prospects

Should you use Email Automation?

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There is a big difference between having an email marketing program and having an AUTOMATED email marketing program. The word “Automation” tends to send people into the panic zone – conjuring up visions of AI, robots, machines, “Danger Will Robinson” and the like.

Well, indeed it’s a bit computer geeky to set up the email automation, it is in fact far more human than sending one off emails.

First let’s get the lingo down.

Non Automated: If you are sending out an email and you have nothing set to “Trigger an Action” when someone clicks on something, opens something, or doesn’t do either of those – then you are not using email automation.

Automated: If you are setting up an architecture behind the scenes with Boolean cues i.e. “if this…than that” then you are automating. We marketers create workflows that automatically send emails to subscribers based on what they do or do not do.

Pros of Email Automation

First off, at Red Barn we do both. My weekly Thursday and Monday emails (SIGN UP HERE) are not automated. They are called just broadcast emails. If you don’t open them or don’t read them we aren’t prompting you to do something else.

Back to the pros…

Using Email Automation allows you to personalize and deliver customer-centric content that is specific and relative to your clients. In other words – you are speaking to them on a more personal level.

For both prospects and clients.

We use email automation to nurture prospects through the customer journey – bringing them along the Know, Like, Trust trifecta. We pepper them with content that will help nudge them to the trust and ergo buy phase. Perhaps they downloaded a quiz or an article, liked us on Facebook, went to a certain page on our website – all might trigger a unique email experience to them. Speaking to them on a personal level. “Hey Jenn, thanks for downloading that paper on Email Marketing – here’s something else you might like XXXXX”

We use automation to nurture clients in our Business Success Framework program – helping Corporate Executives launch Coaching and Consulting Careers. Everything from – \”Hey, you’ve got this\”, to \”Hey, I see you haven’t completed Module 2 and you are probably missing something AMAZING.\”

In the end – almost any action a person takes when engaging with your brand can be tracked and incorporated into an email marketing automation.

Found this handy stat on CampaignMonitor.com – “email marketing is the king of the marketing kingdom with a 4400% ROI and $44 for every $1 spent.”

When you are ready to dip your toes – call us. WE LOVE EMAIL MARKETING AUTOMATION.

Should you use Email Automation? Read More »

How to take time off from your small business during the holidays!

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Depending on the type of business that you run, your business can either be super crazy during the holidays, think retail, or it could experience a bit of a lull. Many service providers, especially small businesses, often see a drop in business during the holidays. But just your potential buyers have checked out and gone on autopilot and decided not to decide until after the New Year doesn’t mean you put your marketing on hold for the last 2 weeks of the year.  Even if your business and customer engagement levels slow to a crawl this time of year it doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. And don’t worry – you can still enjoy some time with your family during the holidays too!

Reach out to top prospects before they check out for the season. Before the calendar rolls over to January, many businesses evaluate current contracts and services that they are using. Make sure you check in with your top prospects to stay front of mind, BUT you need to also make sure your current clients are happy and will continue to stay loyal to you. A little extra love during the holidays won’t hurt and may increase your sales.

Embrace the season of giving. Make sure that your clients know that you appreciate them. Sending them a holiday card or even a small gift will remind them that you care and take their business serious. At Red Barn, we bake cookies for our clients and we share the wealth with any top prospects that we are looking to woo as well. 😊

Optimize your email. Whether you plan to take a few days off or a few weeks, making sure your customers don’t feel neglected or ignored should be top of mind. Create an out of office message that lets people know when they can expect to hear from you, additional ways to reach you if it’s urgent, and when you may be checking emails while away. You should also list any special products or services with links to more information to help increase sales while you are away. You can also link to an FAQ page on your website that may be helpful to some common questions that you may receive. Be proactive!

Schedule, Schedule, Schedule. Just because you are going to be spending time away from your business, it doesn’t mean that all marketing and content comes to a halt. Create a bunch of content in advance and pre-schedule those weekly emails and blogs, and daily social media posts. Of course, you’ll need to check emails to see if you get any responses, and monitor social media for any messages and comments, but it takes a lot of the burden off when you automate and schedule in advance!

Don’t allow the demands of running your business overwhelm you to the point where you don’t know if you can take any time off for the holiday break. Everyone needs some down time and the holidays can be both stressful for your business and personal life. There’s no reason to miss out on a sale or lose customers just because you want to recharge and enjoy some family time – just set yourself up for success before you unplug!

How to take time off from your small business during the holidays! Read More »

No sales team – no problem. How to increase your sales without a sales team

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When you own a small business, you may not have resources available to hire a dedicated sales person, but you still need to make sales, right? When sales are your goal but not necessarily your specialty, you need to make sure every lead, every prospect counts. That one missed sale could really affect your bottom line when you are just starting out. So how do you kick your sales effort into overdrive without a robust sales process and team? Check out these great tips to give your sales effort the boost it needs.

Email, email, email. If you didn’t read my previous blog on the importance and value of email marketing – go back and read it here. Email marketing is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to reach your prospects and clients. And yes, you should be emailing your current clients too – they still need nurturing to get them to continue to buy your services/products and buy additional services/product. Just because they bought once or twice, doesn’t mean they will continue to buy. Make sure you list is targeted as well. Don’t blindly email everyone whose email you have – unless they sign up for a specific newsletter. Make sure the people on your list are people who could actually buy your offering.

Be mobile-friendly. From your website to your emails to your social media profiles – everything should look great and be easy to navigate on mobile devices. Why? Because pretty much everyone nowadays owns a smartphone or tablet and they are using them to open emails, check social media, and visit websites. If they can’t quickly and easily access you on a mobile device, you may be losing a lot of sales.

Make the pathway to a sale easy. Can your customers easily place an order with you? Even if they can’t order direct from your website if it’s a service-based business, do you make your process easy? Are they able to get ahold of you or someone who can take the sale? Is there a lot of mundane paperwork they need to complete? Streamline your sales process to make it as easy as possible for your client to work with you.

Networking and referrals. What’s better than free marketing? Your network of peers sending prospects your way via referrals. When you network and build up a tribe of people who know you, know what you do, and genuinely like you – they are happy to refer business your way, especially when you reciprocate. The saying it’s not what you know but who you know still holds value.

Amazing customer service. Customers really learn a lot about your business from the customer service you provide. Providing timely responses to calls and emails, answering questions they may have about the product, and giving them value during the decision-making process could be the deciding factor in whether they purchase from you or not. Don’t go AWOL after the sale either – customer service is just as important as making the sale – you don’t want people spreading negative feedback that you could have easily controlled.

Still have questions on how you can take your sales to the next level – give us a call. We can help with everything from how to approach your prospects to defining your sale’s pitch and message.

No sales team – no problem. How to increase your sales without a sales team Read More »

It’s 2018 – why aren’t you using email marketing!

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I’m sure we’ve written several blogs, emails, social media posts, and talked about the importance of email marketing, but it’s 2018 and there are still people who aren’t taking advantage of the amazingness of it so, it’s time to share some remarkable statistics with you.

  • The return on investment is MASSIVE! There are many reasons to use email marketing but if you are honest with yourself, the end goal is to make money. And for every $1 spent on email marketing, you get an $83 return on your investment. That is huge!
  • It’s bigger than social media. Yes, Facebook ads are big right now, but email marketing is the most direct way to reach and interact with your clients and prospects. People are twice as likely to sign up for your email list as they are to interact with you on Facebook.
  • People prefer to communicate via email. Let’s be honest, very few people like to pick up the phone and call people these days – and even fewer like answering – especially with all the spam robocalls these days. 72% of consumers prefer email as their source of communication – they can learn about your business and make informed buying decisions.
  • Your customers WANT emails from you. Surprised? Well, 61% actually enjoy receiving promo emails and 38% want more frequent emails!
  • Consumers who purchased products via email spent 138% more than those that didn’t receive email offers.
  • The conversion rate for men and women on a desktop is about equal, but women are more likely to purchase on a tablet and men on a smartphone.
  • Wonder why Red Barn predominantly sends plain text emails for our weekly newsletters? Because although people SAY they prefer HTML emails, the open rates are higher for plain text.
  • Don’t have a segmented email list – you might want to create them. Segmented lists have a 14% higher open rate and 100% higher click thru rate. WOW!

    • It doesn’t matter the size of your business, but when it comes to email marketing, you can’t afford NOT to invest in it. From a limited budget to a hefty one, you can still accomplish great things using email as a business tool. With so many awesome platforms out there, it’s easy to find one that can meet your needs and your budget. Not sure where to get started – give us a call. We love talking about email marketing!

    It’s 2018 – why aren’t you using email marketing! Read More »

    Insurance Providers + LinkedIn = New Customers

    Leave a Comment / Insurance, Sales, Uncategorized / By / / , , , , , , , , ,

    It’s time to learn to love LinkedIn (again). We know it might have been a while — You signed up once because you thought it’d be a good idea. Occasionally you get an email people are looking at your profile. Perhaps you’re subscribed to a few groups. You get notified about new insurance jobs or industry people who want to connect with you.

    But you never sign back in — Who has the time? You need to service the insurance customers you\’ve got now, right? Well, yes. But that doesn’t mean you should dismiss LinkedIn out of hand. Here’s the thing — Used well, it’s an incredible way to get new customers, grow your insurance business, and get noticed. And who doesn’t want that? Certainly not you, and certainly not us.

    So, deep breath, head over to LinkedIn, and learn how it can help your business thrive.

    Connecting with potential customers on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the largest network of professionals and business people in the world. And you know what all professionals and business people need? Yep. Insurance. Whether it’s business and professional liability, property, product, or personal coverage, they are your marketplace. You can use this to your advantage. It’s really not that hard – Trust us – Here’s how it works:

    • Update your LinkedIn profile — The five-year-old picture of you with the cheesy grin probably isn’t going to cut it. Go professional, and create a compelling profile to match. Tell your story, don’t just list your resume highlights. Why should someone buy their insurance from you? What’s your Secret Sauce?
    • Look at your Prospect List — Are you connected with any of them? Probably not, and that’s ok – We will get there! Now, see if any of your connections are connected with any of your prospects. Ask for introductions.
    • Make new connections within your tribe — Connect with other insurance professionals, people you used to work with, and other LinkedIn members. Stay on top of industry news and see what other folks are doing.
    • Join relevant groups — Where are your prospects hanging out?
    • Once you’re connected, develop relationships — Don’t try to push the sale – Build relationships, offer advice, have conversations. Wait for opportunistic moments to talk about your expertise
    • Move towards a sale — When the time is right, offer your guidance and ask prospects to view their insurance portfolio. The sale will happen if you’ve built up some trust.

    Becoming an expert in your field. Something else LinkedIn allows you to do? Demonstrate your expertise. No, we’re not thinking about your talent at creating origami swans, or that time you replaced a carburetor without a manual, we’re talking about your insurance business acumen. There are several ways to share your expertise and build authority.

    Writing on LinkedIn Pulse. LinkedIn Pulse is LinkedIn’s blog platform. Think of it as a place to create and write insightful, interesting articles and publish them to a wide audience. There are dozens of questions people have about insurance, but don’t know who to ask. You can create posts about those subjects, answer questions, and provide awesome advice.

    If these posts do well, they’ll show up in other people’s LinkedIn feeds, LinkedIn search, and maybe even on Google. As the author of these pearls of wisdom, people will look at your profile, see where you work and… Well, you fill in the rest.

    Participating in LinkedIn groups. While it’s true that many LinkedIn groups are nothing more than awful, awful spam factories, there are still some good ones out there. Once you’ve found a good group you can respond to questions about insurance and help people out with their insurance issues. Again, this builds your authority as an expert. The next time those people are looking to renew their policy, guess where they’ll turn? Right.

    So, you can see, LinkedIn can be a great way to expand your reach and find new customers. Don’t consign LinkedIn to be somewhere you’ll visit “when you have the time.” Rekindle your LinkedIn relationship today, and turn it into a beautiful friendship.

    Insurance Providers + LinkedIn = New Customers Read More »