Sweating on that first email for high-value leads? We’ve all been there! But, getting what we want takes more than one email, especially if we’re selling services like SEO.
That’s where email sequences come in. It helps keep leads interested, builds trust, and rakes in 3x more revenue than popular marketing strategies like social media according to McKinsey.
So, how do we set up an email sequence? We’ll get there! First, we need to learn the basics!
What is an Email Sequence?
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An email sequence is an automated series of emails. You wouldn’t have to lift a finger (once it’s set up). The best part is, it’s based on user behavior and can be trigger or time-based.
Trigger-based email sequence:
- Completing a purchase
- Email list subscriptions
- Cart abandonment
- Browsing activity
- Downloading content
Time-based email sequence:
- Post-opt in emails.
- Monthly emails.
- Event announcements.
- Anniversaries
Both are essential for growing any SEO agency. These are important for prospecting, securing new clients, and backlink building. To get started, here are email sequences you need to try out.
5 Email Sequences For SEO Agencies
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The SEO industry is saturated with mediocre service providers. That sucks if you’re agency is actually good. You’ll be competing against people offering dirt-cheap services and some businesses would rather do SEO in-house even with little to no experience.
This results in our leads building up walls. To break these walls down, we need to lay the foundations of a solid and long-lasting relationship. The best way to do so is through these email sequences.
Backlink Building Email Sequence
Getting quality backlinks from relevant websites is the backbone of any good SEO agency. Here’s an email sequence you can use for your backlink building campaigns:
Email 1: Introduction Email
Send a straightforward introduction to your agency. Establish that you want to collaborate and write guest posts in exchange for backlinks. You’ll likely encounter webmasters asking for a fee for a backlink or guest post.
Although Google penalizes paid backlinks, this has become the norm. But, you can always get backlinks or guest posts organically depending on your value proposition.
Email 2: Following Up
Between 3-7 days after your introduction, send a quick reminder related to your first email. You don’t want to be pushy. But, you also have to relay a sense of urgency.
Email 3: Securing the Backlink
If all goes well, the next email exchanges would be about guest posting or backlink insertion. This includes discussions on the type of content or where it’ll be posted.
Email 4: Re-engage
If the webmaster hasn’t responded to your emails after two weeks, try reaching out one last time. If they don’t respond, it’s better to remove the backlink prospect from your email list.
Cold Lead Email Nurturing
Finding new clients is essential for growing your SEO agency. You need a great introduction and offer value. Converting cold leads into clients takes more touchpoints than asking for backlinks.
Here’s a sample of a 5-touch point cold lead email nurture campaign:
Email 1: Introduction email
Email 2: Value proposition email
Email 3: Case Studies
Email 4: Deepen Connection
Email 5: Ask for a meeting
Email 6: Post-meeting details
Welcome Email Sequence
You can leverage high-value content, case studies, or downloadable material on your website as a way to get leads to subscribe to a newsletter. When they do, you can start a welcome email sequence:
Email 1: Warm welcome email and setting expectations for the newsletter.
Email 2: Show value by positioning yourself as an expert.
Email 3: Offer solutions to specific pain points.
Email 4: Step-by-step guide on what you do for SEO clients.
Email 5: Segmentation and qualification (segmenting leads who are more likely to convert).
Exclusive Offer Email Sequence
After segmenting your leads, it’s time to offer those who are likely to convert an exclusive offer. This is when you go deep into personalization. Try this email sequence if you’re going for a conversion:
Email 1: Deeper insights into services.
Email 2: Introduction to an exclusive offer.
Email 3: Asking for a scheduled meeting or demo.
Email 4: Thank you email.
Email 5: Closing email with necessary details for the service.
Re-engagement Email Sequence
Qualified leads saying no to your exclusive offers isn’t the end of the world. Try moving these leads to a re-engagement campaign.
If they don’t bite after re-engagement, it’s best to remove these leads from your list to avoid being tagged as spam. Here’s an email sequence you can use for re-engagement:
Email 1: “Haven’t heard from you in a while” email.
Email 2: Discounted services.
Email 3: Ask leads if they want to unsubscribe from your newsletter.
Email 4: Opt-out email with a link to subscribe again if they want to.
Key Takeaways
Email marketing can be every SEO agency’s best friend. But, you won’t get leads after just a single email. You need to personalize, automate, and sequence your emails. Here are some important details you might’ve missed:
- Email sequences can be trigger-based or time-based.
- To automate email sequences, use an email tool paired with a CRM for personalization.
- You can use an email sequence for backlink building campaigns, welcome emails, cold email marketing, and re-engagement.
