Brian Basilico — January 30, 2020 One of my favorite quotes is from Zig Ziglar and it goes like this: “You can have anything in life that you want if you just help other people get what they want.” As content marketers, we have the ability to create great content and deliver it to our clients or potential clients. One of the ways many people do this is by connecting and pitching. They get somebody to their website and get them to download something, and then immediately hit them with an email sequence. Sometimes that’s okay if it’s what the person expects. Today, I’m going to offer you an alternative that’s going to help you to make great business relationships as easy as one, two, three.
Sequenced Email
I’ve got nothing against doing email sequences if that’s what people are expecting. For example, “If you sign up here, you get my email sequence.” I’ve had clients do a 10 email drip with very rich content. There’s one thing I like about that – you can measure every single step, every email, see what people open, get some feedback as to what they like, and modify it, and then eventually turn that into an eBook. Then you can A/B test it. You could offer your email sequence for download or your eBook. Now you have two different ways to see what people prefer to consume. I want to offer you three simple extra tips that can make it even easier to build great relationships.
Getting People to Take Action
In my last blog post, I talked about doing email drip sequences, grabbing people’s information from your website and then connecting with them via email. One of the things I’ve found is that when people download an eBook about 80% of the people never open it. Out of every hundred people that download an eBook only 2%-5% actually open it up and read it cover to cover. There are many factors that play into this – the content, how long it is – but I’d like to suggest a different way to approach it.
What to Download?
The first thing we’re going to talk about is what you can do to get people to download it. Consider doing something really super simple like a checklist or an assessment. That way they can open it up, get through it, and call it a day. Then after they’ve done that, connect with them and say, “Hey, do you mind if I send you an email drip that basically builds on what you downloaded?” Now you have an opportunity to connect with them again. As I mentioned before, you can either get them to download an eBook or a sequence. Doing this instead would allow them to explore the information more and again. If you do both, you can A/B test and see what people are responding to more.
The other thing that you can get people to do is download a coupon or something else of value – maybe a video, or a sequence, or a webinar replay. With any sort of video, like a replay or a video sequence, you can use something like Vimeo to upload it and actually get feedback as to what’s getting opened. Any one of those three options offer you the opportunity to give people some great information. The next thing I want to talk about is if you’re going to do an email followup sequence, there are three simple emails that I have taught clients to do that I really, really like. The reason I like these is because they’re short, they’re accountable, and they build trust.
Drip Email #1
The first email I generally send out is, “Hey, what did you think of the eBook? My favorite part was on page three. It was this checklist. What did you think?” After that, I usually say, “Hey, if you forgot where you placed it, here’s a link to get it without having to go through the download sequence again,” because you already have their info. The second point I make in that email is that they can simply reply to the email if they have any questions and I’d be happy to answer them. Then the third point I make is that I would love to connect with them on social media. Give them a link to your Facebook or your LinkedIn, or wherever you’re spending your time. Finally, say thanks. That can all be done in a very short one page email – usually around 250 words.
Drip Email #2
In the second email in that sequence I offer something else without any strings attached. For example, “Hey, if you really liked that information, there’s more. Just email me back and I will send you a link to a couple of other resources.” That way you’re creating rapport and you’re offering them something of value. That’s it. Then just let it go. Say thanks.
Drip Email #3
The third email in the sequence is, “Hey, I hope you found this interesting. If you’d like to chat, I’d love to set up a quick phone call with you. If not, that’s okay. I just want to let you know I’m here if you need anything.” That’s it.
Those three simple emails – the first one being 250 words, the second one, 150 words, and the third one, 100 words – are not selling anything. They are showing them that you care about them and you’re there to help. That makes it super simple to create a relationship, and hopefully they’ll connect with you on social, or at least respond back to your email. If not, that’s okay. Just put it in your CRM to connect with them maybe three months down the line and say, “Hey, how you doing?” That’s it.
Social Networking
The last piece of this puzzle is using social media to do the same thing. As a matter of fact, you could take that same sequence and do it as a series of messages in social media. Again, we don’t want to be salesy, we just want to say, “Hey, I’m here. What did you think? Did you not remember where you put your download? Here it is. By the way, let me know if I can answer any questions.” Of course, you’re already connected on social. You don’t need to do that. Then you could say, “Hey, if you like this, there’s more. Let me send you a link to another one.” That’s it. Don’t try to sell anything.
Then on the third one, say, “Hey, if you’d like to connect for a phone call or chat via email, just to let me know, I’m here. If not, that’s okay.” Then make sure to add it to your CRM to connect with them three months or six months down the line. That should be a very simple, “Hi, how you doing? Just wanted to say hi.” That way you’ve built rapport and when they’re ready, they’ll contact you. Hopefully other social media posts and things that you do keep you top of mind.
Final Thoughts
So, I want to leave you with some final thoughts – KISS, Keep It Super Simple. Don’t over complicate it. If you’re going to do an email drip sequence that’s like an eBook, it’s fine – as long as they’re expecting that. In most cases, the simple basic messages that don’t sell anything are going to get the best results. The second thing you have to do is be consistent. If you do one one day, then set a day next week to send the second one, and the following week for the third one. Don’t pound them every single day. Let a little space and air get in between. Then finally, make sure you’re creating a new drip sequence for every single download. That way it doesn’t come across as robotic, and every single one of them references the specific thing that they got, building that rapport that builds business.
I’d love to hear your take on my simple 3 part email drip campaign. Comment below and share your ideas or struggles around using drip campaigns to build great business relationships. Have you already implemented some of the steps shared in this post? Do you have any additional ideas or insight you can share?
Brian Basilico is a nationally recognized author and speaker. He’s the founder and president of B2b Interactive Marketing Inc., an award winning marketing consulting and production company in Aurora Illinois. B2b helps companies and non-profits, market their products and services through the effective use of on-line tools including; websites, blogs,… View full profile ›
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