Social media may get all the buzz, but email is still the most reliable way to turn casual visitors into paying members and keep them engaged long-term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are some reasons to focus on your email marketing strategy and the numbers to back them up: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Incredible ROI<\/strong> \u2013 Email marketing returns an average of $42 for every dollar spent<\/a>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- More impactful that social <\/strong>\u2013 80% of online marketers <\/a>would rather give up social media than email marketing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Tried and tested<\/strong> \u2013 80% of small and medium businesses<\/a> say email marketing is their most successful channel for acquisition and retention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Consumers like it<\/strong> \u2013 50.7% of people buy something from a marketing email<\/a> at least once a month.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Email marketing works! And if you\u2019re not using it strategically, you\u2019re frankly leaving money on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But blasting out random emails won\u2019t cut it. To make email marketing work for your membership site, you need a clear strategy \u2013 one that builds brand awareness, nurtures leads, and drives conversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Later, we\u2019ll break down exactly how to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Membership Plugin Email Automations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Most great membership plugins come with some email functionality that will allow you to automatically send out the following emails based on member behavior:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- A welcome email <\/a>when someone joins a membership.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Billing reminder notifications<\/a> to help prevent missed payments and retain members.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Overdue payment notifications<\/a> for lapsed members. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Forgotten password emails<\/a> to automate the process of creating a new password.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
These cover all the basics you need to effectively manage your membership site and handle account information internally without a third party platform getting involved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, I highly recommend getting an Email Service Provider (ESP) for email marketing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Choosing an Email Service Provider<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
ESPs allow you to easily capture and nurture leads, whereas membership plugins are focussed on handling existing members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With an ESP you also open up a ton of possibilities to create drip campaigns (which we'll discuss in the next section).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They allow you to segment more precisely so you can send targeted emails that are relevant and resonate with the receiver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just make sure that you choose an ESP that integrates with your membership plugin so you can segment by membership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MemberMouse integrates with the following ESPs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Drip<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- ActiveCampaign<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- MailChimp<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- GetResponse<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Aweber<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- iContact<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- ConvertKit<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
When choosing an Email Service Provider (ESP) for your membership site, look for features that help you capture, nurture, and convert leads effectively. We've already covered these three points: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- List management & segmentation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Automation & drip campaigns<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Integrations with membership plugin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Here are some other important ones to factor into your decision-making:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Lead capture tools such as built-in forms, landing pages, and pop-ups for collecting leads.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A\/B testing for subject lines, CTA buttons, and email layouts to improve performance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Mobile-responsive templates for a professional look across devices.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Personalization and dynamic content such as merge tags<\/a> and conditional content blocks<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Email Drip Campaigns for Membership Sites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Once you've chosen your ESP you'll be able to make the most of email drip campaigns!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An email drip campaign is a series of automated emails triggered by a subscriber\u2019s actions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of sending random emails, drip campaigns guide potential and existing members through a process such as signing up for your site, engaging with your content, or making a purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- A new subscriber<\/strong> might receive a welcome series that introduces your membership and encourages them to explore.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- A disengaged subscriber<\/strong> who hasn\u2019t opened an email in a month might get a re-engagement campaign to bring them back.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
For a membership site, you\u2019ll want to set up two key types of drip campaigns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Drip campaigns for potential members<\/strong> \u2013 These nurture people who visit your site or sign up for your email list but haven\u2019t joined yet.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Drip campaigns for existing members<\/strong> \u2013 These help keep paying members engaged, ensuring they stay active and get the most out of their subscription.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Setting up these campaigns takes some upfront effort, but once they\u2019re running, they tick away happily in the background without constant added manual effort from you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the next section, I'll provide a brief overview of the type of email sequences you'll need to set up for your membership site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3 Essential Email Drip Campaigns You\u2019ll Need for Your Site<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I mentioned you could set up numerous email drip campaigns for your subscribers. For general email subscribers, create the following three email drip campaigns at a minimum:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Welcome email campaign<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Re-engagement email campaign<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Promotion email campaign<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Most email drip campaigns are between 3-8 emails. The number of emails you send will depend on what you want to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Welcome Email Sequence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A welcome email sequence will often look something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"membership](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/wpgcbucket\/wp\/2020\/09\/87095972-email-membership.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn the first email, you provide the content upgrade or similar, and then introduce the course or the company and set expectations. For example, \u201cI will email you twice a month. One of these emails will be pure value (great free stuff).<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The emails following on from this are where you offer value to your subscriber. In these emails, you provide your best free content<\/strong>. What you\u2019re trying to do is establish a reason for your subscribers to open your emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the last welcome email to your subscribers, you should make an offer. Often, the product you are offering is not your main course, but a tripwire product<\/strong>.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea of a tripwire product is that for a low cost (usually under $50), a subscriber can sample the kind of products you produce. The benefit of a tripwire campaign is that once a person makes a low risk purchase, they are more likely to purchase higher value products or upsells later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Re-Engagement Email Sequence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, some people will stop opening your emails. It happens. It\u2019s also a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If a large percentage of your email list stops opening your emails, it negatively impacts your spam score<\/strong>. This means your email is more likely to appear in the spam folder \u2013 an email marketers worst nightmare!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Re-engagement email sequencesare a way to help mitigate this sticky problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is what a re-engagement sequence might look like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"email](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/wpgcbucket\/wp\/2020\/09\/93b3e07a-email-membership-engagement.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can see it\u2019s a simple sequence. You first assign a tag to people who haven\u2019t opened your emails for a specific period. This could be something like a month, or perhaps two months - it depends on how often you send emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next, use an email verification service<\/a> to clean your list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, send a sequence of emails to these subscribers. You\u2019ll generally be sending a value offer. So, you might offer a free eBook, PDF, etc. The idea is to provide as much value as possible <\/strong>to try and re-engage these subscribers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inactive subscribers should be removed from your list. You can delete their details. People who open your emails can be added back onto your main email list. These are potential customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Product Launch Formula<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When it\u2019s time to promote your product, you can't just send one email and hope for the best. A well-structured email promotion sequence warms up your audience, builds excitement, and makes more likely they'll say \u201cyes\u201d when you make your offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are a lot of email promotion sequences you can use. My favorite is the Product Launch Formula, created by Jeff Walker<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the Product Launch Formula, you send a series of educational emails to your subscribers before hitting them with your sales pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is how it works:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Establishes credibility:<\/strong> Show why they should listen to you, discuss the problem they have and touch on the solution (your course)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Discusses the impact:<\/strong> Explain how you found the solution, the trouble you went through to learn these lessons, and the impact that this had on your life<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Demonstrates Your framework:<\/strong> Provide an overview of the framework for success.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Sells the Solution:<\/strong> Now you make your sales pitch<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Discusses the impact:<\/strong> Explain how you found the solution, the trouble you went through to learn these lessons, and the impact that this had on your life<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Establishes credibility:<\/strong> Show why they should listen to you, discuss the problem they have and touch on the solution (your course)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Drip campaigns for existing members<\/strong> \u2013 These help keep paying members engaged, ensuring they stay active and get the most out of their subscription.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- A disengaged subscriber<\/strong> who hasn\u2019t opened an email in a month might get a re-engagement campaign to bring them back.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- A new subscriber<\/strong> might receive a welcome series that introduces your membership and encourages them to explore.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- ActiveCampaign<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Billing reminder notifications<\/a> to help prevent missed payments and retain members.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- More impactful that social <\/strong>\u2013 80% of online marketers <\/a>would rather give up social media than email marketing<\/li>\n\n\n\n
![\"email](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/wpgcbucket\/wp\/2020\/09\/20a75669-email-membership-launch.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"email](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/wpgcbucket\/wp\/2020\/09\/8b3946b1-email-membership-example.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"example](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/wpgcbucket\/wp\/2020\/09\/aa5c27a4-example-of-email-membership.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"email](\"https:\/\/storage.googleapis.com\/wpgcbucket\/wp\/2020\/09\/3503d066-email-membership-idea.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n