Is email marketing still a viable way to launch? If you are pondering that question, you need to meet Laura Brandenburg.
Email Marketing to Fuel a Launch
Our main lead generation strategy is organic search. So we've been in business and had a blog for 13 years. At one point, I was publishing a couple of times a week.
I no longer do that, but we have a huge archive of content that receives regular search traffic. So a lot of that content now has been repurposed to lead into either a free workshop that we offer. On the other hand, we're in the process of shifting our website so that getting on the waitlist for the Business Analyst Blueprint Certification Program is like the main call to action when you come to our website.
What is a pre-launch campaign?
So we're really always list-building and always talking about when is the next session going to start? This program is quite an intensive program that we run just twice a year. We use the list for email marketing which continues to nurture our followers between launches.
There has been a lot of editing content, pruning content, and tweaking content. We are always asking what is somebody going to search for to land on this page? If that's their intent, what can we give them? What would be the relevant next step or opt-in for them to help convert people who land on our website to join our list?
So we are always thinking about how we can leverage that part of the ecosystem. There's a lot of strategy around it for sure.
What is an email launch?
Most of our energy is spent leveraging our current email marketing list and building interest in the next session. So, for 3 or 4 months leading up to a launch, we’re sharing content that's relevant to the certification program. That's when we open up the waitlist. We announced to the waitlist that early registration is open. Then, we offer some bonuses for joining early.
So we're continually trying to pull people from our main list onto the waitlist by sharing content like case studies. We also share relevant content that links to why they would want to be part of the program.
How do you announce a launch?
Our most active social media platform is LinkedIn. So, I'll share it a few times on LinkedIn. But our main channel is our existing email lists. That's growing every day through organic search.
However, many people go through sometimes 2 to 4 launches, before they buy our program. It's a $5,000 program. So, sometimes people like to get on the list, but it's not the right time.
Many of our buyers often come from people who've joined the list over a year ago. So we always want to be building. The people who joined today, are unlikely to buy in this spring. However, the likelihood of them joining next fall is greater.
So, it really is a long-term game for us. It comes down to connecting with people at the right time and consistently being top of mind when it's the right time for them.
Grab our free Course Creation Blueprint download at https://handprintlegacy.com/ccb
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