Email marketing during COVID-19. How do you send the right message? How frequently should you marketing during a crisis, especially one as big as the Coronavirus pandemic? Kelly Forst is with Aweber. She joins me to talk about crisis communication and how to create powerful email strategies that drive sales.
Kelly Forst is a professional marketer and PR expert at AWeber. It’s one of the world’s leading email marketing and automation platforms for bloggers, creators, and small business owners. Kelly is a relationship builder and a storyteller. Throughout her career, Kelly has worked with key journalists, influencers, and peers to drive brand awareness and maintain a positive brand reputation.
Contact Kelly Forst
Website: Aweber
Twitter @KellyForstPR
How to Create Powerful Email Strategies that Drive Sales
- Send valuable, service-filled content. Set the bar high. If its not good enough, dont send it.
- Know when to automate and when not to automate.
- Encourage fearless creativity. But also be a number-crunching realist. Your campaigns, content, and funnels should ultimately drive sales.
- Segmentation (Reach the people who actually need your content. Don’t message the rest.)
- Ask your subscribers questions. Listen. Their answers could lead to your next product, blog post, lead magnet, or email idea.
Mentioned in this Episode
6 Ways to Keep Your Audience Engaged During These Unprecedented Times
8-Step Guide to Email Marketing During a Crisis
Note: Below you’ll find timecodes for specific sections of the podcast. To get the most value out of the podcast, I encourage you to listen to the complete episode. However, there are times when you want to skip ahead or repeat a particular section. By clicking on the timecode, you’ll be able to jump to that specific section of the podcast. Here’s to getting a Competitive Advantage!
Transcript
Hi, I’m Kelly Forst of Aweber and we’re talking about How to Create Powerful Email Strategies that Drive Sales and you’re listening to The Brand Journalism Advantage.
Episode 438
Businesses that take action to help those affected by the crisis will connect with their audiences on a much deeper level and people want to do business with brands who genuinely care.
The Brand Journalism Advantage, the podcast that teaches the power of storytelling to increase business by attracting, engaging, and influencing consumers. Now it’s time to think like a journalist with your host brand journalist, Phoebe Chongchua.
Phoebe Chongchua: [00:41]
Hello, Brand Journalism Community. I’m Phoebe Chongchua. Thanks for tuning into the brand journalism advantage podcast. Here we go with the inside scoop on today’s show, Kelly Forst. Kelly is a professional marketer and PR expert at AWeber. It’s one of the world’s leading email marketing and automation platforms for bloggers, creators, and small business owners. Kelly is a relationship builder and a storyteller. Throughout her career, Kelly has worked with key journalists, influencers, and peers to drive brand awareness and maintain a positive brand reputation. Welcome to the show. Kelly. How are you?
Kelly Forst: [01:16]
I’m doing great. Phoebe, how are you? Thank you so much for having me on the show.
Phoebe Chongchua: [01:20]
Absolutely. I’m so glad you’re here. Brand Journalism Community. We know that this is a very trying period at the time of this recording. Anyway, we are about three weeks into all of the Corona virus, the COVID-19 situation that is literally turned our world, our world, not just the United States, but our world upside down. And I know that a lot of you folks listen from around the globe. So let me first say that I hope you all are well, I hope that you are a social distancing and staying at home as Kelly and I are. Kelly, you are coming to us from where?
Kelly Forst: [01:58]
Right outside of Philadelphia.
Phoebe Chongchua: [02:00]
Okay. And I’m here in San Diego, specifically in Del Mar, California and have been on the stay at home shelter in place for at least about three weeks now. So how about you guys out there?
Kelly Forst: [02:14]
Yeah, we’ve been remote now for three weeks.
Phoebe Chongchua: [02:17]
Yeah. Yeah, it’s a tough time. But we do want to stay focused. At least for the small business owners, medium sized business owners, anyone listening who is still trying to really stay in touch with their customers and drive traffic. This is going to be an important episode for you. When we originally set to record this, we talked about how to create powerful email strategies that drive sales that’s still important right now, but Kelly is also going to offer some suggestions about some best practices for email marketing in a crisis situation like this. As I’ve been doing for my clients. Kelly, I imagine you guys are helping people get the word out and the messaging of course is about driving sales to degree, but it’s also got this this other hopefully unified approach and trying to reach out and touch customers in a very human way.
Kelly Forst: [03:08]
Absolutely. What’s going on in the world right now is heartbreaking. It’s unprecedented and small business owners, entrepreneurs are really, it’s important to get the message out there, what they’re doing to benefit the community, what they’re doing to support their customers and prospects during this time. I mean at a Weber we saw 12% spike in emails that mentioned coronavirus or coven, 19 in some way early in March. And that spike happened in just one day, that day. Everything seemingly flipped the switch overnight. So we’ve really taken a, an approach to our own marketing to teach, really educate small business owners and entrepreneurs and content creators, what they can do to communicate with their audience during this time.
Phoebe Chongchua: [03:59]
So vitally important. So brand journalism community. I thank you for tuning in during these difficult times. I hope that this helps you with your business and I hope that you all are well and healthy and stay that way and are able to, if you had to close down are able to open up very soon. I want to get us into the show as quickly as possible and to start talking about the top tips. But we always kick it off with our icebreaker and I love this one because I think it’s important right now, especially while we’re all at home and the refrigerator is so close to us. Your icebreaker is that you just became a certified nutritionist? Tell me about that.
Kelly Forst: [04:42]
Yes, I did. So I, I’ve always loved health and fitness my whole life. I spend a lot of my personal time working out and cooking healthy meals and reading or listening to podcasts or audio books about health. And over the summer I got really frustrated with all the information on the internet, basically about all of those conflicting information. Some stuff that I know just from years and years of reading is just flat out false. But even though I got fed up with that being out there, I got more set up with the fact that I just couldn’t understand the science behind the claim. You know, I, I come from a communications and business background. Science is not my forte. So I really wanted to better understand. So I signed up for a course that would teach me how to become a certified nutritionist. And over the course of a few months they’d started as a, as a pursuit of knowledge. And now it’s kind of become my side hustle, especially now with all this extra time that we’re spending at home now with a really good time. Like if you’re a want to be entrepreneur or stuck at home and just want to have a project to work on right now it’s filled my weekend time for sure. Kind of learning a bit of a new skillset. And it’s just a really fun thing to work on right now.
Phoebe Chongchua: [06:07]
Any quick tips about what people should do or not do to stay healthy from the nutrition perspective? When, like I said, I was joking, the refrigerator is so close, but it really is for most of us while we’re staying at home. Any quick tips before we move on?
Kelly Forst: [06:24]
Sure. I would say just be kind to yourself. You know, right now we’ve never faced anything like this. If you find yourself turning to snack throughout the day, just be kind. Approach it from a place of you know, doing what’s right for yourself and your health right now. I always like to say if I’m between the cookie and the pantry or there’s a bowl of fruit on the table, choosing the fruit is obviously the better place to start. And then if in an hour or so you’re still craving that cookie, have that cookie and then just move on and be done with it. But everyone wash your hands, wash your your produce when you come home from the grocery store, socially distance. Just do your best to stay healthy during this time.
Phoebe Chongchua: [07:13]
So I’ve got a quote that goes well with this episode it goes like this. “Email has an ability that many channels don’t creating valuable personal touches at scale.” Your thoughts.
Kelly Forst: [07:24]
I think that’s 100% right. Email doesn’t have to fight with the algorithms like we often do on social media with email. You know that what you send your audience is going to get, you have the ability to connect with them one on one. Some of the most effective email copy is when you’re writing with one person in mind. So pretend you’re crafting your email to your best friend or your mom. And just write like a human and connect with them really one-on-one rather than one to many. And you will see results when you’re connecting with people in a very human way.
Phoebe Chongchua: [08:01]
I’ve given a little bit of information about your background. You know, we’ve heard how you’ve branched out into other areas that interest you. Why don’t you share with us a little bit more about yourself and then take me to that moment in time, that story that is your career highlight.
Kelly Forst: [08:17]
Sure. Sounds good. So I started in marketing and communications right out of school at a nationally ranked PR agency. Started at the very bottom of the food chain as an intern. Worked my way up to a supervisor position where I helped oversee a team of just really awesome PR people, supporting clients, but typically in the financial services industry. And it was an awesome way to start my career. And even though I was primarily servicing financial service clients, clients they were all incredibly different and had different goals. And through servicing those clients, I got to really experience some spin tech experience and that really opened my eyes to the technology industry. And I decided I really wanted to make the move into a technology company that was having such a positive impact on the people who use it. I loved the pace that they seemingly worked out in their approach to marketing so that when I transitioned to Aweber or really got exactly exactly that get to work with a team of really awesome people who are bringing such great ideas to the table who are really motivated by serving entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Kelly Forst: [09:31]
And that’s really fulfilling and my career highlight. So it’s hard to pinpoint an exact moment in time. That is one thing that has really moved the needle. I think it’s really every time that I’ve said yes to something and really expose myself to something new, challenged myself, gets me totally outside my comfort zone. And one example of that that comes to mind. I was serving a client doing a media training session when I was back at the, at the PR agency. And I had absolutely no idea that I was going to be on video that day had no idea what the topic would be, but I was asked to sit in front of the camera and participate in this video with, with my client. And though it was very nerve wracking, I’m someone who really likes to come to the table prepared and have thought through what it is exactly. I want to say did it anyway, challenged myself, got myself out of that comfort zone and come out the, came out the other end feeling totally more confident. And it’s really when you draw that line in the sand and you tell yourself, no matter what you’re comfortable with you’re going to say yes. And that really makes it a lot easier in the feeling afterward is just so rewarding.
Phoebe Chongchua: [10:49]
I know. And something like this, you know, you may be listening and thinking, huh, wow, that’s the career highlight. But really if you think about it, you know, so many people are literally deathly afraid of public speaking and that’s what a video webinar is, you know, and, and when you get pulled into it and you’re not even ready or you haven’t had any time to prepare that can be ultra frightening for many.
Kelly Forst: [11:17]
Absolutely. It’s really pushing the boundaries of what you think you can do.
Phoebe Chongchua: [11:20]
Now let’s flip it. Let’s talk about a time that didn’t work for you. Share with us that story and what you learned from that.
Kelly Forst: [11:27]
Sure. So like I said, my background is in PR. And I, when you work in PR, especially at an agency and you’re, you’re doing a lot in media relations, you have to get very comfortable with the word no or getting no answers from journalists at all. It’s just the nature of the game. It’s the way it works. But one thing I learned really early on, and I think a lot of people and marketers can relate to is you really want to focus on creating those quality relationships. And, and when you’re pitching you know, one thing that doesn’t work is just blasting, blast pitching. It doesn’t work with an email marketing either. You’re not trying to bless so many people. You’re really trying to focus on creating those one-on-one connections. And it took, it took a while to learn, especially as a young PR person who was focused on getting so many pitches out the door. You’re not really focusing on quantity. You’re trying to focus on quality instead. So that was a time it didn’t work was, you know, focusing on, on quantity instead of quality. And it wasn’t until we really take a step back and focus on the one on one human connections, start forming relationship either on email or on Twitter. Twitter and LinkedIn are such valuable tools to form genuine connections and relationships with people.
Phoebe Chongchua: [12:49]
It’s amazing what a, you can build through those two platforms and you’re right as you know, being that I was that the journalist who was receiving a lot of the pitches, if it was a poorly put together pitch, okay, I didn’t mean to do that poorly put together pitch — alliteration here, but but if it was, it just didn’t get anywhere. It just ended up in the circular file beneath my desk. So really important. I’d rather hear from that person making the pitch only once every, I don’t know, month or something like that, but it’d be really good where it’s a story that had to be told.
Kelly Forst: [13:31]
Absolutely. And it applies to so many areas, not just PR either. You think about really creating those connections is what marketing is all about. Whether it’s social media marketing or influencer marketing, email marketing, it goes on and on.
Phoebe Chongchua: [13:47]
Yes, it does. Well, take us into how to create a powerful email strategy that drives sales, especially paying attention to best practices during a crisis. Like we’re in with COVID-19.
Kelly Forst: [14:01]
First of all, you’d want to send valuable service filled content. Set the bar high. If it’s not good enough, don’t send it. Content will always be King and queen and content that helps solve a problem for your audience and provides them with real value is key. And there’s a few things to keep in mind when writing awesome email content. First of all, it should be helpful. Try to solve your audience’s problems, figure out their biggest pain point or the problem that keeps them up at night, especially now if you can solve a problem for them. Now, I think one of the greatest things I’ve seen a brand do right now is being helpful for their audience. You know, I saw Peloton for example, expanded their free trial to a 90-day free trial. So people are stuck at home, have access to workout.
Kelly Forst: [14:54]
You know, that’s an example of a brand that’s being really helpful right now. Good content should be interesting. That means making your writing more conversational in nature, which can help you come across as more relatable. Don’t be afraid to organize your email. In a way that makes it easy for people to read and skim. Don’t be afraid of I TeleSign fonts or bowls or underlines. And that sounds so basic, but it’s really helpful to help your readers understand the most important thing you want them to get out of your email. And it should most importantly be one of a kind. Try taking a new angle on a topic. Send content that your readers can’t find anywhere else. You know, if it’s redundant, outdated, or trivial, I like to call that rat. Don’t send it. Be unique. Develop your voice and send content that’s really valuable.
Phoebe Chongchua: [15:50]
I love it. Excellent tips. Important for any time, but let’s drill down a little bit about marketing during a crisis like this. When every day we’re hearing horrible numbers about the death toll rising throughout the world and throughout the nation, how do you feel about marketing during these times? Obviously, we do have to continue making a living but what are some best tips?
Kelly Forst: [16:17]
It really is. We’re walking a fine line. I’m trying to balance continuing your business as usual while being sensitive to all that’s going on in the world right now. And there are a few tips I could give to write really good emails during the coronavirus crisis. First of all, if you haven’t addressed it with your audience, you want to act quickly, your audience expects to hear from you. Waiting too long can negatively affect your brand reputation. And they may and your audience may assume that you are not taking the situation seriously. So if it’s, if it’s a business that is impacted or has clients or customers that are impacted by the coronavirus, you want to make sure that you’re addressing that quickly. Of course you want to be compassionate and consider it an every single email that you send. Take the time to, to think about how the crisis is having a direct impact on your community and your customers and your followers.
Kelly Forst: [17:20]
Make sure you’re pausing and sensitive marketing campaigns like contests or if you have a lighthearted take some marketing, any humorous content, make sure you’re pausing that any unnecessary events like in person workshops or conferences obviously have to wait until after the fall settles. You also want to describe the action that you’re taking to deal with the situation. They want your, your subscribers want to know what you’re doing to support the wellbeing of the community. Do anything that you can to help businesses that, that take action to help those affected by the crisis will connect with their audiences on a much deeper level. And people want to do business with brands who genuinely care.
Phoebe Chongchua: [18:06]
I agree with that 100%. And one thing that I’ve done, one tip Brand Journalism Community is I’ve been helping my clients actually move into the digital space and get into an area that maybe they haven’t been as comfortable with, which is online webinars, online seminars, online meetings. You know, a lot of us are in that space who do this for a living, broadcasting and podcasting. But many clients and small businesses are just not that comfortable with it because they’ve been, you know, acting in the in-person world and that’s worked with them so well. But there’s a whole new platform out there in that digital world and it’s not, it’s not new to many people and many of you listening, probably not, but it is new to some of the small business owners as I’ve said. And that is a great way to stay connected with your audience. And I’ve found it’s been hugely successful.
Kelly Forst: [19:02]
Yes, absolutely.
Phoebe Chongchua: [19:03]
Brand Journalism Community. You’ll find all of this and more at ThinkLikeAJournalist.com can go to Kelly’s show notes page to review it and you know, go through your email blasts, look at what you’ve said up to this point and look at how you can continue to stay of service to your clients and be connected.
Phoebe Chongchua: [19:24]
Kelly, you’ve been hired to help an ailing company. It’s about to financially collapse its reputation shot. You have a month, $1,000 budget, a smartphone and a laptop. How do you begin to turn this company around?
Kelly Forst: [19:35]
I think the answer is two fold. It’s the two Cs, content and connection and you don’t need a huge budget to accomplish either. All you need to know is how to write really amazing content that resonates with your audience and you need to know how to connect with influential people that can help disseminate your message to the people that you want to reach.
Phoebe Chongchua: [19:55]
What is one piece of technology, video, multimedia equipment or app that you just can’t live without?
Kelly Forst: [20:00]
I absolutely love Audible. I have, I usually have a really long commute, not so much at the moment, but I like to take walks frequently to reset and refocus and listening to books really helps me maintain that focus and really love listening to professional development or self development books. And once I’d subscribed to audible, that was a game changer
Phoebe Chongchua: [20:21]
Name one book, documentary blog, podcast or internet channel you want to recommend.
Kelly Forst: [20:26]
My favorite book is Atomic Habits by James Clear. I really buy into the the claim that 1% changes can make a big difference and that doing the things that seem insignificant in the moment can add up over the long “term. And it’s so hard to make excuses like, Oh, I don’t feel like doing this today. It’s not a big deal if it for tomorrow” because it actually is a big deal. So that’s what that book has taught me and I recommend it to almost everyone. I talked to
Phoebe Chongchua: [20:52]
Expert predictions the years 2025. What do you think things will look like? Obviously a lot of uncertainty right now, but hoping and you know, really staying finely tuned to the fact that we will have better times ahead. Give us a look at what you think things will look like and how to build a competitive advantage.
Kelly Forst: [21:12]
Yeah. Especially with what’s going on in the world right now, which is our view. We, one of the most impactful things to ever happen in our lifetimes. It’s hard to say exactly what will come out the other side. I think on arguably will, we’ll be relying on technology more than ever. And as far as, as news and storytelling goes, I think the outlets that prioritize authenticity and break it down in a way that focuses on education rather than pushing an agenda are going to win the day.
Phoebe Chongchua: [21:40]
Normally about this time I ask you where you wine, dine and play, but it just doesn’t feel right. I know we’ll be back there soon. But I want to ask you instead as we wind down the show to tell me one tip about staying connected while we are physically distancing, not necessarily socially but physically distancing. What’s your one tip?
Kelly Forst: [22:00]
Yeah, that’s interesting. I have every week had at least two or three personal Zoom or FaceTime calls with family or friends that I haven’t seen in awhile. And I actually think that when you use this time that’s physically distant from people as a way to connect with people that you normally wouldn’t in your day to day, it’s actually really nice to see people that you don’t, you normally connect with. So just set some time aside. Connect with people that you don’t normally connect with. Check in on people. Really show that you care. Whether it’s friends, family, or people that you work with, just having that extra bit of connection goes a long way.
Phoebe Chongchua: [22:46]
Absolutely true. Kelly, thank you so much. You’ve added a lot, brand journalism community, super important to continue to physical distance, but socially you can stay connected virtually. Just like Kelly and I are doing, I’m talking right now, doing podcasts, checking out, FaceTime, zoom, even Skype, which is where we’re hosting this meeting right now. Thank you so much for being on The Brand Journalism Advantage podcast.
Kelly Forst: [23:11]
Thank you so much for having me, Phoebe.
Phoebe Chongchua: [23:14]
Hey, Brand Journalism Community. You know that you can find all the valuable information in the show notes. All you have to do is head on over to ThinkLikeAJournalist.com And in the search box type in 438 and this interview and the resources mentioned in this episode will pop right up.
Announcer: [23:33]
Subscribe to The Brand Journalism Advantage podcast and be the media. Now go think like a journalist.
