“Do emails even convert?”

That was a question I got last week from a seriously disgruntled colleague who was getting ZERO results from her email marketing efforts.

Now, if you’ve ever struggled with:

• low open rates…
• low click through rates…
• practically no replies or responses from your prospects…

…then you know where I’m coming from.

It can feel completely and utterly depressing when you’re seeing open rates of 18%, 12%…. Or even less.

But I’m here to tell you that the reality is: YES, emails CAN convert (big time).

If you’re reading this article and feeling the “drip email struggle”, chances are, your strategy, mindset, and expectations are all that need fixing.

Nobody buys a house through email, but the fact remains: drip sequences are a CRUCIAL part of your marketing efforts, and a fantastic way to build relationships that get your leads to convert into sales.

Here’s how to do that in 3 easy steps:

Cater Your Funnel Specifically to Your Audience

If you’re newer to inbound marketing, this is going to come as a complete shock…. but you NEED to treat your emails as high-value, relationship-building content.

Yes, content.

Your emails need to pack a punch that addresses the needs, pain points and questions of your target audience (and if you don’t know what those are, you NEED a buyer persona— trust me).

You want to be absolutely certain that you know your audience, so you’re hitting the right pain points in the first place. Make sure you understand those basics first before you start shooting off emails haphazardly!

Segment Your Audience

Now that you know your audience’s struggles, it’s time to segment them (or have them do it for you).

Not every lead who enters your drip sequence is going to be the same type of person, nor will they all be at the same stage of the buying process.

The best way to have your audience segment themselves is in the welcome email. Link to a few of your most popular blog posts or other content that only certain segments of your audience would click on and find useful.

For example: “First time home buyer guide” v. “Advanced real estate investing guide” v. “Downsizing when the kids move out” would all be very different segments you can target with different blog posts.

Depending on your email automation system, most providers will allow you to add a “tag” or even move the contact into a completely different sequence based on which link they click in the email.

This is a GREAT way to hone in on your target audience, so you can…

Provide LOADS of Value Up-Front

Once your audience has self-segmented, and you know a little more about them, it’s time to deliver the goods. Send them helpful content like eBooks, blog posts, videos, and white papers that address the questions and concerns this specific segment of your audience has.

Provide value, and every few emails (or at the end of each one) make sure to engage with your prospects through an open-ended question:

“Does this make sense [[firstname]]?”

Or… “Do you have any questions about this [[firstname]]?”

…are both fantastic ways to continually check in with your leads (all on autopilot!) and re-engage with them throughout the email funnel until they’re ready to buy.