Email nurture sequence, welcome sequence, indoctrination sequence, I hear these terms thrown around all the time in the email marketing world.
Are they the same thing?
Are they different?
Who comes up with these terms anyway?
I’ll answer these questions and more. Keep reading.
What Is An Email Nurture Sequence?
Lots of blog posts, guides and marketing courses will tell you that an email nurture sequence is the first set of emails you send your subscribers after they opt into your email list.
I disagree.
I think that is the beginning of your email nurture sequence. Email nurturing is something you need to do regularly.
If you send 3-5 friendly emails to your subscribers at the beginning of your relationship, then disappear off the face of the earth until you want to sell them something, that’s not nurturing. It’s a horrible sales technique. (I refer to this as the “booty call” method. I don’t recommend it.)
In my opinion, an email nurture sequence is every email you send to your subscribers that provides value and builds trust and authority in you and your business. It’s a long-term investment in your business and your subscribers.
By contrast, a welcome sequence is the first few emails you send, right after someone opts into your email list. It should:
- Deliver your lead magnet.
- Establish how often you’ll email your new subscriber.
- Continue to offer value to your new subscriber.
- Position you as the expert in your subject or field.
- Let your new subscriber get to know you and your business.
Should you sell in your welcome sequence?
Sure.
I’ve received welcome sequences that sell in the first email. I don’t advise that hard a hustle, but you can sell within your welcome sequence.
Personally, I prefer to do a soft sell in my third welcome sequence email, if I do it at all.
To me, the welcome sequence is really about building that new relationship between you and your new subscriber.
Take the time to let them get to know you. Then you can move forward with the rest of your email nurture sequence, and sales emails.
Wait… The “Rest of” Your Email Nurture Sequence?
Yes, you read that correctly.
As I said above, email nurturing is something you should do regularly. At a minimum, you should send a nurturing email once a month. I think once a week is a better cadence for most businesses. I send 2 emails a week to my list.
Most of us think of an email “sequence” as having a beginning and end.
Nurturing needs to happen regularly because not everyone will want to buy right away.
This is true for all businesses, even ecommerce companies that do make immediate sales. Someone may buy one small product at first. But you should continue to nurture them, so they’ll keep buying.
That’s why you need an ongoing email nurture sequence. So you stay top of mind with your email subscribers. That way, when they are ready to buy, your business is the one they want to buy from.
If you’d prefer to call it your weekly or monthly newsletter, or your “regular emails” you can do that. But you’re nurturing your subscribers in order to turn them into customers, either way.
Now, the real question…
What Do You Write About in Your Email Nurture Sequence?
This is where most business owners and marketers get hung up.
Trust me, I get it. We all fall into the whole “analysis paralysis” thing. We either have so many ideas we don’t know how to act on any of them, or we totally draw a blank because the idea of coming up with ideas regularly is overwhelming.
Believe it or not, this is a lot easier than you think.
Here are a few simple rules to follow when writing your long-term email nurture sequence.
Be Yourself
Your subscribers joined your email list and downloaded your lead magnet because they’re interested in what YOU have to offer. Don’t disappoint them.
When you allow your personality to come out in your emails, your subscribers get to know you. Build this relationship just like you’d build any in-person relationship. Tell them about yourself, your life, your family, your business.
Share why you started doing what you do and what that means to you. Explain why you love what you do and how supporting your customers in fulfilling their own dreams means so much to you. (Because it should. Otherwise you may be in the wrong business.)
Show your subscribers who you are, and give them an opportunity to share who they are. Trust me, it’s totally worth it.
Encourage Engagement
Don’t just send your subscribers to a landing page as your call to action. Ask them to reply every once in a while. This encourages engagement and makes them feel like they’re part of your life and your community. (And they should be. These are the people you serve, treat them like family.)
Plus, that “hit reply to this email” response will show the ISPs that there is genuine feedback between you and your subscribers, which will increase your deliverability rate. Everyone wins.
Write What You Know
If you don’t know about a certain topic, don’t write about it. Your subscribers are expecting you to be an expert on whatever it is you offer. If you can’t speak with authority on a specific topic, you risk lowering their trust in you.
People want to buy from people they trust. You build that trust by talking about what you already know. Yes, it can get repetitive, but repetition is a good thing.
First, it’s rare that every subscriber will open every single email. I don’t think my own mother opens every single email I write. (Yes, she’s on my list.) Repetition means everyone hears your message.
Second, you may say the same thing over and over, but each time you say it, you may connect differently with your subscribers. Eventually, they’ll find the message that helps them “get it.” That’s when they become a loyal, repeat customer.
Pull Back the Curtain
Take your subscribers inside your business and show them around. Let them know what it’s like to do what you do. You don’t have to reveal any trade secrets, but the more they know about your product or service, the more confidence they’ll have when they make a purchase.
Plus, people want to buy from people they know, like, and trust. Sharing details about yourself and your company builds that feeling of camaraderie and understanding.
So… How Do I Sell In All Of This?
I am an advocate of selling in every email.
Or, to be specific, I believe every email should have a call to action, including your nurturing emails.
You don’t have to promote a specific product or service in every email.
You should offer value to your subscribers in every email.
Adding a call to action, even if it’s a soft sell, makes every email you send a vehicle for sales.
For example, you can:
- Tie a product or service into the topic of a nurturing email.
- Ask your subscribers to reply directly to your email about a specific product, service, or event.
- Offer a free consultation at the end of every email.
What matters is that you offer value before you try to make the sale.
And yes, you can send the sales only emails too. Though those should also offer value, in my opinion.
How Do You Come Up With Ideas for Nurturing Emails?
I’m so glad you asked…
I recommend downloading my list of 30 Subject Lines to Keep Your Subscribers Opening and Reading Every Email. You’ll find subject lines and writing prompts that you can use over and over again, for months and years to come. Click on the button below to get your copy now.
By the way, when you download 30 Subject Lines, you’ll also see my welcome sequence. Make sure you read each email, because one of them includes a link to the blog post where you can get the templates to create your own welcome sequence. Then you can use the 30 Subject Lines list to keep going with your email nurture sequence.