and over again to the same exact list without growing it in between launches. And that's a problem as well. It's essential to focus on building and maintaining a warm and engaged email list. These are your people and you have to work to connect with them and, and build a relationship with them. Email is foundational to everything else in your business. And if it's not what we consider to be warm, meaning engaged, then people aren't listening. So one of the best ways to do that is with a nurture sequence. To build a successful email list. I think it's really important to focus on that long term relationship and really work to serve your audience, let's say at least 90% of the time and only sell to them when you have something really, really important and like the perfect fit for the people on your list. This approach helps you build trust and loyalty and connection and a relationship with the people who are on your email list. So before we get into my tips on a nurture sequence, specifically I want to talk about the three main different types of emails. So number one is what we're focused on today, which is a nurture sequence, or sometimes it's called an onboarding sequence. And this is a set of emails that someone will get when they join your email list so that everyone gets the same onboarding experience. We'll come back and talk about that a lot more in just a second. Then there's what we call a broadcast. And so a broadcast is a one off email. You can think about these as emails about what's happening, the latest in your studio. If you have a new podcast that comes out or a new course that comes out, it's a one off written email. A lot of times these are written either in the moment or, you know, maybe up to a week in advance. And so often this is like around weekly content that you're releasing and then sharing about with your audience. Now the third type of email sequence is what I call a freebie sequence. And so sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes when someone signs signs up for an opt in, which is how they join your list, then it can make sense to have a separate small onboarding sequence for that particular opt in in and of itself. So for instance, if I offer a workshop and you have to sign up for the workshop with your name and email, then maybe it makes sense to put them in a freebie sequence, which is maybe three emails that welcomes them, onboards them into what we're going to be talking about, the workshop, and may has them invite a friend to join them as well. So not all opt ins or freebies require this freebie sequence, but some of the more robust ones that really have a lot of information to communicate around them could involve a little sequence on their own. But today we're going to focus on the broad nurture sequence and really we're almost there. But before we dive in, I have to tell you about the freebie for this episode. I'm so excited about it. We have pulled together 100 ideas for the emails that you can put in your nurture sequence. Now, typically nurture sequences are only six to 10 emails long. And so you're going to have a ton of ideas to pull from. And this is because the number one objection that I hear to writing and sitting down and really working on your nurture sequence is I don't know what to say, I don't have anything to say. What are people going to be interested in? I don't know. And so there are so many things as a creative entrepreneur that you can talk about and that people want to learn about you. So we've Pulled together a list of 100 ideas for you to use in your nurture sequence. Now you can get that over on our show notes. So that's professionalcreative.com blog 41 to get today's download. And I think you're going to really have a fun time brainstorming with it. So a good nurture sequence will really work to onboard the people who sign up for your email list into your world, into how you see the world, how you think about different things. It will also really onboard them into your ideology and your values and what you're doing and why you're doing it right. Oftentimes, it can offer value, and it will always remind your subscribers that you have solutions to their problems, even if that problem is a wall that needs a piece of art on it. So, like I said, it generally consists of, let's say, six to 10 emails. And you can spread those emails out, let's say every five to eight days to maintain engagement and also not overwhelm your subscribers. Your nurture sequence should onboard them into your way of thinking, and it should also really serve to them, not sell to them. So we're not selling anything to anyone who signs up to your list right away. We're just serving them and providing a ton of value, as much value as you can in these emails. You should aim to get them a quick win and start really letting them into your world. And this is going to help build trust between you and your audience and confidence in your brand. So if you want to see this in action, you can go sign up for my email list, which will immediately put you onto my nurture sequence and so you can see how mine rolls out. Now, everyone who joins my list, no matter what time during the year, automatically gets put through this nurture sequence. So it's not anything that I'm doing manually. I set it up one time, and no matter when you join, you get the same sequence. Then you begin getting my weekly broadcasts, which is such a great onboarding experience, so that you can kind of catch up to what I'm doing and who I am and why I'm doing it before we just dive right into, you know, weekly content. So that's the idea behind a nurture sequence. So let's talk about the tips that I have for writing your emails and how to make them really engaging. Number one is to give your subscribers a reason to read until the end of the email and open your next email. So this is called an open loop. If you can open a loop that they will likely want to close with your very next email, you'll help inspire them to open more of your emails. You can even think about it as a Netflix style like binge worthy email sequence. Right? So you want it to be engaging. And so oftentimes at the beginning of the email, I'll mention something at the end of the email that they have to read all the way through in order to get. And then at the end of the email, I'll just tell them what to look forward to. You know, something like, I'll be back in your inbox in a couple of days with xyz something to get them excited and looking for my very next email. Number two is to focus on the readability of your emails. You're going to want to make them feel easy to read and fun to read. So I suggest breaking up your emails with things like bolded words and multiple paragraphs to just make them easier to read. I also really like to personalize emails. And so most email service providers will let you plug in everybody's unique name at the beginning and so it says hi Bonnie instead of hi there. Right. That makes it feel more personal. Now, number three is to encourage what we call micro conversions. And so typically if we're writing emails, we want someone to take an action. Now as you remember, we're not selling anything, we are just wanting them to take action in a way that serves them. And so a micro conversion is any action that you want your reader to take. Something like click here to or watch this or hit reply or forward this email to a friend. Right. So something pretty simple, but an action nonetheless. Number four is to ab test your subject lines. If your email service provider has this as an option, I use ConvertKit and highly recommend them. And so they let me a B test. So what this looks like is at the top of my email, I can put in two different subject lines. One is the A test and one is the B test. And so I'm pretty sure ConvertKit does something like take 10% of the list and divide the subject lines to each of them, send it out, and then after something like four hours, it pushes the winning subject line out to the rest of your audience. And so don't quote me on the exact statistics there, but I'm pretty sure it works like something like that. And so you will a B test and then it automatically chooses the winner. And the winner is chosen by open rates. Right. So which subject line got the most opens and then it pushes the rest of the email with that subject line to the rest of your list. And so this is a great way to test different ideas and see what's really resonating with your audience. Really, anytime you can a B test something, I highly suggest it so that you can learn more about about what resonates with your audience. Number five is to if you can ask your subscribers to hit reply and answer a question that you've asked, this really helps build connections and spark conversations and helps you really get to know the type of person who is on your list. The other thing that it does is it tells your email service provider that you have an engaged audience and people are having conversations back and forth, and so your content is good. Number six is important, and I see this one messed up all the time. It's to have one primary call to action, meaning one most wanted action taken per email, and then reinforce it as many times as you can. And so sometimes I'll get an email that says, you know, click here and then go watch this and then listen to this. And then, you know, it's too many actions requested. And so the most meaningful or impactful emails you can write will have one most wanted action taken. So, you know something like read this or watch this or leave a review or something along those lines, and then it will reinforce it with two or three invitations to do the same thing over and over again. Basically, you know, we all have a very short attention span, and so we're asking too much for someone to sit down and figure out all the different things we want them to do. And so one most wanted action taken per email will get you the best results. Now, number seven, I personally love and it's to use a ps. And so theoretically, this doesn't make a lot of sense because a PS really originated from when you were handwriting or using a typewriter for a letter and had an afterthought, you couldn't go back and change it or add it later. And you know, when we're writing an email, you really could do that. But I still really love to use a PS because so many of our readers are kind of skimming our emails. And so oftentimes I'll use the PS as an afterthought or as a way to summarize, like, hey, if you're just looking for the summary of this email, it's this, this, this, here's your link, you know, and it's a great way, I personally love it, as a reader of other people's emails, to just get the PS and kind of get the summary of what they're trying to say. So I bet that the PS is actually one of the most read sections in an entire email when it's used well. Okay, so this one is important. If you are distracted, come back to me and listen up. Number eight is that I want you to embrace unsubscribes. I know that's difficult and it's a little bit heartbreaking, and you worked so hard for that person to come on your email list. But I want you to actually embrace having unsubscribes. And so actually, the first thing you should do is if you are still getting notifications when someone unsubscribes from your email list. I see you. I know you're out there. I want you to go turn those off today. Promise me. Okay? I want you to embrace them because as a business person, it's your job to both attract people and repel them. Meaning if you are one for everyone, you're really one for no one, because you must be constantly attracting the right person and repelling the wrong person. And so this process will create unsubscribes, and that's okay. They're just not your person. It actually will help you build a more robust email list because the people who are on it are really truly your ideal people. They're there for it. They like what. What you're doing. And this is just part of growing a list and growing a business that some people just won't be there for it. And also, sometimes maybe it's nothing personal, right? Maybe they've outgrown what you're offering, and maybe that's actually something to celebrate. So embrace unsubscribes. Don't take it personal. Know that with every unsubscribe from your email list, your list actually gets. Gets more and more refined to the perfect person just for your business. Number nine is also something that's a little bit contrary to initial instinct. And this is to frequently email your list. Now, I hear sometimes people kind of afraid to email frequently, and so they'll let their list sit. And what this does is create cold subscribers. So we talk about audiences in terms of cold, warm, and hot. And so a cold audience is someone who's maybe on your list, but they forgot who you are. You haven't communicated with them in months. They don't know what you're up to or what you're doing. And so they might get an email from you and think, who is this? I can't remember why I even signed up for this. And so the truth is that not emailing frequently can Actually increase your unsubscribes because when you do finally email, they don't remember who you are. And so your unsubscribes will go wait up. And so I like a frequency of just something consistent. It could be once a month, it could be once a week, it could be once every two weeks. But anything that's super inconsistent is going to lead to a colder audience. And so if you think about consistency and frequently entering your audience's email list, then they'll be engaged and warm. Now, of course, there's something as too frequent, right? So I would be careful. Anytime you're emailing more than once or twice a week outside of a launch, if you are launching, you better be emailing your list every single day. But for just normal, ongoing emails, I would say keep it to once, maybe twice a week and maintain that consistency. Number 10 is going to be to segment your email list into categories if necessary. This won't apply to everyone, but if you've got more than one side to your business, it can be one really nice to segment your list so that you know who you're talking to about what. Again, not every email service provider will let you do this, but ConvertKit, the program that I use, absolutely does. And so oftentimes this looks like something called tags. And so you can segment your list. Let's say you have a fine art portion of your business and then you have an education part to your business. And maybe every time you talk about a new course that you have, you're afraid that you are kind of annoying your fine art buyers. And maybe every time you're talking about fine art, you're worried about annoying your, you know, course or education students. And so what you want to do is work to try to segment those and tag them separately so that if you want to only talk to the people who are interested in one thing or the other, it's easy to do. So. So there's a bunch of different ways you can do this. You can have it done upon entering your email list. You can tag them based on what links they click or emails they open and some things like that. But I would look into it if you have two sides to your business that you think could benefit from speaking to in different ways. Number 11 is to not be afraid to embrace your vulnerability, embrace your humanity, and get personal with your subscribers. I think email in kind of a weird way feels intimate. You know, someone's inbox is a really special place, and if they're allowing you into it, it means that they're interested in what you're doing. And so don't shy away from sharing about your struggles or your challenges and also your triumphs and your celebrations. This is going to help build trust and credibility with your audience and really just connection. I think that's really what we're all craving is just an honest connection with other people, whether it's in real life or online. And so being vulnerable and just being willing to share from your heart with your audience will go a really long way. Number 13 is to experiment with different types of content in your nurture sequence. Everyone has different learning styles and so some people may love to read, sit down and read an email, while others may want to watch a video, while others may want to do something like take a survey or a quiz or maybe even listen to an audio from you. And so you don't have to cycle through these all the time. But I think maybe once in your nurture sequence, if you could represent a couple of different types of learning styles or content consumption styles, that you'll really be able to engage your audience more thoroughly. Number 14 is to include others. We often call this social proof, meaning you're taking stories or testimonials or reviews that people have left you or shared with you and you're bringing them for other people to read. This is a really nice way to kind of reiterate what you're doing and why you're doing it and also build trust. I don't know about you, but I love reading reviews. And so it's easy for someone who's at the lead of a company to tell you all the reasons why their business is great. But it's an entirely different experience to hear from people who have already interacted with it. Maybe they've used your services or products or offers in some way and they've had a great experience and so you can bring their story to life through your nurture secret sequence. Number 14 is to tell them what to expect. This kind of goes back to your frequency. You know, if you are going to be emailing them every week or maybe it's just once a quarter, then just go ahead and tell them up front in your nurture sequence what to expect and when they can expect to hear from you. That way they'll just know and they won't be surprised if it's, you know, every week or a couple of times a week or whatever it may be. And the Last one, number 15 is just something really simple that I see a lot of people miss. Oftentimes we're talking about opt ins. These are freebies that people want to sign up for and in doing so they get added to your list so you can think about workbooks or workshops or free downloads of any kind. And so oftentimes someone will sign up for one, they'll get put on your nurture sequence and then you have many other opt ins but you forget to put them in your nurture sequence and so they're already on your list. Which means that using your other opt ins, other things that you've created before in your nurture sequence is a great way to serve them and provide more value from them. So don't forget to not only use your opt ins for list growth, but to also always send them to the people who are already on your list as a way to serve them as well. So I hope these 15 tips on writing your nurture sequence has been helpful. Most of all, don't forget to go download today's freebie. You can do so at professionalcreative.com forward slash blog forward slash 41 and that is a list of 100 ideas for your nurture sequence. I think you're going to absolutely love it. You're going to walk away with more than enough ideas to get going. And I want you to work on getting this set up. This is something that we love to overthink. We get overwhelmed by it. But let me tell you a secret. Even if you don't even have a email service provider right now, you could find one, get set up with it and get your nurture sequence up and running. And I would say less than a day, maybe two days max. It's really not that difficult. And once you have it, you'll have it forever and you'll be able to grow your business. So don't procrastinate on this. It's too important to not get your focus on. So focus on building and maintaining that audience. Get them engaged, keep them warm and connect with them and create a nurture sequence that really offers them value and serves them. I hope that you enjoyed this episode. Thank you so much for tuning in. Remember, always create the beauty that you want to see come alive in the world. And remember, there's room for you. I'll see you next week. Bye for now.