The rise of the email course

Let’s face it: People don’t like getting emails. They just don’t.

Nobody likes opening their inbox and seeing a bunch of random emails from companies that they’ve hardly interacted with.

These emails, such as newsletters and e-blasts, create a lose-lose situation for the company doing the sending and the person doing the deleting.

On the company side, a lot of time and effort was put into creating this email, only for it to get deleted or marked as spam as soon as it hits someone’s inbox. On the receiving end, someone has an inbox full of emails that they don’t want.

What if I told you there was a way to send emails that people actually want to read? So much so that they even check their inbox for your email?

It sounds like every company’s dream, but it’s very possible -- if you get it right, that is.

Introducing The Email Course

An email course is how your company can create and send emails that people actually want to open. It's a series of emails that are sent out over a designated period of time. They're intended to educate the reader on a specific topic, and usually, this education is tied to a particular goal.

For example, say someone is interested in remodeling their kitchen. A remodeling company could create an email course about the kitchen remodeling process. The first email could include information on how to find the right professional for the job, followed by a second email about how to finance their project. The email course would continue until the last steps of the reader’s buyer’s journey.

Email courses are often automated, and the first email of the series is sent out when someone opts in. Although the structure of an email course varies, each email generally contains one lesson or main goal. All of the emails together make up the course. Think of it like a watered-down version of an online course that a university would offer.

Why Email Courses Are So Popular

Email courses mark a new era for email marketing. With breakthroughs in technology, like email automation and personalization, it’s becoming easier for marketers to deliver what customers want, exactly when they want it.

For individuals, email courses provide valuable information in a digestible format all in one place. They offer more to the reader than downloading a PDF. Readers don’t have to scour the Internet to find what they’re looking for. Courses give information from a trusted brand and deliver it right to someone's inbox.

Email courses are perfect for people who are overwhelmed at the thought of taking a full-blown online course or don’t have a lot of time to devote to what they’re trying to learn. People also expect the emails by willingly subscribing for the course. This makes email courses less invasive than other forms of email communication.

For brands, the value of an email course is tenfold for the following reasons:

• They convert first-time visitors into email subscribers.
  Unfortunately, 95 percent of your website visitors will never come back. You have to set up amazing lead magnets in order to catch first-time visitors before you never see them again. An email course with a properly placed CTA in a prominent location is an effective way to do that.
• They create a relationship between your brand and customer.
  An email course lets your brand’s personality shine and shows off your expertise. By the end of the course, your reader trusts your brand and wants to use you as a source of information.
• They teach your audience to open your emails.
  When someone signs up for an email course, and you knock it out of the park, that person starts associating your company’s emails with valuable information that they want to read.
• They leverage existing content.
  Do you have a bunch of blogs that are collecting dust? Put links to them in your email course, if they’re related to the subject matter. Get some eyeballs on your awesome content!
• They’re less risky.
  Since email courses often use existing content, you’re not spending your time or budget on new assets or features. Even if you’re creating new content for your email course, it’s not very extensive (unless you’re building completely from the ground up). However, if you’re your email course doesn’t do as well as you hoped it would, you can determine what didn’t work and make a more valuable course for your audience without upsetting your calendar or budget.
• They help you sell.
  Email courses are often used as a free opt-in incentive to grow your email list, but they're also used to pitch products or services, especially if you offer a more in-depth, paid online course.

Email courses can be universally adopted by any company since there’s always something to teach your consumer base.

For example, if you work for a real estate company, create an email course about steps to buy a house. If you work for a green energy company, create an email course that teaches about small changes to their daily routine that decreases the carbon footprint.

Stop spending time and money on emails that no one wants. Be smart about your marketing initiatives, and focus your efforts on something that works -- that’s what Illumine8 does. If you need help creating an email course, give us a call. We’d love to help you create a high-converting lead magnet for your business.