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AMY PORTERFIELD: Well hey there, welcome back to another episode of The Online Marketing Made Easy Podcast. I’m your host, Amy Porterfield, and as always, thank you so much for being here.
I know you have a lot of choices when it comes to podcasts so I’m so glad that you are tuning in today.
You all know that I love hearing from each and every one of you. This week I’m giving a shout out to Traveling Wild Woman. Come on, can the name get any better? Traveling Wild Woman left me a review in iTunes. This is what she wrote:
“This is my new favorite podcast to listen to on my morning walk. Amy has great energy and easy, actionable steps that really breaks everything down for us. I’ve implemented many of her tips and business finally feels fun again!!! Thank you.”
Well thank you, Traveling Wild Woman, I love to hear that business feels fun again. That’s where we want to get to or get back to so thanks for reminding all of us that it can be fun and thank you for being a part of my community.
For all of you who have left me a review on iTunes I wanted to let you know that I read all of them and you might just get a personal shout out on the show as well. Thanks so much.
Today we’re going to talk about the power of using a P.S. strategy in your business. You know the P.S. I’m talking about, right? If you’re old school like me then you have definitely written those long hand-written letters and at the end you add a little P.S.
I used to have a boyfriend in high school. I was a senior and he was a few years older than me. He was in the military. He got stationed in Okinawa, Japan, for six months while we were dating.
I wrote him a hand-written letter almost every day. Gotta love young love, right? In every single letter I put a P.S. I Love You. Come on, it’s almost embarrassing to admit how many letters I wrote this guy.
I never missed the P.S. It’s an important part, right? Well, today in the digital age, and definitely within the online marketing community, that P.S. and the strategy behind it has a powerful place in our marketing efforts.
That’s exactly what we’re going to dive into today, the power of the P.S. strategy.
Speaking of strategy, do you have a solid strategy for growing your email list? If we’re
talking about the P.S. and we all know the P.S. goes in the emails we’re writing to our ideal customer avatar, do you have people to send emails to?
Before we get into it, as you likely know, this episode is sponsored by my free masterclass, The Ultimate List-Building Catch-Up Plan, my three-stack system for leveraging the most powerful, what’s-working-now list-building strategies without the stress, tech confusion, or crazy overwhelm.
I can guarantee you the P.S. strategy is going to be a big part of how you communicate with your email list as it begins to grow. So, if you’re struggling to get started with building your email list or you’re just not attracting new subscribers every single day in your business do not hesitate to get on my free masterclass. Go to https://amyporterdev.wpenginepowered.com/listbuilding.
Let’s get to it, this P.S. strategy. My copywriter, Ry Schwartz, taught me about the P.S. strategy. He once told me, “There is no such thing as a benign email that doesn’t have a goal, that isn’t trying to do something.”
When Ry says “goal” he doesn’t mean a goal of trying to sell something in every single email you send but he is saying that what we should be selling in every email are micro conversions. These micro conversions will help to set up the sale down the road.
Let me first define micro conversion and then we’ll talk strategy. Ry defines a micro conversion as the messaging that speaks to your audience’s beliefs, to their understanding of something, or their thoughts around something.
These micro conversions can also provide valuable motivation and insights to your reader. This messaging (the copy in your emails or even the words you use in your podcast or what you put on social media) around micro conversions allows you to coach this conversion from Point A (your first interaction and all of those that follow) to Point B (this person eventually becoming a paying customer).
I’m going to get into it more. If it still doesn’t make sense to you it will. I’m going to bring it all to light in a moment here. But I wanted to let you know that I take Ry’s concept of micro conversions one step further.
I see micro conversions as mini actions, either physical actions like clicking on a link and doing something like watching a video and once you’re watching a video you might have a thought shift or get valuable insight to make you understand something in a new way or change your belief; or, a mental action like reading something and then realizing you want to think of it different or you have a new thought or you’re changing the way you are approaching something.
When I think of micro conversions I think, yes, it’s messaging, but it’s also getting somebody to take action in a different way whether it is a physical action like clicking a link or a mental action like changing the way you’re thinking.
I think micro conversions and actions go hand in hand. I’ll get to that a little bit more as we get going as well.
Let me share an example of a micro conversion I learned from Ry. I thought this one was brilliant and I use it in some of my marketing.
This micro conversion would speak to someone who might be hung up on the fact they have spent a lot of money in buying online courses and then not following through and completing them.
Let’s say they come to my website and are thinking about buying my course but they have a lot of shame around the fact that they have a lot of courses they still haven’t finished.
I might say in an email, “One thing I’ve learned over the years is not to let my past failings dictate what’s going to happen in my future. Maybe you’ve spent money on a course or coaching program and you didn’t actually finish the course. You didn’t get to the finish line.
“Yes, that is part of your history and you’ve learned from it. But making an investment in yourself today is your fresh start, your time to do things differently, your time to create the business you love.”
If I wrote that in an email it would basically be a micro conversion where I am looking to change how they feel about a current situation. I could take it one step further and say, “Click this link to watch my video about my own story of how I finally started getting to the finish line of courses that I purchased.”
Now I’m getting them to change their thought around it but I’m getting them to click a link as well. The more actions you get your audience to take the more trust there is going to be there.
I get them to click a link and take that one step further. That’s how I like to do my micro conversions.
As I read that did you see how I addressed the need for the reader to forgive themselves so they could move on? This is something that came from Ry. It’s just so brilliant. He said you often have to take a moment to help your potential student or potential client forgive themselves for things that haven’t worked for them in the past.
If they are coming to you for a solution they’ve likely tried other things that have failed and you need to address that and help them forgive themselves and move on from that.
If they change their mindset around the shame of buying too many courses and not completing them they have just made a micro conversion. They essentially converted (changed) the way they think and feel.
What’s important to remember is that this is not a one and done thing. This is a journey you are taking your reader or your listener on and you’re going to continue to do this throughout everything you do.
I alluded to this already, but let me explain how Ry’s micro conversion definition ties in to what I’m talking about here with the P.S. strategy. As you can see, Ry’s micro conversion strategy will help you to convert how your reader or listener thinks. It guides them to making decisions differently.
The P.S. micro conversion strategy is where you take that and what I will call the thought and decision-making micro conversion and you make it actionable. You get your reader or listener to click on something to go watch a video or go listen to a podcast episode or reply back to the email or send you a DM answering a question or to download a freebie, whatever it might be.
You are taking that micro conversion of changing their mindset but also making it actionable by getting them to do something physical like clicking a link to go do something.
Why is it called the P.S. strategy? Because a lot of people just skim through emails, especially long promotional emails, but if you get good about teasing something really great at the end of your emails (in the P.S.) they will likely click through.
There are rarely emails that I send out, especially promotional emails, that do not include a P.S. but I do it with my emails that I send every single week encouraging you to check out my latest podcast.
I often include a P.S. in there as well. You can bet if you are on my email list and you got an email about this episode there was a really good P.S.
This is where you’ve got to use some really good copy. It doesn’t have to be just a one liner either. It can even be a few sentences like, P.S. If you just skimmed this whole email and jumped to the P.S. here’s what you need to know. I’ve got a video. It’s going to teach you XYZ so click here to watch it now.”
If your email was all about a free video you just created and maybe you worked a micro conversion in there to change their mindset or thought around something that was holding them back, now in the P.S. you say, “I’ve got a video. It’s going to teach you how to move past XYZ and click here to go watch it now.”
We’re adding action with this idea of a decision-making or thought-provoking micro conversion. I like to add the two.
You know I like to really get into the details so let me make a couple of things clear about these two types of micro conversions. I call them Part 1, which is the Ry micro conversion that I explained; and Part 2, which is adding the action to it.
Part 1 and Part 2 go hand in hand. If you haven’t been coaching them through their limiting beliefs or providing insights and motivation along the way (Part 1) they’re not going to always click on the P.S. (Part 2, the actionable micro conversion).
Part 1 helps us to build trust with our audience so they take action in Part 2. It’s like if they were reading the email and I was addressing some limiting belief they had.
If I did a good job in the copy to get them to think, “Yeah, that could be holding me back. Yeah, that’s another way to look at it,” such as needing to forgive themselves for purchasing products they have never finished, they can let that go because it’s part of their past.
If I get them to kind of start shaking their head throughout the email and then the P.S. kind of has the feeling of, “Now that we’ve moved past that…” (I wouldn’t say it that way), “Let’s take action. Let’s move forward. Watch this video about XYZ so that I can help you get the results you’re looking for.”
Do you see how the two go hand in hand? It’s so important.
One more thing I want to add. Of course the P.S. is at the bottom of the email. I’m encouraging you all to start using it more strategically. But I also like to choose one single call to action whether it be to click to download a freebie, click to watch a video, click to sign up for a webinar, whatever it might be.
I always put it in the P.S. but in addition to that I always include it in the body of the email. If there is one call to action in every email I send (because it’s not always selling) let’s just say I want you go click to listen to my podcast, I’m going to mention that once or twice in the email copy and then always again in the P.S.
A call to action in your email should not only show up once in the P.S. I wanted to be really clear about that as well.
Let’s keep going. Let’s break this down. I want you to begin using both of these types of micro conversions right away so here’s what you need to do.
When you create your email copy be intentional about including consistent thought or motivation or insight or coaching throughout your copy. Remember this builds trust and will prime your audience to take action when you ask them to.
How will you know how to write this copy? Because you should know how to put yourself in your ideal customer’s shoes and speak to their struggle or need. Write like you’d talk to them if they were standing right in front of you.
You know that I always say we should all become a student of copywriting. Coming up in a few weeks I’m going to talk more about copy and how to really hone in on your copy skills and we will get to that in a few weeks.
The number one point is that I want you to be mindful of your copy. Are you adding those thought and decision-making micro conversions in your copy? This might be something new to you but I want you to think about that.
The easiest way to do it is to think about the obstacles and challenges that your ideal customer avatar faces every day. Address those and give them a different way to approach it or look at it or help them forgive themselves for any shame, embarrassment, or frustration they might have about their past stuff that hasn’t worked for them.
First, copy. We’ve got to think about that. Second, always give your audience something to do next: Click here to watch this video, click here to download a worksheet, click here to listen to my latest podcast, Sign up for my latest webinar.
By doing this, this is important so if you’re multitasking come back to me because this part’s important. If you ask them to take an action, a simple thing like clicking a link to watch a video that’s free, you are doing two things. They are beginning to take action when you ask them to. That’s important. And #2, that is leading to trust.
As long as what’s on the other end of that click is good and valuable they are going to continue to do what you’re encouraging them to do.
Imagine if you did this for a while and then you sent a promotional email and you asked them to click something to check out your latest product. They are more likely to click it because they know from months past that every time they click a link of yours they get value.
That’s why I like to add this actionable piece of the idea of a micro conversion. But this will only work if you only send them somewhere that gives them value. Be mindful here. Don’t tell them to click and send them to something that’s a waste of time or too difficult for them to take action with right away.
You must always send them to really good content but you know that. I’m wasting my time, right? This is something you would always do. I’ve got your number. I know that you value content so we can move on from that.
The beauty of having them click on a link that sends them somewhere free (a video or PDF download or something helpful) is that it’s a low commitment for them. You’re not asking for any money or any big commitment so they are more likely to do it.
Believe me, this will work in your favor when you’re making a bigger play for what’s behind that link, like when you start promoting and doing email promotions to get them to buy. That’s why I think this is so important.
Once you’ve built this trust and a relationship with them and then they go through a webinar and you’re asking them to click through to your sales page they trust you already. You’re not building trust during a promotion.
This is so huge. I’m getting on my soap box but when you think about email marketing the trust should be built with your original, free, valuable content so that when you do promote it is never a conversation of building trust then. You already have it.
That’s why it’s so important that I tell all of you I want you to be building your email list every single day and I want you to be creating original content every single week. That means you are blogging, podcasting, or doing a video on your video platform like YouTube or your vlog every single week. You choose one.
Then you’re emailing your list every single week with a link to the original, valuable content. That is where you are creating relationship and trust so that when it’s time to promote it’s all about what you have for them.
It’s all about you solving their problems and transforming their lives and giving them something they really need that they will pay for. You don’t have to work hard at earning their trust because you’ve already shown up for that.
It’s pretty cool, right? That’s why the entrepreneurs that succeed online are those that are in it for the long haul. That’s why those people that are looking to get rich quick fast are never around next year or the year after that. They fizzled out because the trust never stays.
Building trust during a promotion is not the game you want to play and that’s why I get so passionate about these micro conversions, both Part 1 and Part 2, the thought and decision-making transformations that you’re going to build in your copy and also getting people to take action and trust in you through what’s on the other end of that click.
I’m stepping down from the soap box. I get very passionate about this stuff. We are moving on.
Let me leave you with one last thought. People, including you and me, love to be told what to do next, especially if it’s coming from a trusted source and what we’re being told to do next is a solution to a pain or need we have.
When I go to an expert I literally want to say, “Tell me what to do.” You all know I’ve been working with a weight-loss coach. I’ve talked about that a bunch throughout my podcast episodes.
Often times when we’re talking, shout out to Corrinne Crabtree, my weight-loss coach, I’ll say, “Okay, Corinne. Tell me what I do here. I’ve got this problem. What do I do?”
She’ll kind of laugh because she wants me to figure it out but often times I do look to her to ask what to do in a situation. When she does give me the answer I love it. I have to still go do the work but I love getting the marching orders from her.
It’s a place I don’t feel steady. It’s not my expertise. I need extra support and all of that stuff. That’s how your audience feels with you as well. Consider yourself a guide, a trusted authority, that they are looking to for answers.
Remember, they are looking to you as the go-to source and if you’re not constantly putting micro conversions in front of your audience you are not going to be their goto source. Give them their marching orders. That’s so incredibly important.
They want to be told what to do. That’s why I’ve added in this whole other part to micro conversions in that it helps them change their thoughts and decisions and the way they think about certain situations related to what you teach, give them the micro conversion there and then get them to take action by diving into it a little bit deeper by clicking something and doing something so that they know what to do next.
I guess my last thought is to just give them their marching orders. They want to be told what to do from you and if you tell them what to do and they continually see little results that lead to big results they are coming back for more, they are especially coming back for more when you have something to sell.
There you have it. I hope you found this episode valuable and I want to kind of tie it all together for you. We talked about the P.S. strategy and how important it is that you let people know what they should be doing in that P.S. in case they skimmed the entire email.
You’re not only having them “click here” to go watch a video, you want to keep in mind those thought provoking and decision-making micro conversions. As you write your copy before the P.S. I want you to think of the micro conversion. What do you want to help them with in terms of thinking differently, acting differently, doing things differently?
With that, in the P.S. we are pairing together the thought-provoking micro conversion with the action of the micro conversion, go do this. Give them their marching orders.
Do you see how it all fits together? I hope you do and I hope you take action with what I just taught you here. If you’re on my email list I was very mindful about the email I wrote today to let you know we have this new episode.
I added a micro conversion there in the body of the email and I can guarantee that you will see a P.S. in there as well so use that as your guide.
Thank you so much for being here. I cannot wait to see you again next week. We have a really extra special episode where I am going to be talking to a good friend of mine. I’m not even going to give it away. She’s a big deal. She’s amazing. She’s been on the show before.
I’m bringing her back and we’re going to be talking about mental health and depression, to be very specific; my own battle with depression and her battle with it and how we’ve worked through it and overcome some of our mental health challenges as we’ve built our businesses online.
I think it’s an extra raw and real episode and I can’t wait until you tune in. In the meantime, if you haven’t done so already, make sure that you subscribe to this podcast because as I have new episodes you will get a notification so you won’t miss any episode I put out, especially the bonus episodes that I don’t tend to talk about a lot through email and social.
Go to iTunes or wherever you listen to this podcast and make sure you subscribe.
Okay guys, I can’t wait to see you here same time, same place next week. Bye for now.
