The 3 Email Sequences You Need for Your Teacher Business

Your email list is your best chance at getting in front of the people who have already said, "Yes! I'm interested in what you have to offer!"

Can you dedicate an hour or two this week to *finally* putting an email sequence in place that will do some of the heavy lifting for you?!

An email sequence is a series of automated emails that are sent to a subscriber over a period of time. These emails are usually triggered by a specific action taken by the subscriber, such as signing up for a newsletter, making a purchase, or abandoning a shopping cart.

Email sequences are a powerful tool for marketers because they allow you to deliver targeted, relevant content to your subscribers at the right time, without having to manually send each email.

{Grab the Content Creation Bootcamp to see 3 demonstrations of how I use AI tools to speed up my email writing process without sounding like a robot! Email templates and prompts included.}

Email Sequence #1: The Challenge Welcome Sequence

Your email list is your best chance to get in front of people who have already shown interest in what you have to offer. But here's the thing: most welcome sequences don't help move your new subscribers toward a specific purchase, and they lack urgency.

That's why I'm a big fan of the challenge email sequence. It's a way to engage your new subscribers and move them towards a purchase. Plus, it provides them with a container, a time limit, and support & accountability.

How to write a welcome email sequence framed as a challenge:

• Define Your Goal: What do you want your subscribers to do after completing the challenge? Maybe it's making a purchase, signing up for a webinar, or reading/watching a long-form piece of content.
• Choose Your Challenge: Now it's time to choose the challenge that will help you achieve your goal. The challenge should be something that is relevant to your audience and that will provide them with value. Keep it SIMPLE! The idea is to give them the quickest, easiest win possible to build momentum.
• Plan Your Emails: Typically, a challenge email sequence will consist of three to five emails, each email outlining a different task within the challenge, along with a little "how to" information. (See the example below.)
• Write Your Emails: Each email should be short and to the point, with a clear call to action. You should also make sure to include information about your product or service in each email, so that your subscribers know what you have to offer. Don't wait until the last e-mail to share your solution!
• Track Your Results: Once you've launched your challenge email sequence, make sure to track the results. Keep an eye on your open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, and use this data to refine and improve your sequence over time.
• Experiment and Iterate: Don't set it an forget it! Experiment with different types of emails, subject lines, and calls to action. Try different things, and see what works best for your audience. 

Here's an example of a challenge welcome sequence:

3 Day Teacher Desk Makeover Email Sequence

• Day 1: Get rid of 15 things from your desk (garbage or stuff) (Share a pic of your pile)
• Day 2: Take every single piece of paper off your desk and toss, keep, or digitize (share a before/after)
• Day 3: Take all remaining stuff out of your drawers and toss, keep, or give away - categorize and put back (share final pic)

QUICK TIPS:

• Keep it simple and light (no overwhelm)
• Make sure it’s something that leads to a product
• Talk about your product in every email (ie: An ebook on how to organize your grading system)

Email Sequence #2: The Onboarding Sequence

An Onboarding Sequence is a series of automated emails that are sent to a customer immediately after they make a purchase. The goal of an Onboarding Sequence is to help the customer celebrate their purchase, provide them with information about where to find their purchase, guide them through the next steps, and help them become part of your community.

In each email of this sequence, make sure you do ALL of these:

• Validate: Remind your customer why it was AMAZING to purchase this solution. Remind them about the potential. How will life be different/better/more exciting because of this purchase? Get them pumped!
• Give Product Information: Provide your customer with more information about the product they purchased. Where can they find the materials? What should they do first? Next? Give them details. (ie: "Go watch video number one! It's only 4:54 long, and you'll be able to organize your papers by the end of the video.")
• Share Case Studies/Testimonials: Include case studies from people who have seen results from using your product. This can help to build trust with your customer and show them that your product works! 
• Add Visuals: Whenever possible, add visuals and "quick start" tools. Maybe you add a quick behind-the-scenes of their new product, a welcome video from you, or a checklist to help them get started. 
• Get Them Connected: Give specific prompts they should answer in your community, connect them with another member of your community, or ask them to share on social to be entered for a special bonus. Make it exciting and fun to share their results!
   

Email Sequence #3: The Downsell Sequence

Do you have a sequence in place for the subscribers who didn't buy after your latest sale or live launch? If not, the downsell email sequence can help you turn this missed opportunity around!

So, what exactly is a downsell sequence? It's a series of emails that are sent to a customer after they've failed to complete a purchase. The goal of the downsell sequence is to re-engage the customer and offer them a more affordable or alternative product or service that is often less of a time and financial commitment. We want to help them get started working with you even if they didn't buy during your latest launch. 

The downsell sequence can help you recapture lost sales and increase your overall revenue. But more than that, it's a way to show your customers that you understand their needs and are willing to work with them to find a solution that works for them. It's a way to build trust and loyalty and turn one-time customers into repeat buyers.

Here's an example of a simple downsell email sequence:

Let's say you just finished live launching a $297 course on how to organize all of your teaching systems. You want to first identify all the people on your email list who opened your launch emails (maybe even clicked through), but did not buy.

Since they opened the emails, we know they were at least somewhat interested in the solution. If they clicked, they were even more interested! But for some reason, they didn't buy.

In your downsell sequence, ask them why! Find out what was keeping them on the fence. Keep these emails short and personal. Use plain text, as if you were writing to a friend.

You might write something like this:

Hey {name}! I saw that you were interested in the Teacher Systems 101 course, but you decided not to join us this time. I'd love to understand why it wasn't a good fit for you at this time. If you're up for it, I'm hosting a live workshop this weekend on how to organize your grading systems. I think this would be a great way for us to get started putting systems in place, and I'd love for you to come.

Let me know!
Alissa

Need more templates? Join the Content Creation Bootcamp to get 3 month's worth of content done, along with your e-mail sequences and newsletters.

As always, the only mistake you can make here is not putting a sequence or two into place! Take a few hours this week to write one of these e-mail sequences so that you're not relying on your weekly newsletters to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to your marketing. Also, Be sure to make a little table where you can track open rates and click-through rates. 

Listen to this week's podcast episode for more details on email sequences, and be sure to join the 3-Day Business Planning Challenge to make sure your e-mail sequences are aligned with your products and content pillars so you can make the most money possible!