Are your emails stuck in the mud? Are your online sales from email decaying? Do you want more out of email? Are you tired of paying for email month after month with nothing to show for it? Are you baffled why these gurus are crushing it with email and you’re not?

Hey – you’re not alone. I was there too. Fortunately, over my 18 years as a professional email marketer, I’ve been blessed to personally know a few high-performing email marketers. And I’ve learned also from a lot of trial and error (emphasis on the latter).

With social media like Instagram and TikTok all the rage, some question whether email has passed its prime. Take it from me: email is still Number One as the most powerful tool for reaching and engaging your prospects and customers. In fact, according to recent studies, the average return on investment (ROI) for email marketing is a staggering 4300%!

So, if you answered “yes” to any of the questions I asked above, then something’s not right, is it? Why aren’t you crushing your sales goals with email?

Hear me out. Keep reading and see what you can learn from and do better.

Get ready to take your email marketing game to the next level. Let's dive in!

By now, you should already have a clear understanding of who is the target audience for your product and/or service.

But you should also pay close attention to what your web analytics and your sales data are telling you. There could be a fundamental shift in your original target audience as tastes and demographics change. Don’t be afraid to re-invent yourself. Amazon started off as an online book seller. They’ve now become one of the world's most successful logistics empires.

I want to shift your thinking of the target audience of your emails in a new direction.

If you haven’t read my blog article where I introduce you to The Buyers’ Circles of Trust model, I recommend you take a quick moment to read it.

The point I’m making is that you should be thinking of your prospects and customers in terms of a spectrum of trust. At the outer level is little to no trust. Then trust builds as your prospects move from Unaware to Interested to Engager to Buyer to Repeat Buyer to Advocate and to Influencer.

One of the key elements of building successful email marketing campaigns is understanding the role of email in the first place.

The purpose of email marketing isn’t to inform or to promote. The purpose of email is to move your audience from one level of trust to the next deeper level.

In addition to crafting buyer personas, you should craft what I call “Trust Personas.” What are the characteristics of someone with little to no trust in you at all? What are the characteristics of someone who is engaging with your product (e.g., “free sample”) but doesn’t trust you enough to pay for it? What are the characteristics of someone who’s purchased your product once and may be prime to buy from you again?

Once you have a clear understanding of your target audience based on a level of trust, you can use the appropriate verbiage in your emails.

As I mentioned here in this article, you have to match your email’s call to action to the level of trust that you’ve targeted your email to. The number one reason an email fails is because the call to action is asking for a level of trust that’s more than what the recipient is willing to give.

Here’s some tips to help you implement effective calls to action (CTAs) in your email campaigns.

First, your CTA should be actionable, not informational. Generic informational words like “Click here” or “Learn more” don’t drive near as many clicks as words that are more action oriented.

The actionable words shouldn’t be the actions you want them to take. The words should be the actions that they want to take. To get them to that point, you have to make sure that the deeper benefits of your offer are crystal clear.

For example, let’s say that you want your readers to buy your online courses on time management. So, the call to action will be “I want to get control of my life.”

Next, make sure your CTA stands out visually. Use contrasting colors and bold fonts to draw attention to your CTA button. Avoid overcrowding your email with too many CTAs. Decide what is the ONE action you want your readers to take. That is the only CTA of your entire email. You may state it differently, but it’s still the same call to action.

All serious email marketers are using email automation. By now, even the most affordable email service provider offers some type of basic automation.

Check out my article on the 5 most basic types of automated email campaigns that every email marketer should be doing.

Remember: the role of email is to move your prospects and customers from one level of trust to the next deeper level. The only way to do this successfully is by using automated campaigns. They allow you to streamline your communications, save time, and send at scale.

Welcome campaigns are the most basic. Every email marketer should have one. First impressions are lasting impressions. Don’t use Welcome campaigns to sell anything. Instead, use it to build trust in you and your brand.

Lead Nurture campaigns are essential for building trust enough to buy. For example, if someone signs up for a free trial, you can send a series of emails that provide tips and guidance on how to get the most out of the trial. This helps build trust, educate your audience, and increase conversions.

Automated email campaigns are useful at key moments in a product’s lifecycle. Every renewable product you sell should have its own automated Product Replenishment campaign. Use your sales data to get an idea when you should start sending emails to your buyers, encouraging them to replenish their supply.

Building successful email marketing campaigns requires careful planning, diligence, and a deep understanding of your target audience.

Understand the various levels of trust your prospects and customers have with you and your products or services.

Send different emails according to the different levels of trust. Make sure your CTAs are matched to the level of trust. Don’t ask for anything that requires more trust than the recipient is willing to give. And write your CTAs using words that express your reader’s desire to receive the deeper benefits of your offer.

Leverage the power of email automation to build trust. Use them to automatically move your prospects and customers from one level of trust to the next deeper level.

By following this step-by-step approach, you’re well-equipped to build successful marketing campaigns that will help you crush your sales goals using email.