By Nate Medina
Tattoos hurt! :[
And they're permanent (well...kinda).
In October, I decided to get my second! If you're not familiar with the process, there's a lot that goes into it:
You need to:
- Brainstorm the design concept
- Find the perfect artist
- Connect with the artist for a consultation (this is where the shop captured my email address)
- Show up to get stabbed with needles dipped in ink for a few hours
- Provide payment for the project and a tip for the service
Now...I don't know what you're selling, but I bet you're offering some sort of guarantee or risk reversal promise, right?
With tattoos, there is no "If you don't love it, we'll pay for your tattoo removal" guarantee. Sooooo, you better know, love, and trust your artist and their vision.
Now, I love the work my artist has created for others. BUT I don't know her. Therefore, it was hard to trust her, which created a lot of anxiety for me as a potential customer.
Get this…it wasn't until the day of our session that I saw my design come to life for approval. (Luckily, it was exceptional!)
But as I was getting stabbed,
the marketer inside me thought:
"Wouldn't it have been AWESOME if I received the following welcome emails:
- Email one introducing me to the founders in a video where they share their purpose, values, vision, and history of their tattoo shop and thank me for my interest.
- Email two introducing me to my artist in a video conveying her passion by giving her backstory, experience, happy customer testimonials, and encouraging me to connect with her on her social channels.
- Email three introducing me to the front desk admin, providing her contact information encouraging me to call if I had any questions, and giving valuable content, like...
- "How to prepare for your tattoo session"
- "What to expect during your session"
- "How to take care of your tattoo after your session" (And an offer for tattoo care products as an upsell or provide an Amazon affiliate link in the email)”
(No joke. That was really going on in my mind.)
See how that would have been a better experience for me?
- First, confidence would replace my anxiety and guaranteed my business
- Second, the stories I share with my network would include fun facts about my artist, increasing her exposure and reach, leading to referrals
- Third, my artist would earn a larger tip because I would see our relationship more as of a friendship rather than transactional
- Fourth, my third tattoo (if motivation strikes) would be done at the same shop by the same artist
See how my Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV) exponentially increases for this company?
Oh, you do? Fantastic. Experian Marketing Services agrees with you! According to their recent report, welcome emails are:
- Four times more likely to be opened
- Five times more likely to be clicked
- And have transaction rates (yay money!) that are nine times higher than other promotional mailings!
What about the correlation between the influence my artist has on me and my CLTV, did you connect those two?
No? Well smarty pants, let's quickly visit Dr. Robert Cialdini’s "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion". In order to increase the influence you have over your new subscribers, I highly recommend leveraging Cialdini’s six principles of persuasion:
- Reciprocity: the desire to give back to those that have given to us
- Commitment (and Consistency): the desire to be consistent and congruent with our internal values and what we've said and done
- Social Proof (Consensus): the desire for people to want to follow the lead of similar others
- Liking: the desire to say yes and do business with those we like (similar to us, pay us compliments, and cooperate with us)
- Scarcity: the desire to have things that are in limited supply
- Authority: the desire to seek those that are perceived as credible and knowledgeable
In my imagined tattoo-parlor, three-email welcome series, I was appreciated, introduced, and provided with stories that inspired connection (liking), including relatable testimonials (social proof), and given valuable resources I needed at the right point in my journey (authority).
What do you guess my response (reciprocity) to the thoughtful and caring welcome series would’ve been? Do you think I would go anywhere else?
No! I’d be begging her to take my money!
(luckily my artist was very caring during our session, so in the end, I was begging her to take my money, anyway.)
Think about your new subscribers, leads, and prospects. How can you introduce your company, increase engagement, set expectations, and identify next steps for your relationship with your new subscriber?
Hopefully, the answer is obvious now…welcome emails!
Your new subscribers are never more excited to hear from you then when they first subscribe and start their relationship with you.
Nate Medina is an Infusionsoft Small Business Growth Expert with passion and education in business, education, and wellness. Before small businesses, he was transforming lives as the former owner and coach of Fit Culture LLC. Connect with him at n8medina.com or on LinkedIn.
