As a coach, you're not just offering advice. You're guiding individuals through life-changing transformations.
But how do you connect with those who are navigating identity shifts, burnout, or feeling stuck, and build the trust needed for them to take that crucial next step with you?
One way is having a well-crafted email sequence, acting as the warm, thoughtful, and bold heart of your customer journey email marketing.
Of course that's my specialty so I would say that. But my integrity is important. I never want someone to do anything that doesn't feel aligned. And I wouldn't recommend something doesn't work. That's why I mentioned it's 'one way.'
You might think of email marketing as a series of standalone messages, but the real magic happens when you view it as a strategic, connected story that nurtures leads from 'who are you?' to becoming one of your best clients that talks to her friends about you.
This starts with a welcome sequence but it doesn't end there. Your newsletter or ongoing emails combined with a lead nurturing email sequence play a big part. They're how the coaches you look up to have built a business sustainably. They're key cogs in their wider marketing ecosystem.
Why your email sequence is more than just automated communications
Your audience is bombarded with information. To cut through the noise, your emails need to do more than just broadcast, educate and inform. They need to really feel seen and heard.
The goal is to connect, empathize, and resonate with the deep desires and inner conflicts your ideal clients are facing.
They won't settle for surface-level pain points to address what it feels like to be ‘struggling’. Instead, get specific and name their emotional state (without being cruel or manipulative). For example, "emotionally tired" or trapped in "overfunctioning survival mode."
Your email sequence is not just as a series of comms. I prefer to think of it as an ongoing conversation that allows you to:
Build trust and authority
Each email is an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and unique voice. As a savvy business owner you understand the importance of a thoughtful email marketing strategy that builds genuine connection.
Share your stories and values
People connect with people, not just services. Weave together storytelling, mindset shifts, identity exploration, and your core values. This is where your unique voice truly comes to life.
Address their inner conflicts and deep desires
Please stop saying "lose weight". Instead speak to your ideal client's desire to break free from eating mindlessly at the end of a long day. To eat with intention and to nourish your body and mind.
Address the key shifts they need to make. For example, the underlying struggle of being in a state of freeze or navigating significant identity shifts.
Educate and empower your subscribers
Provide valuable insights that help your audience understand their frustrating challenges better and feel how your coaching can be the solution they've been searching for.
Guide them smoothly with empathy
Your email sequence should gently guide your leads through their journey, with strategic CTAs. For example, a quiz, a masterclass, practical tools, or a direct coaching offer.
Not a hard or confusing pitch but a genuine offer of guidance and support.
Weaving your email sequence into the customer journey
Your email sequence doesn’t act in isolation. It's a vital part of a larger, cohesive marketing ecosystem and should consider the customer journey.
Here’s how it fits:
1. Your welcome sequence:
This is your first impression, and as a specialist in welcome sequences, the humble welcome sequence is underestimated by New Zealand service business owners and NZ coaches. It's not a nice to have. It’s where you introduce yourself, set expectations, share your unique philosophy, and immediately start to build trust and connection. Your welcome sequences creates a warm, safe and inviting space for someone who might be feeling overwhelmed or uncertain. I’ve also found it has a roll-on effect for your overall email engagement.
2. Your nurturing path:
Your weekly newsletter and lead nurture sequences continue your new subscribers journey. The both operate in different ways. So I'll explain the difference and how they work:
Now that you’ve built a strong foundation of trust through your welcome emails, don't stop. It’s essential to continue to send emails. These ongoing emails allow you to explore common challenges more deeply, offer solutions, share client success stories (anonymous unless permission is given), and provide valuable content. This is where you continue to speak-to their identity shifts, their current state (e.g. burnout), and their future state (e.g. desire to live a more intentional life).
The lead nurture sequence is triggered by their behaviour or how your subscribers interact with the welcome sequence (or later on). If your subscriber shows interest in a topic or service, by clicking or behaving in a certain way, then your email system can react by sending them the appropriate lead nurture sequence.
3. Your invitation to transformation:
As trust grows, your emails naturally lead to an invitation to take the next step. This might be a discovery call, signing up for a specific program, or joining your community. This isn't a hard sell, but a gentle hand reaching out, acknowledging their journey and offering support.
3. Your ongoing relationship:
Even once a lead becomes a client or finishes working with you, your emails still keep that line of communication open. They remain a powerful tool for ongoing engagement. It's sharing updates, providing ongoing resources and fostering a community around your brand.
I'm honoured that my clients often come back to tackle the next step. That way, they stagger the cost and tackle the next step when it suits them. This only happens if you provide a great service and opportunities to continue working towards their big juicy goals.
Email marketing sequences for NZ business owners
The other day someone asked me; 'So Tiffany you specialize in welcome sequences but what happens next for your clients?' I answered that easily because there are next step(s). I've done what I suggest to my clients and subscribers and created a customer journey. But it got me thinking that while I lead with welcome sequences and that's what I'm known for, I offer so much more.
The problem is so few New Zealand business owners have a welcome sequence. If you haven't sorted that then launching straight into sending emails, usually infrequently, won't have the same impact.
If you have one takeaway from this email marketing article, it's that you need a welcome sequence, lead nurture sequence AND ongoing email marketing (at a minimum fortnightly) to reap the rewards of email marketing for your coaching or service business. Email marketing is part of a wider marketing ecosystem. It needs other marketing channels to work best for you. I'll share more on that soon.
What's next Tiffany?
As a fellow New Zealand business owner, and a NZ email marketing specialist, I get the local market. I've worked with many service providers over the last decade. We're a nation of DIYers. If that's you, I've got a welcome sequence checklist that will help you.
Having said that... there comes a point when you need an email experts help. I find that many New Zealand coaches and professional service business owners get stuck because they don't have the time or expertise to DIY anymore. If that's you then the next step is to get in touch.
