Email marketing continues to reign supreme, with the highest ROI of any digital channel at $36 for every $1 spent. But in an increasingly noisy digital landscape, generic email blasts are no longer enough to move the needle.
To truly harness the power of email in 2024 and beyond, you need to strategically tailor your messaging to each stage of the buyer‘s journey. By providing the right information at the right time, you can build trust, showcase your unique value, and ultimately guide more prospects from awareness to conversion and beyond.
Ready to uplevel your email strategy? In this complete guide, we‘ll walk through the four key stages of the buyer‘s journey and provide actionable tips and examples for crafting high-converting emails every step of the way.
Understanding the Buyer‘s Journey
First, let‘s define exactly what we mean by the buyer‘s journey. In short, it‘s the process someone goes through to become aware of a problem, consider their options, decide on a solution, and ultimately become a loyal customer and brand advocate.
While the journey is often illustrated as a simple, linear funnel, in reality, buyers may engage with your brand across multiple channels and touchpoints in a more cyclical fashion. However, most journeys can be broken down into four key stages:
- Awareness: Prospects realize they have a need or challenge
- Consideration: Prospects define their problem and research potential solutions
- Decision: Prospects are ready to choose a specific solution
- Retention: Customers need ongoing support and incentive to stick around and advocate for your brand
Source: HubSpot
To maximize the impact of your email program, you need to deeply understand your audience‘s unique challenges and tailor your messaging accordingly. Let‘s take a closer look at the most effective email tactics for each stage.
Stage 1: Awareness
At the top of the funnel, your prospect may not even fully understand the problem they‘re facing yet – let alone be ready for a sales pitch. Your job is to capture their attention, introduce your brand, and start building a relationship.
Grow Your List
First and foremost, you need to get your target audience onto your email list. Some proven tactics include:
- Gated content like ebooks and whitepapers
- Blog and social media CTAs
- Website pop-ups and slide-ins
- Co-marketing partnerships
- Referral and loyalty programs
- Paid social and search ads
For example, UnbounceEntices blog readers to sign up for their email list with an in-line CTA promoting a related ebook:
Source: Unbounce
Once you‘ve earned that valuable signup, your welcome email is your chance to make a strong first impression. Welcome emails have a staggering 91.43% open rate, so it‘s critical you put your best foot forward.
Source: Hive.co
Your welcome message should:
- Thank the subscriber for signing up
- Set expectations for email frequency and content
- Introduce your unique value proposition
- Encourage a low-pressure action like visiting a key page on your site
Check out this example from Asana:
Source: Really Good Emails
Beyond the initial welcome, focus on providing genuinely useful, educational content that showcases your expertise. Some ideas:
- Blog posts that define the problem and potential solutions
- Ebooks, guides, and checklists to help diagnose challenges
- Digestible video content explaining key concepts
- Curated newsletter with industry insights and news
According to the Content Marketing Institute, educational content makes consumers 131% more likely to buy from a brand. Early-stage content should be ungated and easily accessible to start building trust.
Stage 2: Consideration
By stage two, your prospect has clearly defined their problem and is actively researching solutions. Now is the time to introduce your specific product or service and show how it stands out from the competition.
Highlight Benefits
At this stage, it‘s critical to focus on the benefits of your solution, not just the features. How will it make your prospect‘s life easier or better? What measurable results can they expect? Use concise, compelling language that speaks directly to their needs and pain points.
For example, this email from Trello clearly outlines key benefits for different use cases:
Source: Really Good Emails
Provide Social Proof
Today‘s buyers are savvy and skeptical. They want to know your solution actually works for people like them. That‘s where social proof comes in – 92% of consumers trust peer recommendations over advertising.
Effective formats for social proof emails include:
- Case studies with specific results achieved
- Testimonials from satisfied customers
- User-generated content like social media posts
- Aggregated review and rating data
This email from Stripe combines a glowing pullquote with a longer case study video:
Source: Really Good Emails
Offer a Free Sample
Giving prospects a taste of your product or service is one of the most powerful ways to convert them to a sale down the line. 75% of B2B buyers say a free trial is very important when making a purchase decision.
Consider offering:
- A limited-time free trial
- A free sample or demo
- A low-cost or entry-level version of your product
- A free consultation or audit
For example, Airtable gives prospects full access to a limited version of their product with a free forever plan:
Source: Really Good Emails
The key to a successful free offer is to make signup as frictionless as possible while still capturing the information you need to nurture the lead. Asking for a credit card or too many form fields can deter potential customers.
Educate and Qualify
Not all prospects are ready to convert right away – and that‘s okay. Continue providing valuable educational content that addresses their key questions and objections. This could include:
- Comparison guides and buyer‘s tips for your category
- FAQs and objection handling
- Webinars and product demos
- Whitepapers on industry trends and best practices
This slide deck from DocuSign is a great example of helpful mid-funnel content:
Source: DocuSign
Gating this type of content behind a form can help you qualify leads and tailor future messaging. Just be sure the content provides enough value to justify the "price" of handing over an email address.
Stage 3: Decision
Your prospect has done their research and narrowed down their options. At this critical juncture, your emails need to overcome any lingering doubts and create a sense of urgency around your solution.
Make a Strong Offer
Now is the time to put your best foot forward with a compelling offer. Depending on your product or service, this could include:
- A time-sensitive discount or promo code
- An extended free trial or demo period
- A bonus or add-on for a limited time
- Free setup, onboarding, or migration assistance
For example, Nectar incentivizes signups with $125 off plus two free pillows:
Source: Campaign Monitor
Whatever you choose, make sure it‘s exclusive, relevant, and valuable enough to motivate action. A generic 10% off coupon is unlikely to move the needle for a highly considered purchase.
Instill Urgency and Scarcity
If a prospect is on the fence, fear of missing out can be a powerful motivator. In fact, 60% of millennials make reactive purchases because of FOMO.
Some effective tactics:
- Limited-time offers and deadlines
- Low-stock or limited-availability warnings
- Waitlist or application-only access
- Seasonal or event-based promotions
This email from Huckberry combines a Labor Day deadline with dwindling stock:
Source: Huckberry
Just be careful not to overuse these tactics or you risk damaging trust. Make sure any claims of urgency or scarcity are genuine and not misleading.
Reduce Risk and Friction
Even if a prospect is convinced of your solution‘s value, they may still hesitate to commit. Common roadblocks include fear of buyer‘s remorse, perceived hassle of switching, upfront investment, and more.
Effective emails at this stage should proactively address concerns and make saying "yes" as easy as possible:
- Emphasize your generous return policy or money-back guarantee
- Highlight free setup, training, and support included
- Offer a monthly payment option to lower upfront cost
- Provide FAQ content to allay concerns
- Include a 1-click checkout or signup link in the email
Casper highlights its risk-free trial and free shipping in this abandoned cart email:
Source: Casper
The less roadblocks a buyer perceives, the more likely they are to take the plunge.
Create Excitement
To tip hesitant prospects over the edge, generate excitement and positive emotion around your solution. After all, people are more likely to take action when they‘re excited.
Help the buyer envision life with your product by showcasing:
- Impressive before-and-after results and transformations
- Happy customer quotes and success stories
- Exciting ways they can use the product, with examples
- The FOMO they‘ll feel if they don‘t act now
This email from Duolingo creates excitement by highlighting fun milestones the user can reach:
Source: Really Good Emails
Emotions are a powerful driver of behavior – harness them to give prospects that final nudge.
Stage 4: Retention
Acquiring a new customer is a major victory, but the work doesn‘t stop there. It costs five times as much to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one satisfied.
Continuing to send valuable, engaging emails is key to combatting churn and unlocking customer lifetime value. Let‘s look at effective tactics for this crucial stage.
Nail the Onboarding
Getting a customer to convert is only half the battle – now you need to deliver on your promises and help them start realizing value ASAP. 86% of customers say they‘re more likely to stay loyal to a business that invests in onboarding.
Welcome your new customer with a thoughtful email and user manual. For example, this message from Asana sets expectations and goals for the first 30 days:
Source: Really Good Emails
Your onboarding sequence should include:
- A warm welcome and thanks for choosing your solution
- Clear next steps to get started
- Links to key support resources and documentation
- Info on who to contact with questions
- A reiteration of your unique value prop
The goal is to minimize confusion and effort required so the customer can start seeing results as quickly as possible.
Provide Ongoing Education
As the customer gets up and running, continue delivering helpful tips and resources to help them get the most out of your solution. This could include:
- Bite-sized tutorial videos
- Links to webinars and knowledge base articles
- Use case ideas and examples
- Case studies showing advanced applications
- Personalized usage tips based on behavior
Grammarly sends a great ongoing education email with relevant writing tips:
Source: Really Good Emails
The key is to provide ongoing value that keeps the customer engaged and reminds them why they chose you in the first place.
Gather Feedback
Your existing customers are a goldmine of insights you can use to improve your solution and attract more buyers like them. Collecting feedback shows you value their opinion and care about their success.
Try these email tactics:
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys to gauge loyalty
- Polling customers on new feature ideas
- Asking for a review or testimonial
- Inviting top customers to a feedback session
This email from Airtable is a great example of a non-intrusive request for product feedback:
Source: Really Good Emails
Make sure to close the loop by following up on feedback, letting customers know it‘s been implemented, and thanking them for their input. This will incentivize them to continue providing valuable insights.
Encourage Advocacy
Happy customers are your most powerful growth engine. Referred customers have a 37% higher retention rate and 81% of consumers trust recommendations from family and friends.
Encourage your best customers to spread the word by:
- Asking for a review or testimonial to feature
- Incentivizing referrals with discounts or perks
- Inviting them to join an exclusive loyalty program
- Showcasing their success story in a case study
Dropbox is the classic example of a referral program that propelled massive growth:
Source: Dropbox
The key is to make it easy and worthwhile for customers to become advocates. A little recognition and reward can go a long way.
Conclusion
Email is hands-down one of the most effective tools in the modern marketer‘s toolbox. But with great power comes great responsibility to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.
By tailoring your email strategy to each key stage of the buyer‘s journey – Awareness, Consideration, Decision, and Retention – you can provide maximum value and build the trust and motivation needed to convert browsers into buyers into lifetime brand advocates.
Of course, none of this happens without an engaged email list. Continually test and optimize your acquisition tactics to grow your subscriber base. Then, consistently deliver on your promises so your hard-earned subscribers actually want to hear from you.
There‘s no greater asset to your business than a loyal audience that looks forward to and acts on your emails. Invest in your buyer‘s journey email strategy and that asset will pay dividends for years to come. The inbox has spoken – now get out there and start writing those high-converting emails!
