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Unlocking the Power of Email Marketing Funnel

Unlocking the Power of Email Marketing Funnel

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Unlocking the Power of Email Marketing Funnel
As with everything in business, there comes a time when you need to diversify your organic content marketing. As your coaching business grows, you’ll want to start building up your email list. You see, the best marketing plans include a variety of different platforms, but not so many that it feels overwhelming. No matter what, you’ll want your organic content to lead the right people to your email marketing funnel. In episode 64, we covered the Simple Process of Planning and Brainstorming Your Opt-In Freebie.  This week, I’m going to give you the action steps for you to create your email marketing funnel process inside your content system.

The Goal Of Your Organic Content Marketing Plan
Before we get into the action steps to create a repeatable process for your email marketing funnel, let’s chat about the goal of your organic content marketing plan. Not knowing what to do can keep you stuck. At the heart of marketing, the purpose or goal of your organic content is to spread the word about you. Who you are as a person, who you help, and how you help them. It is up to you to let people know what you do. Although, wouldn’t running a business be glorious if all you had to do was wish for new clients to come to us? The introvert in me loves this idea.

Do people even read emails anymore?

One of my clients asked me if email marketing is dead. Do people even read emails anymore? Should we be investing our time and resources sending to our email list?

I love it when clients ask questions when they are uncertain. With inboxes overflowing with emails, we are almost numb to marketing messages, so this is a very valid question.

My response to her was that they read marketing emails from coaches that provide value and connection. The trick is to send emails with a nice mix of storytelling, quick tips on how to solve one problem and offers to help, aka asking for the people on your list to work with you. I think you’ll agree that you are more than happy to purchase a coaching package or service when it will help leapfrog you ahead and solve a problem quicker than figuring it out for yourself.

How Do We Know If Email Is Working?

She was still unsure. I don’t know where you’d turn to answer this question, for me I go straight to the numbers. Nothing tells the story of your email marketing funnel success like your metrics can.

Well, I’m assuming that you keep an eye on your email marketing metrics.

Because if you do, you know based on your open rates if your audience is engaging with your emails. Plus, if you have a call to action link in the email, which you really need to have, this is another metric that gives you insight into your messaging.

Content System: Repeatable Action Steps for Setting Up Your Email Marketing Funnel Process

Define your email marketing funnel goals and who you’re creating it for.

Before you start creating content, it's crucial to set clear goals for your email marketing funnel.

What do you want to achieve?

What is the point of investing your time and energy into creating this email marketing funnel?

Common goals include lead generation, nurturing relationships, driving sales, or improving retention. Be specific and set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals to guide your funnel creation process.

Finding Content for Your Freebie and Email Funnel:

Not sure what to create for your freebie also known as a free gift? May I suggest repurposing existing content?

Dive into your content archives and identify content that can be repurposed into your freebie or incorporated into your email sequences. This could include blog posts, social media posts, or even content from a previous live challenge. When working with clients, this is the first place I have them look before they create anything from scratch.

Be sure to focus on relevance when selecting content for your email funnel, and prioritize content that aligns with your signature services and provides tangible value to your ideal client.

Are you not finding anything that aligns with your paid offer? Well, I guess it’s time to brainstorm new ideas.

If you're struggling to find existing content, consider creating a challenge or series that introduces your audience to your expertise.

Here are a few ideas of things I’ve recently searched for healthy weeknight meal plans, go-to ten-minute workouts, healthy snack ideas for when I don’t have energy to cook, best yoga poses when you sit all day at a desk,or simple swaps to live a healthier lifestyle.

Map Out The Funnel

You have your goal and your audience. You know what you’ll be offering as your freebie, and you have an idea of content that you can reuse in your sales sequence. Map out the funnel and get an idea of the order or sequence you’d like it to go.

If this feels exhausting, no worries. You can simply use the reverse engineer method. Start by identifying your signature service or paid offer, then work backward to create a freebie that naturally leads your subscribers to the next step in your sales funnel. This ensures that your freebie is not only valuable but also strategically aligned with your business goals.

You don't need a PDF for everything.

You can create an educational email series.

Using a quick win approach: Break down your freebies into one quick win that they can do in under 15 minutes. You see pieces of content that are easy to do and provide quick wins, yes please, and thank you. This could include short daily tips, super simple exercises, or bite-sized lessons that keep your subscribers excited to hear you’re next brilliant idea and coming back for more.

What is the Best Number of Emails in Your Funnel?

Decide how many emails will be in your sequence. I suggest 5-7 emails.

Also, decide on the amount of time between each email in the series.

May I suggest keeping the welcome message and the first email about 24 hours apart? That’s a good amount of time. You do not want to make an excited person wait to long for the next email, plus we want them to remember us.

The others could be every couple of days, but you should not have more than a week between messages.

After you’ve mapped it all out, the next action will be to create your email sequence.

Now, Is The Time for the Creative Work

This is where you write everything and create all the collateral to go with the email series.

Write all the emails in the series, from the welcome to the ask email. If you’re a super fast writer you may get this done in a day. I am not.

One thing that I have found that works pretty decent to get your first draft is to outline all the emails. I put in all the bits of information that I want to be in the email. Then I let AI do the first draft for me. I’ve been experimenting with Claude. I feel like this tool doesn’t write as fluffy and flowery as Chat GPT does.

One thing I want you to keep in mind, my outline is very complete with the stories and everything. I ask it to make it flow better. I’ve found that the first draft is pretty decent. If you’re someone that finds it easier to edit than to write it all out, give it a try.

Write your landing page, thank you page, and social media promotional content.

Create Your Email Sequence in an Email Marketing Software

Once everything is created, the next action will be to set it up in your email software. I love Flodesk; I'm just saying.

This is my favorite piece, because I love tech. Except for when we are in Mercury Retrograded, let's be real, does anyone like tech then?

Promote Your New Email Marketing Funnel

Once all the set up has been done, create your marketing plan and begin to promote, promote, promote.

How can you get your freebie in front of the right people? Be sure to create content around your freebie as a call to action. The whole idea is to begin with the end in mind, or reverse engineer works here too.

Consider finding a promotion buddy or collaboration partner that is in your same niche, and they promote you to their list, and you promote them to your list. This allows you to work together in order to cross-promote to your respective audiences, expanding your reach and attracting new subscribers.

Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback on how you can improve your freebie and email series.

Measure: Tracking Success

Track your metrics! Your numbers tell a story. You may need to do some A/B testing with different subject lines, content, and calls to action.

Tracking metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions is crucial for optimizing your email marketing strategy. Regularly analyze your data and make adjustments to enhance the performance of your email funnel.

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It’s Time To Wrap This Up

It takes a bit of time and energy to create a new freebie and marketing funnel, but it is essential to the health of your content marketing. Be on the lookout for ways that you are able to make this simpler by repurposing and using content that you’ve already done. Your old social media content may be a gold mine of possibility.

I say this every week, but I hope you know how much it truly appreciate you! Thank you for reading, and make it a wonderful week

Easy Content Creation for Social Media and Your Business

Easy Content Creation for Social Media and Your Business

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Easy Content Creation for Social Media and Your Business
Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Easy Content Creation for Social Media and Your Business

Social media acts like a business card for your online businesses. It is a way to network and provide valuable connections. Oh my goodness, I’m not sure how you feel about it, but creating social media content is never-ending, with sometimes little return. It's easy to get overwhelmed when you’re constantly creating new content, which is time-consuming and, for some, challenging. It doesn’t have to be that way when you use the strategy of repurposing long-form content for your preferred social media platform. One of my favorite processes in repeatable content systems would be repurposing content for social media and your business.

The Power of Repurposing

Repurposing content is simply changing up your existing content to social media platforms that you like to hang out on. By doing so, you increase the value of your long-form content, have the potential to reach a wider audience and extend its lifespan. You can increase visibility and engagement by repurposing your content. When repurposing social media, you can recycle that content and give a really juicy, long-form piece of content a new life three or six months later. 

Techniques for Repurposing Long-Form Content

Blog to Infographic: 

Transforming a blog post into an eye-catching infographic is one of my favorite things to put in a newsletter to subscribers. You're taking written content and transforming it into visual content. As for repurposing blog content for social media and your business, the infographic is perfect for Pinterest. For Instagram, you can change it into a Reel by switching out the background with a stock video or B-Roll that you create yourself.

YouTube to Video Clips: 

If your primary long-form content is for YouTube, pull out all the key points and repurpose the recording into short video clips. Besides changing these into YouTube shorts, they can also be Pinterest Video Pins, Facebook and Instagram Reels. Don't forget about TikTok if that's your platform.

Repurpose those videos into SEO-optimized blog posts on your website. You always want to lead people to things you own. I like to think of social media as rented ground; you may get an unexpected eviction notice.

Podcast to Blog Post: 

Turn your podcast episodes into SEO-friendly blog posts. Begin by having the podcast transcribed. Descript does the transcribing for me. When change your podcast transcription into a blog post that allows your content to be found by Google when it is optimized for SEO. 

It's the same process for podcasts. Repurpose content for social media by creating audiograms to share across your prefered social platforms. I’d like to mention that I use Descript for easily creating social media audiograms.

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Easy Content Creation for Social Media and Your Business

Benefits for Online Life Coaches

Best Way To Increased Reach and Exposure:

The best way to increase the reach and exposure of your social media content is by making content in the format the platform is currently pushing. For example, Instagram is showing reels to people that are not currently following you. Unlike, stories that only your audience or  followers will see. 

Repurposing content gives you the potential to reach someone new that is searching for exactly what you offer. It allows you to share your expertise with a wider audience beyond your regular followers and establish yourself as a thought leader in your niche.

Time and Effort: 

Creating original content for all platforms from scratch can be time-consuming. Repurposing content saves valuable time and effort by using what you’ve already created with your existing long-form content. 

These are perfect activities to assign to your Content VA, allowing you to focus on engaging with your new found audience. Repurposing content on your social media makes creating a content calendar much easier! If you like you can come up with a simple repeatable pattern for re-promoting your content. This allows your content calendar to be filled easily without effort. 

Reinforcement of Your Key Points: 

Repetition is key when it comes to your important messages. By repurposing content, you're not attempting to come up with new ideas. I don’t know about you, but rarely do I purchase from someone that I just started to follow. I am definitely a lurker.

After you publish your new content you want to make sure to drive traffic to that content. When you're keep the content theme in line with your new published long-form content it allows you to do this from all the social media platforms. Plus, you can use the same content for consistent and impactful across your different social media channels.

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Discover the Secret to Effortless Content Creation –

From Overwhelmed to Thriving: Your Content Creation Simplified Journey Starts Here!

It’s Time To Wrap This Up

With all the different processes you set up in your business, repurposing long-form content for social media is a powerful strategy you should not overlook. Without a doubt, recycling content for social media and your business frees up your valuable time. 

This simple process can highlight your expertise and attract new clients with minimal effort. When you are juggling all the balls in your life, it is a way to get back a little more of your time and energy. Thank you so much for reading. I appreciate you and I hope you make it a great week.

Simple Process To Planning and Brainstorming Your Opt-In Freebie

Simple Process To Planning and Brainstorming Your Opt-In Freebie

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Simple Process To Planning and Brainstorming Your Opt-In Freebie

After a few years in the life coaching business and honing in on your niche, you've realized that your old opt-in isn't working. While it still gets a lot of downloads, it's no longer attracting the right people.

The dwindling number of subscribers converting to paid offers screams this to you. It's disappointing, right? Despite all the effort you put into your business, that essential tool for growing your email list—the lead magnet—has been quietly falling short, leading to lower-than-desired conversion rates.

We've all been there, putting off the creation of a new, more aligned opt-in because, honestly, the whole process feels daunting.

Where do you start? The first place I would begin is planning and brainstorming your opt-in. However, I'll give you the whole process.

How is that?

When the Problem You Solve Changes

As business owners grow, it is natural to focus on one specific problem; when that happens, it requires updating several marketing pieces. If your current opt-in is not producing the conversion rates you've had in the past, it's a clear sign that something needs to change. Likely, your free offer to grow your email list is no longer in alignment with your paid offer. This is a common sign of the bigger problem: mismatched opt-in content.

Focusing on the Solution

To fix the bigger problem, planning and brainstorming your opt-in is crucial. The longer you put it off, the bigger the effect it will have on your business. That's a stressful problem to have. Despite being overwhelming, it is necessary to come up with a strategy that engages and converts your audience. I'm guessing you already have a good understanding of the problem your audience is trying to solve. Now, it is time to plan an opt-in that leaves your paid offer irresistible.

Step One: Begin With The End In Mind

What most people do not realize is that the simplest way to plan is to start with the end in mind. What paid offer will your updated opt-in and email series lead them to? Your opt-in should solve one quick-fix problem. Then, your email sequence takes them down the path of getting to know you. Understanding what it is like to work with you.

As a result, we begin at the end, which is your paid offer. What free offer can you create that is easy to do and gives them a quick fix to the problem they are actively trying to solve?

Remember, it only needs to be one piece. Actually, it is better this way. Each email in your sequence should bring them one step closer to saying ‘yes' to your offer.

Step Two: Idea Generation with Conversion in Mind

At this point, you have a very clear picture of the problem you are solving. As I said at the beginning, you've overtime niche down from a general life coach or virtual assistant into a very specific market. This has come from working with a broad range of clients. Along the way, you've discovered what you love to do most.

Now is the time to write an exhaustive list of ideas. I want to mention this because it has been an ah-ha moment for more than one client.

What free content have you already created? Here's the thing: you can repurpose content with a proven track record of driving engagement and interest. This content can become your new opt-in. I know, right? Huge time saver!

It's funny how this previously created content can be overlooked. Are you one who likes to go live inside your Facebook Group or Instagram? I sure hope you have all those videos. Put them together into either a video or audio email series. You see your new opt-in doesn't need to be a PDF. It can be an educational email series.

Have you done a live challenge with your audience? This can be turned into an opt-in to your email list.

I sure hope that I have your wheels turning here.

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Simple Process To Planning and Brainstorming Your Opt-In Freebie

Step Three: Decide On Your Email Opt-In and Create the Outlines

Map out an email journey that leads your subscribers to your paid offer. You're not for everyone, and it is the job of the email series to help them decide if you're the right one.

I understand this is easy to say, but it takes longer to do. You have a list of all your ideas. Which one is the right one? What is most in line with your paid offer? Does one feel easier to create?

Be mindful of the copy you use in your emails. You want it to generate a true connection with your ideal client. It is not all about selling; it is about connecting with the right person. I always think the right people will find you. Personally, the people I gravitate to work with get me. They are the ones who speak my language. You see, this is why marketers talk about interviewing ideal clients when just getting started.

Step three in planning and brainstorming your opt-in is about outlining and gathering. It is the time when you make all the hard decisions. Again, you want all the content to focus on delivering quality and easy action steps. Think about what one thing they can do to get a quick win.

Here is a quick checklist for copy and images:

  • Sales Page
    – Take a look at the current sales page for your paid offer.
    – Does this need any updating?
    – Or is everything still good. 

  • Email Automation Sequence
    – How many emails
    – Don't forget about adding in testimonial
    – Final email is the ask or your sales pitch

  • Landing Page

  • Sign Up Thank You Page
    – After signing up for your lists
    – After signing up for your services

  • Freebie

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Step Four: Creating the Content

Now, it's all about creating the content. You've made all the decisions have an outline, and now is the time to develop your new freebie.

If you've decided to create a workbook, it doesn't need to be very long. If you have downloaded my quarterly planning guide, you know I did not follow this rule because it is around 50 pages. Here is the link if you’re curious: https://misstask.com/free-planning-workbook 

If you're creating a workbook, up to five pages will do.

During the create phrase, you will create it all. You will write your copy, find your images, and follow your outlines to create it all!

Step Five: Setting Up the Automation

For some who are not as techie, this may be the hardest part of the whole process. Before you set up the automation, have all the leg work done ahead of time. You do not want to write your emails while you are setting up the automation. That will be too much task switching, without a doubt, make you exhausted and overwhelmed.

When you task switching, you’ll be doing tasks that are not anything alike. The switching is what makes you feel exhausted and overwhelmed.  

You have your whole plan. It's already laid out for you. Now, you just need to plug that into the automation and you configure your email marketing platform for that automatic delivery. To initiate that follow-up sequence that happens automatically to nurture your  subscribers towards your desired action, which is to sign up for your paid service.

Step Six: Launching and Promoting Your Freebie

Now, step six is actually launching and promoting your new freebie to attract the right people. 

You announce your new freebie and begin talking about it everywhere. You start putting it out so that it can be discovered. You add it to your website. You're doing all the things to leverage your existing list. 

You can handle it as if it were a re-engagement campaign. Your new target list is whoever clicks on the link to download the new freebie, and everyone else gets pruned away.

You're putting the problem of your new opt-in freebie out there to find your people. 

Put it out on your social media channels and create reels. What are all the different things that you can do to promote your new freebie and attract signups? My guess is you have a pretty good handle on promoting your services.

Step Seven: Tracking and Analyzing Metrics

Don't skip step seven. This is when you know what you need to tweak and change so you can identify those key metrics and track the performance of your new opt-in over time. 

When you review metrics, you're able to refine your strategy based on that data and feedback, which gives you a really good look into how it's performing. 

I'm guessing you've already been tracking your metrics because you're looking to change your opt-in because it's not converting. Right? So you have to have some idea of your numbers, at least I'm assuming you do.

Michele Duwe from Miss Task | Simple Process To Planning and Brainstorming Your Opt-In Freebie

Time To Wrap This Up

Those are the seven different steps for planning and brainstorming your new opt-in. I hope that this has given you a really good step-by-step approach. I get that it doesn't include every single step-that would be way to much information for one post—it's more like big buckets of steps. But these are the buckets of steps that make up the are part of an opt-in building process inside a content system. My goal was to help you with the steps needed to create an opt-in that can help boost your conversion rates. 

Focusing on what your audience needs, leveraging those effective strategies, and guiding your subscribers towards your ultimate goal with a carefully planned email series, you're setting the stage for the freebie that's going to connect deeply with your ideal audience.

Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate you. And I hope you have a wonderful week.