If you’re generally turned off by the “standard” of email marketing, you’re not alone.
Too often we’re taught in the online marketing space that we need to use tactics in our email marketing funnels that manipulate people into purchasing from or hiring you…
…using things like income-based claims that you can’t actually uphold (“10x your sales with this one simple tweak to your subject lines!”) and false urgency (“Click here to save your spot before the doors close to my course that never actually closes”).
And the terminology associated with it can be just as bad.
Tripwire, anyone? Like, who decided a term used with booby traps should be used in everyday marketing like it’s a good thing?
(Truthfully, I don’t even like using the word “funnel” when it comes to email marketing because it takes the human element out of it. But I’m using it here because it’s such a commonly used term.)
These tactics and way of thinking have been so ingrained in online marketing that it’s almost comical.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had FOMO about a digital product that I didn’t actually need but these tactics made me think I did.
Email marketing, whether it’s live or automated and evergreen, should be a long-term strategy focused on connecting, nurturing, and providing value. And of course, selling your product or service.
(You do have a business to run, which means in a capitalist society earning money.)
You want people to hire or buy from you because they can actually benefit from what you have to offer…and not because you’re simply looking to build a six- or seven-figure business.
There are no shortcuts or tricking people into make the decisions. I know because I’ve tried them…and generally not with the promised results.
We should use email marketing in a way that aligns with our values of caring about people and the planet.
I firmly believe you can have a seamless, automated system that trusts your subscribers to know if and when it’s the right time for them to buy from or hire you. Even if it’s automated.
That’s where the Automate with H.E.A.R.T. framework comes in.
Here are the 5 steps to Automating with H.E.A.R.T.:
This isn’t some magical secret formula that will 10x your business…
It’s a guide to break down the tech during the Opt-In email marketing pillar as you set up your lead magnets so that things are automated while still treating your subscribers like people.
H – Heartfelt thanks
Have you ever entered someone’s funnel that did not leave a good first impression? It’s happened to me more times than I can count.
I once bought something that was helping me with something very specific that I happened to need help with. I was thrilled to have discovered it.
So after filling out my credit card info, I was taken to a page with an upsell. I wasn’t interested in spending more money, so I hit the tiny “no thanks!” button.
And I was directed to another sales page with another upsell. After hitting the “no thanks” button again I finally got to the confirmation page.
Then when I checked my email, I saw the receipt…but no email with any information about how to access the training.
And while that info did appear in my inbox two days later, the experience did not leave a great first impression. (And I kinda regretted making that purchase.)
Personally I want to make the best first impression I can.
And that’s where a Heartfelt Thanks comes in. (That’s the first step in the Automate with H.E.A.R.T.™ Framework.)
It’s all about setting things off on a good an amazing note with people, whether they just signed up for your freebie or purchased from you.
The two elements of the Heartfelt Thanks are:
- Thank You Page
- Delivery Email
When it comes to setting up your evergreen funnel, the Automate with H.E.A.R.T.™ Checklist walks you through what to set up to ensure that you’re setting a really great first impression.
E – Email sequences with soul
There are two elements to setting up an automated email sequence:
- Setting up the tech (that’s where I come in!), and
- writing Email Sequences with Soul (such as a welcome sequence and a thank you purchase) that avoid icky sales tactics like countdown timers, false scarcity, or harping on pain points.
And while I write my own emails, I am not a professional copywriter. 🙈
Which is why if you’re looking for some great tips on writing emails, I recommend you check out Kelly Diels’ free 10 Days of Culture Making Copywriting Tips, read Krista Walsh’s amazing breakdown on how to write about pain points ethically, or check out my list of recommended copywriters on my website.
A – Arrange subscribers
I believe in treating our subscribers like people (and not like numbers to be sold to). Which means recognizing that we should not be treating everybody on our list the same.
That might seem counterintuitive, but here’s the thing:
- Someone currently going through an email automation where you’re sharing about your services shouldn’t also be receiving a live newsletter where you’re pitching a digital product
- A new subscriber who came onto your list through a summit or bundle doesn’t need you to tell them to go sign up for that summit or bundle (though a reminder to go to it doesn’t hurt!)
- Someone who didn’t buy your digital product shouldn’t receive an email sequence thanking them for their purchase
And that’s where arranging your subscribers using tags, segments, and custom fields come in.
When I work with clients this is usually one of the most confusing aspects of email marketing.
Yet it’s super important because this is what guides your subscribers along the customer journey inside your email marketing platform. (And what helps to make sure the right emails go to the right people at the right time, and that they don’t get inundated with a flood of emails.)
Setting this up well also enables you as the business owner to better understand the people on your list.
My Subscriber Strategy Workbook will help you map this process out right.
R – Roll out the automation
Once you have the first three steps in place, you’re ready for the 4th step in the Automate with H.E.A.R.T.™ Framework: Roll Out the Automation.
You take the pieces that you’ve built so far: the thank you pages & delivery email; email sequences with soul; and tags, custom fields, and segments; and pull them all together, section by section.
(If you have most of the pieces but are worried you’re going to set it up wrong, you can hire me for ConvertKit Email Automation VIP Day to set this up for you.)
T – Test & Tweak
In this final step, you’re going through the process as a subscriber or purchaser and making sure things work the way you intended them.
For example, if you sign up for your opt-in, does it redirect to your thank you page? Does it tag you appropriately in ConvertKit? Are you added to the right automation?
The Automate with H.E.A.R.T.™ Checklist guides you through all of these steps and what to check in the Test & Tweak step of the framework.
When we work together, whether it’s an Email Marketing Strategy Intensive, a ConvertKit Email Automation VIP Day, or both, the Automate with H.E.A.R.T.™ is at the core of that work so that we can guide your subscribers through a thoughtful customer journey that treats them like people.
When you’re ready to learn more, book a zero-pressure meet & greet call.
