93: How To Write Emails That Get Read, with Monica Badiu

How To Write Emails That Get Read

(main interview only, no intro or wrap-up)

Monica: So in 2018, I kind of reset my marketing career. I had spent five years being an in-house marketing manager and PR rep for a Romanian luxury fashion designer. And I was kind of burned out and I was like, okay, let's reset.

And it's been a dream of mine to grow flowers, and lavender is like THE flower for me. So, I started growing lavender, everybody thought I was insane. And, I had a hard time monetizing that Side Hustle until four years ago when I kind of shifted into, selling wedding confetti made from dried flowers.

So I would use my lavender, my grandma's flowers from her own garden. So a lot of it is very sustainable and like locally dried, eco friendly as much as possible. So I love that kind of having the opportunity to spread the message that, you know, you can have eco friendly choices for your wedding.

Joan: And nicely fragranced, I would imagine too.

Monica: Oh, they smell amazing.

Joan: Are you also selling it online?

Monica: Yes, that again, I, I applied what I learned for like in SEO from my first Side Hustle. And, I rank first for a few keywords, so when people look for that kind of product, they find my website, there's an online shop, it's very basic, but I get in the orders, or they message me on Instagram, or on Facebook, and that's it.

Joan: What's the website?

Monica: It's called zanaflorilor.eu which is the flower fairy, in English.

Joan: Well, I'll,

Monica: I'll share that with you.

Joan: I'll be sure to add that to the show notes.

So the marketing and email writing now is your full-time work?

Monica: Yes. And, it's actually interesting because throughout the year, I've done so many things in digital marketing. And, five years ago, I was looking for an opportunity to niche down and to kind of Tap into all the things I loved about marketing and my passion for consumer behavior and psychology.

And because of all the experience I've had working with brands I liked versus brands I didn't like, being in all these different roles where I actually had to entice the customer to buy, even though the product wasn't that amazing, I was kind of forced to Do some things that I'm not very proud of. So I decided what if I do my own thing and I try to combine all these things that I love in a way that is ethical and is efficient in the marketing world.

And I know email marketing and sales copywriting kind of fit like a glove for me. It's very interesting.

Joan: So if you've found that at times there, because of what you just said, there are clients that you won't work with?

Monica: Yes, big yes. It's one of the biggest lessons I've learned as a, I don't know, entrepreneur, freelancer. If I don't like how you communicate or treat your customers, I'm not going to work with you.

Joan: I'm with you on that.

Monica: After more than a dozen years in marketing and working with clients, I get to have kind of this confidence in just saying thank you, but no.

Joan: There's somebody else out there for you. I'm not her. So when you do choose those clients that you want to work with, what kind of advice would you share with them and our listeners and me for more engaging, conversational, not spammy emails?

Monica: Be a human being. So I'll explain. so a lot of the people that I admire and I work with, I'm lucky enough to work with, they have very deep respect towards their audience. So they're very grateful because they exist and they have this audience, reputation, money, whatever, because of their audience. And their goal is to serve that audience.

Unfortunately, many of them are not. marketing people or they don't have real marketing experience. So when it comes to communicating that level of care in their marketing, it looks awkward or they fall into the trap of all these like common marketing assumptions. For instance, for an email to sell, it has to be salesy, or that you can, you should be talking only about urgency in your emails when you're selling something, because that's, the number one reason people buy, or that you should use fear mongering and making your audience feel bad or very aware of what they're lacking in their lives and how you are, like, their savior and you're going to solve all their problems.

So I'm shifting all of that.

Just like we're having like a conversation, it would be like, so tell me about what, what you do and why do you think someone would benefit from that? And how does it benefit? Tell me about your mission. Tell me about how you're like, your why, why did you get here? Talk to me about where you were when you started, because you had this problem that probably your audience has as well.

So, we need to share those stories and we need to relate to your audience from where you were before you solved the problem, you're teaching them to solve now. So, it's very casual. It's honestly like you're having a chat over coffee with one of your students or buyers. It's very informal, maybe, and, a lot of people, they would, they would look at my emails and think, but this is like not salesy at all.

And it's not, and I think that's a very good way to, to think of, of the whole. Email marketing for selling stuff. You don't have to be salesy to sell. You can talk to your audience just like you would have a normal conversation one on one. Hey Monica, so what are you doing today? I mean for me it's like April and I know that in April this stuff happens.

Is this happening for you as well? If it is then you're gonna love what's coming next because I'm gonna share a few tips with you to help you solve this specific problem. And it's based on my own experience, or whatever. So it's a very natural, elegant, discreet way of talking to your audience. And yes, there is a place for sales messaging as well. And I can talk about that if you guys want, because it can, it can help you understand marketing and email marketing and sales messaging from like a different perspective. Yeah,

Joan: Next time we sit down to do email, I suppose, with the intent of sales or just any email is to, in our minds, I have that conversation with somebody over coffee, run through those questions that you laid out, but answer them almost hit record and just start talking, answering those questions and then pull content from that.

Monica: think about it, like, why should they care? You're trying to sell something with, with email, right? And you want your audience to look at your email and to pay attention to you. Why would they care? What do you have to say that is actually going to be valuable or empowering to your audience?

I know throughout those 10-20 seconds, you're gonna spend scanning your email. Because honestly, like the discount is like the smallest nudge possible. And everybody's throwing discounts at your audience every single day.

Joan: The emails that are like, act now, 10 percent off, 20 percent off, but only today, that kind of thing?

Monica: Yeah, that kind of thing. I mean, that's how the majority of people do sells emails. And I can understand why they're doing it. I mean, if you see it in your inbox, you think that's, that's the standard, that's the normal, that's what everybody does, so I should be doing it as well. And obviously, there's a lot of resistance with that, because you don't feel good about doing it.

Joan: You started off by saying that this, the client has this audience they want to speak to. How about the person just starting out a side hustle and they're looking to build their audience? Any tips there in?

Monica: Yes.

Joan: How they write or structure their emails?

Monica: So first of all, you need to have an audience. To have an email list, you need to have an audience. Now, if you have a social media following or if you get website traffic, you need to start doing lead generation. And, the easiest way to do this is a lead magnet. They sign up, they get it, and that feeds them into a welcome sequence.

Now, at the minimum, everyone should have this welcome sequence. It's really effective in generating sales. It does depend on how you do it, across different industry, but it's seven emails. You can do it over the course of one week or two weeks. It's very It's like you'd meet me, I don't know, over coffee, and we'd talk, right?

And I come to you because I know you're doing something that, it's interesting to me, right? So let's say the two of us meet over coffee, and you've never met me before. You've just seen me. I saw maybe an ad or something, and it's so hey Monica, tell me more about you. And that's the first email, it's hey John, so my name is Monica, I'm so grateful you took the time to meet with me, and it's amazing that you're at this step in your journey, and I will do my best to help you achieve your goals.

Now tell me more about you. And that's where you can add like a quiz. Okay, what's the next thing? You were probably wondering, so what does Monica actually do? How can you help me, Monica? My next email is gonna be about that.

Joan: Because at this point, if they've just signed up for your newsletter, say, or responded to that thing that you put out as a lead generator, they're basically by doing that saying to you, I'm interested in what you have. So I had a, another guest, it was a little while back saying for most people, that's a real missed opportunity is they send that email that acknowledges the signup or they got the download or whatever it is.

And then that's where it ends.

Monica: Yeah, I mean, there are industries that don't do anything after the initial, you know, we got your email and they'll just throw a sales message, I know, one month later or sometime randomly when they need the cashflow. And I've talked about this before on other podcasts and it's baffling. I mean, if you're like, if maybe, I know you have a bakery or a sandwich shop, whatever, and somebody signs up to get like a 10 percent discount, cool, but what do you do next, especially if you're like a small business?

You can use email to communicate, to engage, to create a relationship with your audience. It's not only about, okay, give me your money. If you're like a handmade creator or I know you sell stuff on Etsy. Again, same thing

Joan: Right,

Monica: With email marketing and that welcome sequence, you're doing more than just here's a discount or here's free stuff.

You're creating a very specific positioning in the market for your brand. If that's their first interaction with you, they need to know why, who, how, and I know everything else about you. what's your mission? Who have you helped? What are other people saying?

Joan: You mentioned you suggest seven emails in that first

Monica: Yes,

Joan: So, re, recap those topics again. The first one was basically an,

Monica: Introduction.

The second one is, what you do, but not in a way that's salesy. so the second one could be like, here's what I do and how I can help people and who are the people I can help. And it could be like a story. You don't have to say, I'm just Monica and I do email marketing copyright.

And if you want to work with me, here's, here are my services, right?

Third one could be your mission. I mean, why did you create what you create? How are you giving back to the community? What's your goal with this? Is it to build a legacy? Who is that for? is it to help your community? Do you have a mission to create a business that's like female run or whatever?

Do you have a thing for saving the environment? How are you creating impact? What's your mission in the world? And that's a very powerful way to establish yourself as a brand in the mind of your customer. Because that kind of gives them a justification to say so I'm not gonna buy from Monica now.

Because maybe I just don't need her services, but that creates a spot in their memory saying, Monica is someone who has these values and wants to achieve this. So whether or not I'm the right fit for her, I will still remember those details. Maybe I will recommend her to other people, or when I'm going to need her services, I might go to her because we have similar values.

Joan: And it starts to position you as the expert in the field too.

Monica: Yeah, exactly. The fourth email, you can switch these a little bit around. You can give them some, like valuable content, some valuable insights, depending on your industry. I know how to choose the best sandwich bread, how to make your best bread or whatever. So you can, you can do that there. fifth one could be, an introduction to the offer, or the community you've built, or sharing success stories, or simply sharing stuff from other people who have worked with you. So, hey, Monica, by this time, you've spent some time checking out our emails. And again, thank you for that. I know it's not easy. We hope it's been entertaining. Now, over the next few weeks, we hope you're going to continue to communicate over email. Why should you pay attention to us? Why should you read my content?

Why should you come to my sandwich shop? Or why should you buy coffee from me? Well, this is what some of our clients are saying, and you just add the actual customer language, the testimonial that says, your coffee shop is so cozy. Or that the staff is doing such a great job to accommodate everybody. Or I know your, your restaurant is dog friendly. Then the last two emails, depending on what you do, they could just be a soft self speech. You can start with saying, Hey Monica, so by so far, we know that you're someone who does this. And by now, you know that we do this. So, we wanted to show you, or to introduce you, to some of the things we have available for people just like you.

So, our most popular offer is this amazing coffee that people love, or, I know, this course, or this coaching program. Now, because you're, you're new in our community, we wanted to extend a gift. Which is this offer, you'll find all the details on this page, or if you don't have a website, I don't know, you just introduce them there, you can send them to a video on your social media.

Right, so there are all these different things. And the last one, last email could be a reminder to claim that gift, or I don't know, something else about your offer. Again, it kind of depends on

Joan: Sure.

Monica: it that you do.

Joan: Sure. But the idea is don't let it stop just at that person signed up for whatever and leave it there. You'd mentioned some kind of a lead magnet or lead generator. In your experience, what types are actually effective?

Monica: So it kind of depends on the industry. If you're in e-com, or even like in the service industry, discounts are amazing. 10 percent on your first discount. And that's because when somebody goes to your website and they find you, or maybe they click an ad, they're browsing. They might not buy then, but that discount on their first order can nudge them.

To at least, considering it, right? But it gives them a good reason to actually get on your email list. If you're in, maybe, I don't know, education, affiliate, coaching, blogging, you can create a lead magnet that serves a very specific problem. So let's say you're, a coach and you're, trying to help moms lose weight after giving birth. So what is the query that that specific audience would use on Google and what are some of the topics that they would, some of the solutions that they would consider for losing weight in their specific situation? When they come to your website, you just meet them with a, a pop up that says, Hey, are you a mom who's trying to lose weight? We know it's not easy, but we found that these five steps can help you, I don't know, keep up motivation. Sign up here to get our free guide. It will be in your inbox within the first five minutes. So again, different industries, different approaches, and you can do that for e com as well. If you have. A lot of organic traffic.

And specific search, very intense and we're getting like into more advanced stuff, but, these two would, would work very well.

Joan: Any final email tips as far as being able to make them conversational?

Monica: Know your audience, know your audience. I mean, you need to know who is your ideal audience. You need to have that customer avatar and you need to know how they speak. So if you're just starting and you don't have a big email list, you don't have a big social media following, go to. Quora, go to Reddit, go to your competitors.

Look at the YouTube comments they get on what they're teaching. read the testimonials your audience leaves on your competitor's website. What are, some of the podcasts or books they would be reading.

Joan: Because that, because with the testimonials, it's going to show the, the person's going to be describing what they like about it or what they got out of it. Yeah.

Monica: Yeah, and even with Quora and Reddit, you can actually see what they don't like.

Joan: Mm hmm.

Monica: The really nice hack is if you go to Amazon and you find a book that teaches about the problem you solved. And you go and read the reviews. What are the reviews saying? And that should give you an idea of what are the, the problems, the desires, the frustrations, the obstacles, the hurdles, even like the solutions your audience have, considered, but they're struggling with.

And that allows you to make your emails relatable and relevant to whoever is reading them.

Joan: Are you using AI in your work or how are you using it?

Monica: I hate AI. Well, here's why I hate it. So it's one of those situations when people are kind of being used by the tool instead of you using the tool. And for instance, with tools like ChatGPT, the output is only as good as the input. And the output is also the sum of the interactions the AI has had with other people.

So the stuff is mediocre if you just feed it a prompt. for it to give you some copy back. I use it for research, I use it for analyzing stuff, I use it for brainstorming. I taught a group of creators once, the actual process to use AI to deliver copy, and it takes one to two hours to train it. to the point where you can get some decent drafts, but they're not, not final. I mean,

if you tap into this whole thing of why you're doing what you're doing, and you're very clear about how it helps your audience, you'll be faster and better at writing an email than using the tool.

Joan: Especially once you got the content, you know what you want to write about.

Monica: Yep, exactly. It's, it's, yeah. It's gonna be hard the first time, the second time you do it, it's gonna be a lot easier.

Joan: So what's your best tip, Monica, that you can leave us with for people to improve the effectiveness of their emails?

Monica: Yeah.

Don’t be afraid to be yourself. That's what separates you from the competition. That's what makes you a likable, trustworthy, and you don't have to be liked by everyone. You only have to be liked by the people you serve. And likeness comes from having that relatable, conversational content. Because people feel heard, feel seen, and you want to be a brand who's seen as a partner in the relationship rather than a brand who's oh, they got cheap stuff.

Let me buy something because, because when like economic conditions become difficult, your customer base, your customer base is going to change. They're gonna come back to you because they know what you stand for and they know that you want More than just to make money out of something and I think for people who are in who are doing side hustles I know you all of you have bigger missions than just making some extra income.

Joan: Then through that relationship you've been building in the emails, you've been developing that trust as well, and authority.

Monica: Exactly. Don't be afraid to be yourself.

Joan: Wise words. Well, what's the best way for our listeners to connect with you, Monica?

Monica: So, you guys can find me on LinkedIn, Monica Badiu, uh, you can find me on YouTube. I do weekly email reviews there, and I show people what's a good email, and so they can learn, best practices from, the best people in the industry. And you guys can find me on my website, it's the, it's my name, monicabadiu.com. You'll find copywriting tips, you'll find consumer behavior insights. Lots of really cool stuff that I've been sharing over the last few years.

Joan: That's great. And we'll be sure Monica to have those links in the show notes. Thank you so much for your insights and tips on effective emails. I know for myself, I really need to work on that conversational piece. So that's a great reminder. And I look forward to listening to this interview multiple times, certainly the next time I go to write an email and thank you again for being today's Side Hustle Hero.

Monica: Thank you for having me.