Email Marketing Between Launches: the Do’s and Don'ts
✨ Quick Links from this Episode
Copywriting Retainer Information: https://www.therelevantcollective.com/retainer
Launch Copywriting Information: https://www.therelevantcollective.com/launch-copy
Inquire About Copywriting Services: https://www.therelevantcollective.com/contact
Book a Content Planning VIP Day: https://www.therelevantcollective.com/contact
When you're launching, it's easy to know what to say to your email subscribers. But what about between your launches? What do you say and how do you keep your audience engaged? I’m going to dig into the do’s and don’ts of email marketing between launches, so you can keep your subscribers engaged and primed to buy for your next launch.
What is a launch?
Melanie and I talked about this in episode one, but a launch is any period where you're promoting a paid product (or even a free product - like a free webinar). During this period, AKA the launch, you're specifically promoting that offer. This might sound like I’m woman-splaining launches, but my point is that launches don’t have to be courses or workshops. They can also be promotions, conferences, services, and more.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Email Marketing Between Launches
A common pitfall that a lot of business owners fall into is jumping to subscribers' inboxes only during a launch period - because that’s the easy part! You’ve probably noticed this. During Black Friday or in the New Year, suddenly your inbox is flooded with people you haven’t heard from in months.
Jumping into someone's inbox only during your launch is not the best way to have successful sales in your business. It is a great way to land your email immediately in the delete (or even worse - the spam) box.
You have to remember that marketing is a funnel. You have the top of the funnel, which is awareness and discovery. The middle of the funnel is where people are getting interested in you, and they're following along. And then the bottom of the funnel is when people become customers. During launches, you’re speaking to the middle and bottom of the funnel.
But what about those at the top of the funnel? The whole point is to move people toward the bottom of your funnel in between your launches. If you abandon ship on your emails, you’re not warming and moving your audience, so you’re next launch, you might notice fewer buyers or a less engaged list. This leads us to the do’s and don’ts of email marketing.
#1 Don’t Ghost Your List
If I had to rank the do’s and don’ts for email marketing, this would be at the top! One of the worst things you can do is abdomen your list. Instead, you’re going to think of the period between your launch as the pre-launch period. Technically, anything between your launches can be pre-launch. This doesn't mean you're talking about your offer again and again. But you are warming them up by delivering content that they are interested in, addresses their desires, and appeals to where they are at in life and/or business.
#2 Do Make a Strategic Plan
You don't want to send emails willy-nilly with no plan. Instead, you need to consider what your audience needs to hear from you between launches. Ask yourself, “How can I prepare them for my next launch?” That doesn’t mean you have to sell constantly. But it means you should be addressing those wants, desires, and needs - and showing up as a trusted source.
#3 Do Make Data-Driven Decisions
After any sort of launch, I always recommend that you look at the data, such as who joined and what emails were a big hit. You also want to ensure you understand the people you attracted to this offer. What are their pain points and their desires? Doing some of that market research before and after your launches can make a huge difference in your launch performance - plus give you great ideas for content between launches.
#4 Don’t Be Inconsistent
Another big do and don’t of email marketing is consistency. This goes along with not ghosting your list, but you also want to stay consistent with your emails. I know launching is emotionally and physically draining. It’s okay to pause for a week or two (or reduce how many emails you send), BUT you don’t want to get into a rut of unpredictable emails. The last thing you want is for people to forget about who you are and what you do.
#5 Do Grow Your List
Another thing I recommend doing between launches is to bring new people into your audience. We have to remember the marketing funnel. The majority of your audience is at the top of the funnel. They're in the awareness phase (which also means they aren’t ready to buy). As you look down the funnel, you’re going to notice fewer people. Not everyone in our audience is going to become customers. That's just the reality of things. Therefore, you have to bring in new people into your audience to warm them up for your next launch.
Between launches, I recommend collaborating with people who have similar niches or audiences as you. This is a great time to run ads and promote freebies online.
Were any of these do’s and don’ts of email marketing already on your watch list? Whether you're launching workshops or services, I highly recommend that you get those things on your calendar and then make a solid plan for between your launches. Focus on nurturing, providing value, and bringing new people into your audience.
If you need help, I have two ways that we can work together! The first is my Retainer Copywriting Services. With my retainers, we work together month after month to create value-packed content and emails to send to their subscribers. This helps you be strategic, stay consistent, and warm your audience between launches.
You can also sign up for a Content Planning VIP Day. We'll kick off the day with a 60-minute call. Then I'll spend the rest of the day creating a 30 to 45-day customized content plan, including outlining your long-form content, your short-form content, emails, pillar content pieces, and more. I can also even help you plan your launch!