If you’ve tried email marketing for your equestrian business but can’t figure out how to use it to build your business, these 5 email marketing tips will help you turn the tide.
Welcome to the show notes! Remember, this is a brief summary from the How to Market Your Horse Business podcast. You'll want to listen to the entire episode for all the good stuff!
You’ve likely heard me say it before: email marketing is the key to long-term sustainability for your horse business.
But, what do you do if you’ve dipped your toe into email marketing and you haven’t seen the needle move just yet?
If you’re an equestrian entrepreneur who has given email marketing a try but just don't feel like you've experienced any measurable wins from it, this episode is one you’ll want to save and take notes on.
The good news is that if you’ve been sending emails to your list but aren't getting the ROI you expected, there are some specific things you can do or ask yourself to boost your results.
5 Email Marketing Tips to Boost Results for Your Equestrian Business
1. Qualify your leads.
Every email address into your system is a lead for your business.
If email marketing isn’t working for you, consider if they’re actually qualified.
That means you’ll need to do the work to determine who is best suited for your business and offering, product, or service.
From there, how do you know if your leads are qualified? Here are some questions to consider:
How did they get on your list?
Did you ask permission?
Were they just hoping for a freebie at your event booth?
If it was through a partnership, were your audiences aligned?
Is your lead magnet (AKA freebie) attracting the ideal people you want to work with or sell to?
2. Know your stats.
Are your emails being opened? Are people clicking on any of the links you provided?
If you’re unsure, it’s time to start tracking your stats. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
Key stats to consider:
Open rate
Click-through rate
What links are being clicked on
Unsubscribe rate
Track your stats in a dashboard so you can spot trends or issues and diagnose further, if needed. Subject lines and send days and times are two of the first areas I’d recommend testing if you’re looking to boost your open rates.
subjectline.com is a free tool that helps you optimize your email subject line. It even gives you a score based on specific parameters.
3. Guide them to the result you’re after.
Are you both serving and selling? Oftentimes the issue is only doing one or the other, but both are required for effective email marketing.
How do you serve? Provide value. It could be a personal story or note for a point of connection. It could be sharing some of your favorite things. It could be giving them news of a new resource, video, or other content you’ve created. There are LOTS of ways to provide value to your email list. The best way to come up with the ideas is to go back to your definition of who you’re best suited to work with.
Why is serving so important? If you only show up in their inbox when you have something to sell, they’re less likely to open your emails because they know what to expect and they’re not here for it. Sometimes this results in a lot of unsubscribes; other times they won’t take time to unsubscribe but they’ll delete based on the subject line and only open if the subject line pulls them in.
It's okay to make the ask! When you do, give them an easy way to take action and make it very clear how to do it. (Tip: You don’t have to say “click here” all the time but do make it easy for them to see where and when to click.)
One word of caution. Sometimes an email can be loaded with too many calls to action, leading to paralysis analysis. If you’re sending an email with hopes that your list takes a specific action – for example, you’re launching a new product or program or you’re having a sale — be careful not to give them multiple other links or options. Keep the main thing the main thing.
4. Tell stories.
One of the best ways to build connection, illustrate a point, and even make a sale is to tell a related story.
Neuroscientists believe our brains learn better through story because it activates more areas of the brain than just factual information. They even believe stories can change the brain’s chemistry. (source: Why Storytelling Works: The Science)
This can work by sharing a personal story to help illustrate how your product or service came to life or why it works so well. But, the real power in boosting results will come when you share the personal stories of your clients or customers.
Testimonials are powerful social proof that what you’re providing works.
The key to making your testimonial powerful is to tell the transformation story. What were things like before you and how are things different now because of you, your product, or service?
5. Keep learning and growing.
Don’t quit.
Email marketing is a long-term sustainable plan for your equestrian business. Learning, growing, and consistency must become part of your language if you want to succeed.
That means you show up on a regular cadence for your audience, not just when you have something to sell. Pick a schedule you can stick with and make it a priority.
It also means you learn how to communicate by email, AKA copywriting. The good news is that it’s a skill anyone can learn. You don’t have to become an expert. If you’re looking for a helpful resource, Ann Handley’s book Everyone Writes is a great practical tool to keep handy.
When it comes to email marketing, as much as we’d like there to be, there’s no such thing as a magic press of a button and everything works like you expected 100% of the time. The best results will come as you hone your skills, listen to your audience, and take consistent action.
Of course, you'll want to listen to the full episode to dig into each of the insights shared and discover how you can apply each one in your horse business!
Ready to set your equine business up for long-term success? Take the Reins 1:1 Coaching will give you a step-by-step roadmap to get there.
Links Mentioned In This Episode
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