Create Your Own Personalized Email Roadmap To Get Your Message Out Faster

Your emails. Allie Grummert is here with us today. She is an email marketing strategist and conversion copywriter, and she's going to share with us how we can actually create and really leverage email so that we can get our message out faster. And Allie, I'm excited to have you on because we're going to talk about creating your own personalized email roadmap. What does that mean exactly?

Yeah, so roadmap can look a couple different ways. You've got thinking about what your subscriber is experiencing when they join your list, and then also you as the content creator. What does that look like for you to get your message out to them, right? That back end of business that nobody really talks about, but we all know that we're like paddling ducks underwater. Like, I need to send an email. What do I include? So we can kind of talk two different routes with, you know, with what You send your actual email list. I always suggest having some sort of automated welcome, welcome email. So it could be one email. The ones that I write for clients are anywhere from like 3 to 5 emails, but that is your time when you really get to like lay your stake in the ground and say, this is who I am. This is what I share. My content is for these people. If this is you, stick around. You really get to wow the crud out of them with any of your valuable video content that you've already done that people love. Or if you have a PDF or resource, things like that, that just like gives them the best welcome to being on your email list that you could imagine. And a big part of that is also making sure that they understand your messaging, the things that are important to you. You want them to understand, right? It's like, if you're going to understand anything else I'm going to send you over the next year, these are the things you need to understand. So whether that's like your philosophy on the kind of work that you do, or your soapbox, like why this is important. That kind of messaging that could otherwise get overlooked when you're just sending out regular emails, just regular newsletters. But like, what's the kind of on-ramp that people need to really understand your brand?

I love that you said that on-ramp. And I know for me personally, one of the things I have struggled, I think, the most with over the course of running my own business has been that my messaging wasn't always 100% clear.

Clear.

So I always found myself, you know, starting this, you know, let's say a welcome campaign or maybe even like a nurture campaign or something. And then I would change my mind or I would change my direction and I would change my message. And then I would have to start all over again. Do you find that's a pretty common experience with a lot of entrepreneurs?

I imagine that it is. I also think that a lot of people don't take the time to really refine what their brand is. They're just like, I'm just sending emails and that's what matters. But what's great about even just a one email welcome email. Like a one email sequence is that you do get to define that and refine that to say, this is what I'm currently sending out. This is what you'll get from me. So even if that's like your first step before you go whole hog into nurture sequences and funnels, like, can you define what your brand is and who it's for and why it's important? So starting there at all is one of the places that I would recommend. And then Yeah. From another thing that I run into all the time is people think they need a different welcome sequence for each opt-in. And so that's really interesting because you're making more work for yourself when in reality, if all of those opt-ins are related to your brand, they should all funnel into the exact same welcome sequence so that everyone understands it from like the same perspective, if you will.

Well, because that welcome sequence is more of, at least how I see it, are the fundamentals of your thought leadership, the fundamentals of your philosophy, as you said, or your ideas, or your, um, view on whatever industry it is that you're talking about. So if it is fundamental, then it doesn't have to be different for each and every one of those, as you said, lead magnets or opt-ins. So I love that.

People definitely overcomplicate that, thinking it has to be specific to this, whereas like if you have really valuable content that you think everyone on list would benefit from, but it's not really a welcome sequence, just let that be your nurture content. Send that out once a week while people are on your email list, while you're also sending them your new content. So they can be running simultaneously.

We have several people watching live, and I'd love for you to ask questions of Allie while we have her attention. So please, whether you're watching on YouTube, Facebook group, Facebook page, LinkedIn, or Twitter, since we're using Restream to go live to all these platforms at the same time. Let us know what your comments are or questions for Aly, and I can actually even bring them on the screen. So do comment, and I'll bring that up in the chat if you have questions that you'd like to ask. So when we talk about building a personalized email roadmap, we have the welcome sequence, but what other types of sequences do we need to keep in mind?

Well, another big thing to keep in mind is what is the end goal? Do you have a coaching program or do you have a service or do you have a product or course that you're selling? And how do you connect your new subscriber with that content? So what does it look like for them to join a webinar and then kind of be added into that funnel where they're going to learn about something more specific to that topic? And to those people who don't join the webinar, what are they going to be getting? Are they going to be getting just generalized nurture content? Are they going to be getting content that's related to an affiliate program that you're a partner with? So how can you really opt optimize that relationship by also giving your, your audience information that they are interested in. So another thing that I like to include in a welcome sequence is a self-segmentation option, which sounds super complicated, but it's basically asking your subscriber, what are you most interested in? Or what is your biggest struggle right now? And when they click, it adds a tag to them on the back end of your email service platform, and then you can send them related content. That you already have that's directing them to a solution of some sort based on what they've told you. So it's a really more synchronous— I'm going to make that word up. It's a synchronicity. I'm going to make that word up. If your subscriber is coming to you with a certain problem and you ask them and they give you like, yeah, I'd like more help with my finances. How can you connect them with other solutions and resources? That you've already partnered with, whether it's an affiliate or maybe you have a program or you just have content on your website.

What is the biggest mistake that, that people are making when it comes to email? Is it that they don't have any sequences at all, or is it that they have some sequences but they're not really well structured?

So I think a lot of it, at least what I've been running into, is people put too— let's see, they feel like they have to do too much with email at first. Like think of it like a journey, right? Like you don't have like a 15-page website your first day in business, right? So what does it look like for your email to slowly grow as your empire grows? You know, I joke, it's like, you can't just build a turret of a castle. Like you can't just like, and then everything else, like you don't have branding, you don't have anything else in place. Like it all is kind of growing together. You're building the house all at once. So part of it is just like just getting started, start with a lead magnet. It does not have to be perfect. It probably wasn't until I was a year into emailing my list and learning about them that I like landed on like, this is the perfect opt-in for my list. And Cheryl, if you scroll down, it's the, um, ooh, or maybe it's at the very top, the Your First Welcome Sequence. That is one that was like, oh duh, that's where I need to help people most. I can just kind of lay out the questions you might need to answer before you write your welcome sequence. Whereas like my first opt-in was not phenomenal, but it was something to get started. And then you just commit to emailing your list on a regular basis. For me, it's once a week. The important thing is consistency. So whether consistency is every 2 weeks or every 2 days or 3 days a week, whatever it is, just stick to that plan and just start executing. I think the hardest thing is when you're like, I'm emailing 45 people. And one of them is my mom. Like, you just get really discouraged, but you just have to like start getting your message out, answer some of the big questions that, you know, your audience has, um, and just start practicing.

Can I ask a question too about copywriting? Because I know that you are a conversion copywriter, so you specifically focus on how do we get people to convert, you know, from readers, listeners, viewers to clients. And, and, but copywriting is really key What is the process that you recommend for people who don't really love to sit down at a keyboard and write an email?

Ooh. So there are a couple of different solutions. That one, you don't have to write, you can just do a video and just embed that or drop that into your email and it'll link to it, whether it's on YouTube or on your site. Don't feel like you have to be somebody that you're not. I use GIFs in my emails like it's a second language, and that is not everyone's vibe. I've actually had people like just say, is it too much? And I'm like, I don't know, do you think it's too much? But there's that option. Like, I actually had a friend recently send out an audio clip. She just stored it in Drive, and that's what she shared with her list. She was like, my brain is not computing today, but here are some thoughts. Another thing would be using something like otter.ai. Just like get your thoughts out and it'll type it up for you. Might be a little shabby, but it'll type it up for you while you're talking. And then you can use that to like formulate some real thoughts. But don't be afraid to use bullet points. Like, not everything has to be like a thesis, you know?

Right. Yeah. So you don't have to be a necessarily a skilled writer in order to maximize the efficiency and the, the quality, frankly, of your emails. You mentioned otter.ai and some other resources. I think that's fantastic because a lot of people are intimidated by sitting down at a computer and sitting at the keyboard to write something. And they have that quote-unquote writer's block. But I think that when you talk about creating that personalized email roadmap, I'm hearing you say have a couple of different sequences that you can launch when people— and it all starts with the lead magnet. I mean, you can't email people unless they've given you permission to email them. So you— I showed some examples on your website of a variety of different opt-ins. If someone is, let's say, a year into their business, or let's say under 2 years into their business, how many opt-ins should they have?

I mean, keep it simple. Um, for me, like, there are probably a couple that I could just get rid of and no one would notice. So like, I have them there just, um, on the backend. Like, I'm in my— I just started my— I hit my 3 years in business. On the backend, I actually track. I add a tag just based on like what opt-ins people came in from. So I can tell you which ones are most popular. And I can tell you which one has 2 subscribers, blows my mind. I have an entire like 45-minute educational presentation just on email marketing and like no one signs up for it. I don't know if they think it's a webinar and I'm going to sell them things. I'm like, no, this is literally everything that you come asking me for is right here. Just like take it. So part of me is like my pride. I can't take that down. I'm like, please, I'm answering your questions right now.

There are so many, there's so many things that go into creating that opportunity to email. People through an opt-in or a lead magnet because I've heard that they should be easy to consume, like within 4 to 7 minutes of consuming that piece of content that you create, whether it be a video or PDF or whatever the thing is that you've created. I'm like you, I've tried so many different kinds of opt-ins. Some are more successful than others. You know, one of the ones that has worked really well for me has just been you know, email prompts. That's one of the— one that it's the simplest one I put together, yet it's the one that converts the best. Where I need to improve, and this is where, you know, you're helping me and all of us, Ali, today, is to really have those proper sequences set up. Um, I, I don't know that I really have that really dialed in, you know. I— and so it's been really helpful to hear you speak about this today.

Yeah. And like, it's It's funny, like my degree is in advertising, right? And everyone's like, why isn't it working on the first try? I'm like, because it's not a science. We're talking about people here. And so, and every audience is different. Every audience's needs are different. Their time, like I write for audiences who are working with busy moms. I'm like, let me tell you, they do not have time to watch your hour-long webinar. Like we need to keep this short and sweet to the point so they can learn about your membership and move on. Like they don't, like they're not a small business owner or somebody who's just getting started who's like, me everything, and they have an hour to dedicate, right? So it depends on your audience. Um, but the great thing about that video that I have, while it's not doing well as an opt-in, I include that in my nurture sequence because I— at that point, people know me. I'm like, just listen to this while you're like cooking. Just learn it. Learn the difference between a broadcast and a sequence and a tag or a segment, right? I think another thing that people get hung up on— I don't know if you'd call it copywriting, but it's like how much they feel like they need to include in an email. If you can imagine, I always go back to like 5th grade computer lab and they had us create a newsletter for elementary school. It was like, you know, you had a section of the new principal and a section on like the playground or like all these different things. So people think that a newsletter or a weekly email has to have like 18 different elements and it doesn't. Each email only really needs to include like and hit on one big idea. And if you can't really define what that one big idea is, it's too complicated. The best part is you can always send another email. So like separate it out, make it really clear. So like whether you're solving a problem or busting, you know, a mindset myth or just sharing authority or credibility, like I'll just send out podcasts that I'm on. Like, hey guys, here's a conversation. Here's some bullet points of what we covered that's different than other podcasts.

What I found with nurture sequence. Yeah, I guess it would be— I don't call it a sequence necessarily, but my nurture emails, meaning that I like to email my list when I create new content. So if I create a new YouTube video, send out the email on Thursday that says, hey, here's the YouTube video. I put an image of it. I put the link, hyperlink the image, all those types of things. So that people know what we're up to. And that's value-add. I'm not selling anything. It's literally, 'Hey, we're helping you with X topic.' So, I guess I wouldn't call that necessarily a sequence as much as it's a nurture campaign because we're doing it on an ongoing basis. But that's what's worked for us. And then, in addition to that, I'll also send often resources. So, if I'm speaking at a summit, for example, and there are 30 experts who are all coming together and it's an amazing summit, And I know what kind of value my audience is going to get from joining and listening in on all these amazing experts who come together. I'm not selling anything. I'm providing more resources. That's really worked for me. What I probably, you know, would love to know from you in terms of selling in email, do you recommend those sales sequences and how often should we be doing those?

Such a great question. So Part of what you're just mentioning too, Cheryl, is like we are nurturing your list. That's why we're emailing them on a regular basis. We're not always selling something so that when you do have an offer, people are like, oh, this, you know, I trust Ally. She has shared things with me before. Or I know that this summit she's going to be a part of or this product she's launching is going to be quality. Right? So that's, that's like step one with selling is you can't just like spam your list when you have something to sell and then bail. You need to be nurturing them all the time. And that's what an ongoing nurture sequence does. So you can kind of do it both ways. You can send out your live content and you can have your kind of older content that's just going out on autopilot. But as far as sales sequence goes, like depends on what your big product or service is. If you can send them to a webinar registration page shortly after welcome sequence, that's when people are most hot. It's when they're most interested in your brand. You know, and you can always resend that out to your list after a couple months. You know, it's all testing and research too. Maybe people just really need 6 months to warm up to you before they realize, okay, and now I want to pay her to learn from her.

Yeah, and if you get, if you get decent open rates on your email, let's say, let's say, I don't know, 25% people open, which, you know, would be a good rate of open. But that's still 75% of people who haven't opened that email. So now you're talking about repurposing the content that you've written and sending it again. I think that's something we often think we have to reinvent the wheel every single time we make an email. But you brought up a really great point.

Yeah.

So, Ali, one of the things that we do on the show is we have a segment we call Stop Marketing Like It's 1999 because I'm a big Prince fan, as you can tell. So, I'd love to know from you as we round out today's episode on email marketing and how to create a personalized email roadmap. What is a tactic, a tool, a technique, or a strategy that you recommend for people to stop marketing like it's 1999?

Yes. So I feel like, right, and I studied advertising, we learned about traditional marketing and it's like trying to figure out how many eyeballs were on a billboard. Like it's all just guessing, right? Or how many people heard an ad. Like, so for me, 1999 is just like guessing what your audience wants. Whereas I'd be like, stop marketing like it's 1999. Like, just ask them. So I survey all my clients' audiences. We ask them like, what were you looking for when you came to my website? Or what is it about me that you feel like sets me apart from other people who do similar things? Um, what's the number one thing that's changed as a result of you following along with my website or my content? Like that information is A, going to be super encouraging for you, but B, it's going to fuel your content strategy. It's going to make sure that you actually relate to your readers. You're not just guessing and just sending things out blindly to a list of email addresses. So I feel like a way to stop marketing like it's 1999 is to really get to know your audience by asking them.

It's so simple, yet we make it so complicated, right? So I love that you brought that up. Ask, just ask. Allie, thank you so much for being on. How do people get in touch with you? Where should they go if they want to learn more about you?

Well, I would suggest joining my email list. That is where all of my best content comes out. If you go to my resources page, you'll see I also have a content calendar. So if you're like, what do I send out to my list and when? You'll find that there and you can just copy my exact template. It's the one with the kind of rolling GIF there. That is my Airtable calendar where you get to just copy it. I save it as a content bank. But yeah, if you opt in there, you'll get an email from me at least once a week, if not twice a week for some of my older content. Content just to educate you on the process. You can also connect with me on Instagram at @allygromert.

Thank you, Ally, for being on Cash In On Camera today and sharing your insights, your wisdom, and your expertise. We really appreciate your time today.

Absolutely. Thanks, Cheryl.