Does email marketing work?  Well, “Yes!” and “No!”  Please allow me to explain in parable.

If you knew nothing about playing the piano, but one day decided to sit down and give Ebony and Ivory a run for their money, with just a few keystrokes into the tune you’d quickly determine that playing the piano is most definitely a skill-set.  And one that would have to be practiced for quite some time before successfully playing even a single tune.

Moreover, think how lost you would be when first flipping through the sheet music.  If no one was there to properly teach you about notes and clefs, you might very well spend an eternity trying to figure out how to play the piano while reading sheet music.

However, just because YOU don’t know how to play the piano, doesn’t mean the piano doesn’t work.  Nor does it mean that there isn’t someone out there who can play the most beautiful tune that has ever blessed the beat of your heart.

So, does email marketing work?  It doesn’t if you don’t know what you’re doing.

However, if you have someone available who knows what they’re doing, you can soon be dancing to the sound of an ever increasing ringing of your register.  You know the one.  That “cha-ching” sound your register used to make before the internet came along?

Nevertheless, whether you own a storefront, or you’re a Christian business leader who offers a particular service, when implemented properly Christian email marketing is most definitely, hands down, without a doubt the quickest and most profitable way to grow a business. 

So what do you say we get started?

Before you can begin an email marketing campaign, you must first have a few things set in place.  You will need a business website, and of course a list of emails.  If you do not yet have a website, please contact me so that I can help you to get up and running. 

However, for today’s article we’ll pretend that you already have a business site, and just need to know how to build your Christian email marketing list.

There are certain laws set in place when it comes to email marketing.  For instance, we don’t need to go out and start buying a bunch of different email lists.  The people you send emails to should be those whom have given you permission to do so.  Therefore, you need to understand the best and quickest way to obtain your site visitor’s permission.

It is good for you to know that about 70% of the people who land on your website will leave without ever returning.  And the biggest problem for most every business out there is that they are not only unaware of this statistic, but neither do they have a clue as to how to go about capturing information from that 70%.

Now, when I say “capture,” I’m not meaning that you should try to “trap” someone, or trick someone into doing something they don’t wish to do.

The truth is, people are always searching the web.  And for what?  Information!  People are looking for solutions to their problems.  Sometimes they  may be looking for information on “Christian Email Marketing,” while other times they might just be looking for a good deal on products and services.

Therefore, we offer them assistance – sometimes in the form of information, and others in the form of special discounts – in exchange for their information – usually consisting of their email address and first name.

And how do we go about doing this…?

Anyone who has ever been in sales knows all to well about chasing down leads.  And building a list for your Christian email marketing campaign is no different.

A Lead Magnet is exactly as it sounds.  It is a special offer that you make to your site visitors that attracts them to leave you with a lead.

It is best to place this lead magnet at the top of your right sidebar on your website.  Why?  When someone lands on a website, they first look to the top left for a logo, and then their eyes immediately flow down and to the right – which lands them on the top of the right sidebar. 

Now, this lead magnet can be one of several different offers to your site visitor.

Oftentimes, you will find a simple “Blog sign-up” at the top of the right sidebar.  Or even the infamous “Newsletter” sign-up that business owners never send out.  Which reminds me:  If you don’t blog or send out a newsletter, then please don’t offer blog and newsletter sign-ups.

However, if you own an ecommerce site, you might offer some type of discount coupon as a lead magnet – whether it be a 10%-20% coupon, or a specified dollar amount off.

On the other hand, if you’re a Christian business leader who offers a particular service, you might offer an informational “Special Report” or “Whitepaper” as a lead magnet.  For instance, if you’re an SEO Specialist, you might offer a downloadable case study in return for an email address.

Whatever the case, offer something that’s worthwhile.  If it’s a special report, then it should be just that… very special and informative to your visitor.

Now, there are a couple of different ways to do Christian email marketing.

First, you can wait until you’ve gotten a hundred or so people on your list, then send out an email campaign.  But we don’t really like to wait around on anything do we?  Therefore, you can begin your email marketing strategy as soon as your first client ops in through your lead magnet.

To be very straightforward, Email Automation and Marketing (when done properly) can literally be a business leader’s greatest asset. Now I’m not trying to say it’s more important than your employees.  But when it comes to bringing in the revenue and increasing the sells, there is nothing to date that tops email marketing.

Allow me to give you some very good news:  If you do not currently have a solid email automation and marketing strategy in place, doing so could potentially double your profits over the next 12 months.  That’s right!  I said “Double!”

So how does this email marketing and automation work anyway?

There is a saying that goes something like, “Good marketing does away with selling.”  In other words, if you know how to market, especially when it comes to online marketing, the sale is oftentimes 85% complete by the time the prospective client finally contacts you.

Let’s go back to when your site visitor initially opted in through your lead magnet.  And lets also say that you are someone who owns a carpet cleaning company.

Now, your prospective client has opted in through your lead magnet that offers a $10 discount on cleaning an area rug.  However, like most everyone else, the client doesn’t immediately cash in on the offer.

However, what if over the next week, the client received 3 highly informational automated emails from your company?  And in those automated emails you had gone into great detail as to the importance of getting your area rug cleaned regularly.  Not only so, but the emails contained pictures of the bags of dirt that actually come out of an area rug when professionally cleaned – even when the rug looks like new before the cleaning had begun.

And if the first two emails didn’t get the client’s attention, what if the third email went into detailed information as to the health hazards that area rugs and carpets can cause to children and pets if not properly and professionally maintained on a regular basis?  Do you see where this is going?  But now let’s take a look at the facts as to what just took place between this business owner and client over the previous week.

• The client got online to seek out information about getting her area rug professionally cleaned.  She has never had it done before, and is interested in gathering the facts.
• While visiting your website, she saw the special discount offer and opted in – just in case she decides to use it at a later date… like next year!
• Over the next several days, the client receives highly educational and informational emails pertaining to her desires and needs – she needs to get her seven-year-old area rug cleaned.
• After receiving the business owner’s educational emails, she decides that it’s a good idea to have her area rug cleaned “right now,” instead of putting it off any longer.
• After having her area rug cleaned, the business owner then hands her more information on the importance of have the carpets within her house cleaned as well – which she quickly schedules for the following week.

Do you see what this business owner has done?  He has provided the most excellent customer service for this client.  Before he had ever met or had spoken a single word to her, she was completely convinced by his email automation that not only did she need her area rug cleaned immediately, but the business owner was obviously an authoritative figure in his field.

Some of what I’ve just discussed involves what is called a “Content Marketing Strategy” as well.  Feel free to read one of my recent informative articles on content marketing, Christian Content Marketing: Become Your Industry’s Authoritative Figure.

When discussing your complete Christian Email Marketing Solutions, we just covered:

• How to Build an Email Marketing List
• List Building Starts with a Lead Magnet
• Christian Automated Email Marketing
• Educating Your Client Through Christian Email Marketing

When it comes to email marketing, this is only the tip of the spear.  There is much more to be discussed, and Lord willing will be in the upcoming weeks.

Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section below.  Also, please feel free to sign up for the blog so that you don’t miss out on all the information that can help you to become an incredibly successful business owner.

In Christ,

Joshua Vickery

The Creative Christian Copywriter