In this conversational video, Evan Carmichael and Eric discuss practical email marketing tactics focused on separating prospects from existing customers. They argue that lists should be segmented so that non‑customers receive industry‑focused educational content, while customers get product‑usage guidance. Autoresponder sequences are highlighted as a way to nurture new subscribers with pre‑written, timed emails that build authority, trust, and a personal relationship (e.g., welcome email, curated YouTube videos, top‑10 books, favorite quotes). Broadcast emails are presented as one‑off messages for time‑sensitive promotions that go to the entire list. The discussion also covers how to tag purchasers and move them into a separate series using tools like AWeber, and how to leverage the source of sign‑ups—such as conferences, Facebook pages, or blogs—to further segment and tailor follow‑up, even allowing self‑selection between prospect and customer tracks. Throughout, concrete examples illustrate how to structure content for each audience and automate the process.
Chapters
HelpDesk, what content do you find best works for your email marketing? Should your emails be targeting your new prospects or your loyal customers? Perhaps separate lists for both groups?
I think the answer is in the question there because, you know, the answer is definitely segment content to— if you're able to identify, you know, non-customers or soon-to-be customers and and your customers, then absolutely provide content that's relevant to each. You know, one way to think about it is that if you have established that list of, I've got a list of names that are, you know, people that aren't customers yet, well, the content you wanna be focusing for them is most likely education about your industry or your service line. Forget about selling them. Let's focus on getting them smart about what it is that you do or what your industry provides. And then when it comes to your customers, you know, focus on providing them education around how to use your product or service or get the most out of your product or service, because again, they've invested, they're a customer, so you want to go to nurture mode with that list as well. So yes on segmenting, but again, think of education on industry for potentials and education around your product or service for customers.
I love it. And I think this is where autoresponders can be really powerful. for those of you who don't know what autoresponders are, it's basically once somebody signs up for your list, at a set schedule and frequency, they get certain emails that you have pre-crafted. And so you write the email once and then, you know, 7 days later from joining the list, they get that email, and then another 7 days later, whatever interval you want, they get more emails. And so I think the autoresponders are an amazing way to educate the new people to your list. As well as build authority and build trust and be seen as a friend. So as an example, if you join my email list, I have 75,000 people on my list or so, you know, you'll get a welcome email from me and then 6 days later you'll get a list of my favorite YouTube videos and then a week later you'll get a list of my top 10 books for entrepreneurs and a week later you get another, email with my favorite quotes for entrepreneurs, just all sorts of kind of value-add stuff that helps me tell the story and build a relationship. And I think that really helps educate the new people to your list. And then your broadcast, so the kind of one-off emails that you can send, like when I was promoting this event, I sent it to my email list yesterday morning as a broadcast, right? I don't want it to be an autoresponder because it's happening at a specific time. So this is a broadcast that I'm sending out. And that goes to everybody, it goes to my prospects, it goes to my clients. Eric, is there an easy way to, once somebody has purchased from you, to move them to a separate list if I'm using AWeber?
Yes, and there's a way to tag the customers based on what you know about them to then set up for a separate series focused primarily on that educational information. you know, we're able to, you know, not just do it once, you know, somebody is in, but also based on where they're signing up from, you know, there's ways to segment based off of that. So that's very powerful because you may be at an event where it's nothing but prospects, and just by capturing names at that event, you're able to start that series from, from immediately when they provide you that information or sign up to the list, uh, provide them information that's focused on prospects because you knew they came from an area where there was nothing but opportunity. So definitely is possible.
That's interesting. So, so if I go to a conference and, you know, I'm collecting a bunch of names and people are, you know, I want to send them to a page to get more information, and on there is an email list, I can then funnel them to a separate list where they're getting information with autoresponders that talk about that conference. Right. Like, hey, here are 10 things I learned from the conference. That might be beneficial to you.
Correct. And what you as a business there, what you believe was the best outcomes from that conference or learnings from that conference. So all that, again, it really forces you to think about when it comes to building your list and growing your list, sometimes those live events could be very, very popular, but also take the same thought process applied to your blog or your Facebook page or other areas where you're gonna be growing your list. 'Cause the context of where all the names are coming in, you know, is important. It's important because, you know, if it's coming from an area where there may be both prospects and customers, well then you can give the choice of having somebody self-select, are you a customer, yes or no? And that too allows you to trigger or segment off into prospect versus customer follow-up series.
[Speaker:EVAN_CARMICHAEL] Cool. So if I'm building a list through my Facebook page, I could then have as my first email, some of my top 10 Facebook posts of all time. Welcome them from Facebook. Yeah, I mean, I think that does a lot to really build the relationship and make it seem like you care, and it's because you actually do care, hopefully, about your clients.
