I’ve struggled to come up with an ‘appropriate’ public response to COVID-19. Both on my blog and on social media channels. Maybe that’s why I’ve been quieter than normal. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has really taken a step back to look at my business as a whole and decide how to move the next piece in the real-life game of chess. We’ve all been going through this same thing of determining how to pivot and adapt our marketing efforts to match what is happening right now.
Over these last few weeks I’ve been bombarded with emails from clients and other people in my industry trying to figure out how we can all pivot our marketing efforts to be relevant in this time.
Is it appropriate to be selling right now?
Is it OK to market my course?
Should I even bother launching?
These are questions each one of us as online entrepreneurs are faced with right now. And if I have to give any advice at all I would have to say, just go with it. Go with the flow, continue what you were working towards, don’t lose that momentum you’ve worked so hard to build. Now is the time more than ever that so many people are needing our services whether we are business coaches or service providers.
We all have something to offer people probably now more than ever to give that extra support. To take things off their plates while they have their families at home so no business loses their momentum during this time. As humans, we need to do what we’ve always done: adapt and evolve.
So, I ask you to please take a step back and figure out what FEELS GOOD for you. If you feel you need to drop your prices, do it. If you feel you need to reword some things on your sales page to match what’s happening right now, do it. But please, please DO NOT just stop.
With that being said, let’s get to it. I know why you’re here. To see how you can still sell your launch online even during COVID-19 and stare uncertainty right in the face.
When selling your launch, you need the perfect opt-in offer and email sequence. Here is what I mean by that:
The perfect opt-in offer is something that you offer to people for free to sign up to your email list. An opt-in offer right now should be applicable to what’s happening and you should market it as such. Are people bored right now and need something to do? Do you feel your audience is looking for something of value to help them during this time of uncertainty? There’s so many options, I could go on and on.
This opt-in offer is key because once they join your email list, we can begin nurturing them as leads and bring them into your funnel to start selling your launch. As you see, I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about the opt-in offer because each one of you are going to have different ideas or things you can offer. The most important piece of this blog post is the email sequence.
What will this email sequence look like you ask? Here is my example and what I have found to work best for myself and my clients.
Your email sequence should typically consist of 5-7 emails. This includes your trigger email, follow up email, and a few emails after that which should sell, but not really “sell.” You want to be providing your audience with value each time without really just coming out and saying, “buy this.” Let’s break down each email in your sequence:
Trigger email – This is the email that people will receive right away when signing up for your opt-in offer. This email gives them their freebie or whatever they signed up for. Gives a brief intro into what you do and what they can expect from being on your email list. This is the perfect way to grab someone’s attention and tell them that you are here for them.
Follow up email – The sole purpose of this email is to follow up with them to see what they thought about your freebie. Ask if they are enjoying it, share with them a story as to why you decided to give it out or how it’s benefited you in the past. Make it relatable and valuable. Your CTA should ask for them to download the freebie again with a quick “P.S.” at the end asking them to reply to email to tell you how they’re enjoying it/how you can support them. This makes you seem more personable.
3rd email – This is where the fun starts. There’s so many different avenues you can go when creating this 3rd email, but whatever you choose to do, you must provide value. Maybe you want to offer another freebie that coincides with your last one. Just be sure to not pitch, but just put it out there with a link to where they can download their next freebie or offer.
4th email – In your 4th email, you want to build a deeper connection. This gives you the opportunity to share how you work with your clients, what your tangible offers are, and give a link to book a call with you. This is your way of selling, but still working to provide that connection.
5th email – As we move along in the email sequence, we obviously want to continue building a deeper connection with your audience by sharing stories and things of value. In this email, you want to share an experience you had with a client that might be relatable to them that they could find of value. Your CTA could ask a question in the “PS” and tell them to reply to this email. Maybe they’re going through something similar that was in your story. Ask them a question that relates and tell them you’ll offer your best advice when they reply. These types of CTA’s are always great because it makes you seem like a real person and not some automation.
6th email – Here we go, these last few emails are the most important. These are your last few chances to sell and you want to make it count. In this 6th email, you can offer a time-sensitive bonus. A discount or something for free if they buy what you’re selling that will expire in 48 hours. Add extra value as to why they would enjoy it, try to overcome any objections that might be running through their minds.
7th email – Remind them about the bonus. Tell them they have 24 hours left. Overcome any additional objections they have or give more information as to why they would need it. Share testimonials, and most importantly: don’t be over the top. This is where you sell, yes – but as always you need to be giving value.
8th email – Whoops I lied, there’s actually 8 emails in this sequence! The 8th email is always optional, but can be your last chance to PUSH. This is where you can email them 3-5 hours before their offer expires to really remind them this is their last chance to receive that bonus or discount you’ve been offering to them. Make it count!
So, even though so many of us are standing in the face of uncertainty during these difficult times, you should NOT leave your launch on the table. Circumstances will never be perfect. Bad days are inevitable. Challenges are inevitable. What is happening right now in our world should not stop you. You may have to pivot your marketing to be more relatable to our current events, but we are all adaptable and your launch is, too.
Times like these allow you to take a step back and think about how you can improve the processes you’re already doing to make an even bigger impact and to come out on top when all is returning back to normal.
However, I’m sure many of you right now are probably feeling the pressure and the overwhelm of running your business. You are having to work from home with your kids and family, disrupting your normal day-to-day routine to get shit done. At this point, you are feeling yourself being spread too thin and faced with too many distractions that you just can’t possibly accomplish all the things that need to be done in your business.
This is the time more than ever that you need support. Do not let these uncertain times make you lose your focus. Do not let this time make you lose the momentum you’ve worked so hard for.
