Most of my clients sell services. Very few sell actual, physical products. Why's that?
It's easy to create emails, websites, blog posts, etc. around physical products. People want a thing, they look for it, they compare it to other things, they buy the one that they like best. Maybe it's the best value, the cheapest, or maybe it's the flashiest and has the best marketing. Either way. the process if pretty simple. But it's much more complex when it comes to services.
When you sell services, you aren't just selling the thing you do. You're selling how well you do them, the ways it's different from how other people do things, and you're selling your approach and style. It's less about talking about the service and more about connecting with the reader on a personal level. This is especially true if you're selling high-ticket services like marketing, copywriting 😉, photography, etc.
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What should service providers include in their emails?
Consider the following when building a nurture series or just scheduling specific emails to clients:
Get to know me. Tell your subscribers about you. Let them know who you are, why you do what you, what lights you up, what makes you over the moon excited at the idea of working with them.
Get to know them. Ask people to email you back, sometimes. Ask them questions. Get to know them. This is especially important if you're offering high ticket services. You should be willing to invest time answering their emails and their questions. It shows that you care and also gives you amazing customer insights.
Talk about your services. This should be a 'duh,' but a lot of people feel weird actually writing emails that outline their services. You should be. Tell people what you do, tell them how it can help them, and tell them how they can sign up.
Show how your services create change in their lives. If they aren't certain about making the purchase, it's often because they don't have enough information. Use testimonials, real life examples, and statistics to show why your services are the way to go.
Share industry trends and your viewpoint on them. If you have a hard stance on a topic, don't be afraid to stand up and say it. It could be what sets you apart from your competition and helps build lasting bonds with like-minded clients.
Share tips and tricks. Offer helpful information for free. Not only does this build trust, it shows your knowledge and creates a feeling of community. It also gives you more ways to stay in touch and make sure your services stay top of mind.
Should freelancers even be sending emails?
Email marketing isn’t something that a lot of freelancers consider to be important. I’ve got news for you, though, IT IS.
It is very important to stay in contact with your previous clients. Keeping your name, your services, etc. front and center in their minds whenever they think about hiring a freelancer is very important. That being said, you don’t want to become that annoying freelancer who’s always sending emails outlining your services and just driving clients nuts. You want to be helpful.
What should be in a freelancer's emails?
Information important to your client's niche. Not all freelancers have a niche. I certainly don't. Though I have worked with a lot of photographers. If you do have a niche, make your emails focused on updating your clients about news in their industries. This will show that you are continually doing your homework about their industries and are, thus, prepared to properly represent them in whatever type of freelancing you do.
Content that is specifically helpful related to your service. Now, make sure you don't teach them how to do your job 😆 but do share statistics and other helpful information about things related to your freelance field. Do you write blog posts? Has research recently shown that typical blog post structures are no longer effective in maintaining a reader’s attention? Tell your clients! AND, tell them how making changes to their blog post structures will positively impact their businesses/why NOT making changes will negatively impact their businesses.
Don’t forget the follow-up emails
A few of my coaching clients thought I had multiple heads when I asked them if they’ve followed up with their clients recently. They’d all told me that they were having trouble finding work and didn’t have the time necessary to really go out and look for more clients.
“Have you followed up with any previous clients?” I asked.
The common response was, “Can I do that?”
They were afraid that their clients would find them annoying. They were worried about the reactions their clients would have.
“Won’t they contact me if they need me?”
Well, not always.
Every now and then, email your clients and ask if they need anything. I usually do this about twice a year. The time of year varies by client depending on the last time we worked together, marketing trends in their industries, etc.
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