10 steps to build the perfect email sequencing for your outreaching campaign

Email sequences are one of the most powerful digital marketing tactics you can use as part of your outreach campaign, especially nowadays with COVID-19 acting as a catalyst in the increase of email marketing by 49% since the start of the pandemic, according to a HubSpot study on the impact of COVID-19 on businesses worldwide.

Yet, email sequences are tragically underused or even misused.

The pandemic pushed a lot of people into digitizing and taking their business online to adapt to a new world of digital sales, with trade shows, meet-ups, and networking events being put on hold with little to no idea how or if they will continue. But fear not, the alternative can be easily at your disposal and is just as successful.

In order to acquire new clients and build brand awareness during these times, more companies than ever are trying email outreach for the first time. But before we convince you to start using them, let’s start with some definitions first.

Table of contents

1. What is an email sequence?
2. 10 steps to create a successful email sequence?

What is an email sequence?

Using an email sequence for an outreach campaign is the process of sending people emails at different stages as they move through the sales funnel. Email outreach offers you an incredible opportunity to connect and build partnerships with like-minded people, simply through email.

This impactful digital marketing tool allows you to build trust, highlight your best content, nurture leads, engage with your target audience, and so much more; if you are not already using email sequencing, now is most definitely the time to start.

That being said, email sequencing is known for its ability to send even the most confident marketer into a tailspin.

According to HubSpot, the send volume of sales emails has increased 79%. However, response rates have constantly scored below 30%.

These statistics mean that people still want to hear from you but not in the traditional, sales-y, do-what-you’re-told-to way.

If you want your email to stand out in a sea of sharks, you need to write conversational, honest sales emails with genuine personalization.

Now you know what email sequence is and what it does. But putting that concept into practice is a whole other beast, which is exactly why we crafted this piece.

10 steps to create a successful email sequence

Fortunately, if you are not sure where to begin when it comes to building the perfect email sequencing for your outreach campaign, the below guide is exactly what you need.

Find out in 10 simple steps how you can create a successful email sequence that guarantees great results.

1.    Know your reader

We cannot highlight this enough. If you are going to write a successful email sequence, you need to put yourself in the reader’s shoes and understand your target audience. First, think about what they want and what they don’t want. Then, try to see your business from their perspective.

This is what we call creating a target buyer persona for your business. This is not the easiest task to tackle, but you can start by asking these questions:

• What is the company size you are targeting?
• Where are they located?
• What position would make a decision about purchasing your product?
• What position would mostly be using your product/service?
• What is their industry?
• Who is their ideal customer?
• Who are their biggest competitors?
• What is the biggest challenge they are trying to solve?
• What language and vocabulary are commonly used in the industry?

Now as you may have noticed, some questions are harder to answer and require more research and investigation. We recommend you go the extra mile with this one to get the best outcome when writing outreach emails.

2.     Focus on the reader  

Although you may be tempted to showcase what you can do as a company, you need to make sure you are focusing on the reader and how you can help solve the problems with your products or services.

You can also use their name to catch their attention from the beginning and draw them in to read the rest of the email. Jumping straight into the request or using a generic “Hi!” does not do the trick.

3.    Showcase benefits

Say hello to higher conversion rates. Benefits are the very reason why a prospective customer becomes an actual customer, mainly because they get a glimpse of the experience your product or service provides.

That being said, rather than put too much emphasis on the features of your products or services, focus on their benefits and how they can help the receiver.

It can be a good idea to use the targeted buyer persona you created at an initial stage to help imagine your ideal customer and determine what benefits they would get from purchasing your products.

4.    Use social proof

Again, instead of talking about yourself, showcase what your satisfied customers have to say as this is much more effective at generating sales.

It’s basically borrowing a third-party influence to persuade potential customers. You may also get an expert within your niche to talk about your product and how great it is.

5.    Know your objective

When it comes to email sequencing, you need to have a clear objective so that people know what next step they are supposed to take.

You need to ask yourself: what is the goal behind this campaign? Is it to spark interest? Or maybe connect? This could also be signing up for a demo, booking a free consultation, or seeking out more information about your service or product.

6.    Write a clear CTA

An outreach email that leaves the reader wondering what to do next is not one you want to be sending. One of the most important elements of writing an email sequence is a clear and specific call to action. Your call to action needs to be impossible to resist.

Trigger your reader into making a decision by using FOMO, and trying to make them feel as though they will miss out if they don’t take advantage of what you are offering. Try something like “Members only” or “Limited Spots”. You can also use a clock to make them feel like they are running out of time and need to take an action right now.

7.    Evoke emotion

Ensuring that you reach people on an emotional level is a crucial part of any marketing campaign and is probably the best way to make sure your email outreach hits the target you are looking for.

Emotional marketing makes great first impressions, enabling you to create a connection and start building the bricks of a long-lasting relationship, especially during the social and economic hardships the entire world is going through.

8.    Write a killer subject line

The most vital part of any email is the subject line because if this doesn’t grab the intended reader’s attention, the email won’t get read. However, writing great subject lines is a lot harder than you might think.

In order to increase your open rate, your subject line needs to be short and sweet all while generating curiosity. You can write it in the form of a question or even leverage timing when there is a special event or time of the year. Make sure you keep your chosen subject line clear and to the point and avoid using generic and boring words and any spammy caps and symbols.

Here’s an example of a successful subject line with a high open-rate:

9.    Test your copy

You need to understand that creating a successful email sequencing for your outreaching campaign is an ongoing process of testing, failing, testing again, and failing better until you reach your desired result.

It is only normal for you to go through this whole process because how can you know if something is going to be effective if you don’t test it? At a given point, you will figure out what works best for your business and your industry, optimize your approach accordingly and succeed.

Practical tip: make sure you not only test the copy within the email but also your subject line for optimal results.

10.    Be creative

Although your email needs to be clear and easy to understand, that doesn’t mean you have to be boring in the way you write. Instead, go off the beaten track, make sure you showcase your brand’s personality and don’t be afraid to get inventive with your choice of copy.

Keep in mind, never ever copy templates. You can build a small collection of email templates, get inspired, and then create your own outreach template where there is room for personalization.

“Bad artists copy, great artists steal.”

– Picasso

Writing an email outreach can be intimidating, especially if you are doing it for the first time. But hey, it’s okay! Now that you have the right tools, don’t be afraid to do your own research and dig deeper.

Feel like your head is spinning from all the information? Save time, book a free consultation with Maze, and buckle up for some successful outreaching campaigns!