Are you building your business on rented space? Having an email list means you can reach your audience without being reliant on the rules and algorithms of third-party channels like Facebook.
With email marketing, you can serve up timely and personalized content that’s able to connect more deeply and convert more easily. The best part? It doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming to get (and keep) it going.
Here’s my step-by-step process for setting up an email funnel that can qualify, capture, and nurture leads for you — literally on autopilot!
Why You Need An Email Marketing Funnel
Why is an email funnel so important? Because it will allow you to:
- Fill your email list with people genuinely interested in what you offer
- Nurture leads by addressing common questions and objections
- Explain and sell your high-ticket offer (course, coaching, etc.)
- Target highly-interested leads with additional offers
- Segment out uncertain leads for additional nurturing
- Increase conversions with targeted discounts, incentives, and upsells
Did I mention your email marketing funnel will practically run on autopilot once you get it set up? Email funnels are the not-so-secret method for passively serving and selling to an audience that’s truly interested in what you have to offer.
What is an Email Marketing Funnel?
An email funnel is a series of simple elements that work together to guide people down a path to joining your email list.
Here’s what the user journey looks like:
- Someone sees your content out in the wild (like on social media)
- They give you their email address in exchange for your free offer
- Your back-end integration sends their information over to your email marketing tool
- Your opt-in form redirects them to your “Thank You” page where the download/webinar/freebie is delivered
- Your email marketing tool sends a welcome email to them right away
- Additional emails are automatically send over the next 2-3 weeks (this is your “welcome sequence”)
As in all things business, don’t get distracted by bells-and-whistles. Stick to the minimum requirements so you can launch your list sooner. Then, you can iterate and update your funnel based on real-world results.
How To Create Your First Funnel in 5 Steps
What’s the date in five days? That should be your target for launching your email funnel! I have repeated this same process for hundreds of business owners over the past decade and I have watched many more follow this process all on their own — so I promise it’s doable!
Here are the exact steps I follow when I set up the first email funnel for my clients.
#1 Create a Free Offer
Also known as a “freebie,” an opt-in offer greatly increases the odds that someone will fork over their email address because it promises instant gratification for joining your list.
Build your freebie around a highly specific goal or problem, and don’t worry about appealing to anyone other than your ideal customer.
To speed up the process, consider what you can repurpose. I could create a “swipe file” of some winning pitches I sent this year; a photographer could share a few Lightroom presets they’ve created; a nutritionist could share a week’s worth of their favorite recipes.
Whatever you choose, plan to create your opt-in offer in less than a day. Remember this mantra: Done is better than perfect!
#2 Write a Welcome Sequence
Your welcome sequence needs to fulfill the lofty goal of convincing a lead to use your freebie and get them excited for all the emails yet to come! The first email should go out the second someone fills out your form.
Here’s the welcome sequence I usually start with:
- Thank you email: Deliver any freebie or incentive you promised on your opt-in page. Send this message as soon as someone joins your list.
- Icebreaker email: Give a warm introduction to your story and mission. Send it within an hour or two of your “thank you” email.
- Orientation email: Outline what they can expect from your list (email frequency, content themes, etc.). Send it the day after they join.
- Bonus value email: Give them a high-value bonus they didn’t expect, like a free template, to give them a sneak peek at the subscriber experience. Send it three or four days after they subscribe.
- Invitation email: Test the waters and ask subscribers to take another step. This could be purchasing your mini offer or booking a consultation. Send it within 24 hours after they open your bonus value email.
You’ll write your email sequence within your email marketing tool (I recommend Klaviyo) and your tool will deliver the sequence to new subscribers automatically as they sign up.
- Get The "Welcome Sequence Swipe File"
#3 Design Your Pages
There are two pages required to make your email funnel work properly.
Opt-in page: This page is all about hyping up your freebie and email list. Even a total stranger who lands on this page should come out knowing/liking/trusting you, so spend extra time perfecting your copy. Here’s some tips for designing it.
Thank you page: This is the page a new subscriber is redirect to as soon as they fill out your opt-in form. Use it to show gratitude and reiterate the value you plan to share with them.
Once you have these pages published, you can consider creating more pages to form a “tripwire.” For instance, your thank you page might offer a bonus freebie. If they say yes to that, the next page might show them a complimentary mini offer (a small thing that costs about $7). If they say yes to that — well, you get the point!
#4 Promote Your List
Content marketing is 20% creation and 80% promotion. You need to get your offers in front of your audience every chance you get.
On your website:
- Link to your opt-in page from your main menu, in your blog posts, and anywhere else it’s relevant. Steer people to this page every chance you get.
- Create a pop-up that appears when people have been on your site for so many minutes or when their cursor moves toward the address bar (that’s known as an “exit intent” pop-up).
- Add a sticky header that appears at the top of relevant pages. It should have a compelling call-to-action and a link to your opt-in page where they can learn more about your list and freebie.
Off your website:
- Create 10+ social media posts all pointing to your offer/opt-in page.
- Join Pinterest group boards and start pinning your posts. Also share on Instagram, Facebook, and wherever else you’re active.
- Share your new freebie with anyone already on your email list as a “thank you” for being subscribed. Include a social media post in the email, in case they want to share it with their audience.
- Anytime you create any piece of content (blog post, social post, podcast episode, etc.) that relates to your freebie, mention it using a strong call-to-action.
If you don’t have a ton of bandwidth for social media, I encourage you to grab my 4-Tier Marketing Framework I’ve used to get even my busiest
(and shyest!) clients going.
- The 4-Tier Marketing Framework
#5 Segment Your Audience
Sorting subscribers into smaller groups (“segments”) based on specific events or behaviors helps you deliver a more personalized and engaging experience.
For instance, you might have a “highly engaged segment” consisting of subscribers who open almost every email you send. Segments can also form based on demographics, purchase history, or preferences subscribers share with you. For instance, your signup form might give options like: “Yes, send me cooking tips!”
Audience segmentation is very powerful — and fairly simple. Once you create a few segments and specify the rules for when subscribers should be added (or removed), your tool should do the rest automatically.
- Audience Segmentation Made Simple
Ways to Expand Your Funnel
- Create a bonus freebie. Pull new subscribers closer by giving them the chance to join your exclusive Facebook group or save a seat in your free training. This helps you identify highly engaged leads (who are more likely to convert when you put a paid offer in front of them).
- Add a "paid upgrade" or mini offer. A low-ticket offer (usually priced around $10) can drive immediate buy-in from new subscribers. You can try offering it right after they grab their bonus freebie (on the "thank you" page) or at the end of your welcome sequence.
- Design alternative entry points. Once your funnel is launched, rinse and repeat! Dream up more freebies and build a new opt-in page around each of them. Then, promote each one just as you did the first, with lots of social media posts and related blog posts. That's how you keep your list growing.
- Write personalized sequences. As more people join your email list, start writing alternative emails that further tailor your automated sequence for people who are opening every email you send, people who aren't engaging at all, those who bought your mini offer, and so on.
What's Next?
No matter where you’re at in your business, starting a list is always the next best step. Until you have a list, you’ll be endlessly reliant on search algorithms and the ever-changing games third-party platforms expect you to play — and that’s not a sustainable way to grow your business.
Check out these resources to help you bring your email funnel together:
