The Vicki Kotris Podcast

Ep 64 📲 Click Send with Confidence: Rachel Coborn’s Email Magic for Entrepreneurs

• Vicki Kotris

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In this episode, learn the essentials of setting up your email marketing with your own domain for improved deliverability 📨. Discover why this is crucial in avoiding spam filters. Gain insights on creating a valuable opt-in page that encourages sign-ups without complications. Plus, get a motivational boost to believe in yourself and take confident steps in building your business, even if you're not feeling 100% ready 🚀.

Find Rachel's contact info below and a link to her free email templates to grow your own list: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelcaborn.co

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelcaborn/

Free email templates: https://rachelcaborn.myflodesk.com/lead-magnet-email-template

Thank you again for tuning into another episode of the Vicki Kotris Podcast! I want to support you, cheer you on a HYPE you up!! If you're celebrating anything (and I mean ANYTHING), send me a DM and let me highlight you on a recent episode.

If you're looking for support in building a social media content strategy, I'm your girl! Send me an email to vkkotris@gmail.com and we can set up a FREE account audit.

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Vicki:

today's guest is proof that you can trade your nine to five for freedom strategy and inbox domination. I'm sitting down with Rachel Coborn and email marketing and launch specialists who helps holistic coaches and service providers turn emails into a reliable soul aligned. Sales tool. She's written hundreds of emails for over 30 brands, crafting everything from cozy weekly newsletters to high converting launch funnels. But her journey didn't start in some exotic place like Bali. It started in a corporate marketing office that she could not wait to escape after quitting her job and booking a one-way ticket to Thailand. Rachel Slow traveled her way to a thriving business. She's gone from side hustling copywriter to conversion queen, helping her clients consistently sell out their offers with intention and. Ease. If you've ever wondered what it's like to build a business from anywhere and make email marketing actually work, then this is the episode for you. Hi Rachel. Thanks for joining.

Rachel Caborn:

Hi. What an intro. That was great. Thank you.

Vicki:

Absolutely. And you're joining us from Bali right now, correct.

Rachel Caborn:

Yes. Yeah, I've been here a couple of weeks, so in Bali for the next like six months.

Vicki:

Oh, that's wonderful. Good for you.

Rachel Caborn:

the dream. Yeah, I'm living it. I was in Thailand before here, so yeah. Really living the dream right now.

Vicki:

I can't wait to hear more about your travels, but I think the first question that I have is something that only people dream about, which is walking away from that corporate lifestyle and booking that one way ticket to Thailand. Like what was going through your mind and what took you to that point that was just like, I don't want to do this anymore.

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah, it was such a interesting journey and to be honest, when that happened, I never expected that I would be here now. Like I started my business while I was working my nine to five and I kind of just hoped like I can save up a little bit of money while I travel. Like it'd be great to do this while I'm like moving around. Um, and I could only dream at that time that. I would eventually be able to like work online full time. Like that was kind of just like a dream. I never thought it would happen.

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

and yeah, so when I, when I took that job, I knew I wanted to travel, but obviously I didn't have the funds, so I was like, I need to work. And I had a marketing job, so it was great. It was like, okay, this is perfect. Like I wanna do marketing. So I was learning a lot. It was great. And then obviously we all know what happened in 2020, so we do need to go into that. But I was lucky to have that job still, and I was still working through those years that that was happening. Still working on my business on the side. And then finally when the borders opened up in places, I was like, okay, now it's time to finally go. Um, just book

Vicki:

Wow.

Rachel Caborn:

and just started traveling. Yeah.

Vicki:

That's amazing. Was there anything that happened, I mean obviously 2020 being the explosive year that it was, but was there anything particular in your personal or professional life that was just gave you that extra, you know, oomph to go?

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah, to be honest, like I'd had a few like office jobs leading up to this and it just was never really like where I shined, to be honest. Like I'm quite an introvert, so like sitting in an office all day, I just really didn't, I dunno, it didn't gel with me, so I just didn't love it. Um, the

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

and the people were great. Like that particular place was amazing and I ended up working remotely for quite a lot of it. Obviously everyone was working from home at that time, so it was kind of a test of like what it would be really like to work from home and like, I was enjoying that. That was fine. Um, but yeah, like I just. Didn't. I didn't love it and I knew I wanted to travel, so the main reason I kind of left it was to travel. But I guess at the time I always thought that I would just travel and then come back and get a new job.'cause I didn't really think that working online and having my own business was really an option. So I kind of expected that I would be coming back to a different job at some point.

Vicki:

Yeah. So what was the aha moment for you? What happened as you were building your freelance career? That was, you know, your sign that this is all gonna work.

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah. Oh, that's a

Vicki:

I.

Rachel Caborn:

question because I guess you never really know it's gonna work. You kind of just have to believe that it will.

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

I left the UK and I went traveling, I moved to Australia and I was doing like a working holiday there. So I was working like other full-time jobs while I was traveling, while I was. Building my business all up in the background. And there was one point I kind of always knew that I was like, okay. I was getting to a point after the years where I was like, I wanna take this full time. Like I'm, I wanna try and make this work. Like I'd had a few years of like doing it on the side. I was like, oh, if I'm

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

on the side, like I can get more, I can do it full time. then I left Australia and I went on like a holiday, um, in Thailand over Christmas with the plan to return back to Australia and work for a few more months. Um, and then the visa was ending earlier than I expected. Like instead of like

Vicki:

Okay.

Rachel Caborn:

or four months, I only had like one month left. So I was like, oh, there's no point really going back and trying to find another job for like a month like. It's now or never really to decide what I'm gonna do. Like I could either go back to Australia for a whole new year, but then I would be looking at trying to find a sponsorship so I could stay. So it would mean like finding a job for like three years and staying in like a marketing job for three years, which I didn't really wanna do.'cause I didn't really wanna work from an office and stuff. And I was

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

now is the time. Like, so I just, I, I'm with my partner, we're traveling together, so that was. Great to have that support system. Um, but we just

Vicki:

Amazing.

Rachel Caborn:

okay, now is the time to go all in on the business. And that was when, yeah, I just made the decision.

Vicki:

Amazing. Good for you. And I, something that I think holds people back because I truly believe everyone has a skill that can be marketed to help other people. If you wanted to be a freelancer, you could pick something, lean into that skill as much as you could, learn as much of it as you can and be able to offer your services. So I really think that it's an undertapped and underutilized. Thing that a lot of people don't realize how much power and, you know, gifts that they have that they could be able to share and use. So, uh, but what I think holds people back is the idea of working with clients. So is there something that worked for you in connecting with freelance clients once you decided to make that leap?

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah, I

Vicki:

Yeah, I think,

Rachel Caborn:

so true what you're saying. Like it's definitely something that you can learn, like if you want to do it, there are so many skills that you can already use or you can pick up like, and I think, like you say, a lot of people. The whole idea of trying to go out on their own and like find clients and like get started is really like daunting for some people. And the way I started at the very, very beginning, because I had no idea like how to, obviously I had a job and I was like, I just wanna work on the side. Like for myself, how do I get started? Started. So I started with freelance platforms and like I know they can be very hit and miss, like people hate them because they're competitive and they're like low cost and all the things. But when you're

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

out, I really thought it was a really good place for me to get exposed to people actually looking for jobs. I could see what other people wanting. I could try different things. And especially when you are a beginner and you maybe don't have a lot of experience like I already had. Obviously worked in marketing, so I like knew how to do some stuff, but I didn't have

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

clients, I didn't have testimonials. So like starting out there was really, really helpful. And then once I started to actually get some work, get some testimonials, that's when you kind of have to start building your personal brand. You know, showing up on socials, starting your email list, doing all the things. Um, but yeah, I think getting in there. Even like free freelance platforms or through your network, like people you already know who are looking for like a skill, you might have to just start learning, I think is the best way

Vicki:

Yeah. I totally agree with that. I think that using the people that we know who don't even know what it is that we offer, what our, our specialty is, that's what worked for me over the past year and a half as I marketed my freelance services to, is just starting with the people I know and who I could help. So I am, I fully buy into that. And since you are the email marketing queen, I wanna talk about that because I. At many times have to have conversations to convince small business owners that email is as powerful tool as it is. Um, instead of everyone looking at the bright flashy lights, which is social media, gotta be on social, have to do this, have to post, make reels, which I a hundred percent agree with, but I think there's so much power in email marketing and I've seen it come to life myself. So. For someone just starting out who doesn't have an email list, who hasn't prioritized it, what are maybe one to two tips that you would give them and where, where to start?

Rachel Caborn:

Yes. Oh, there's so much I can speak on this. Like I feel

Vicki:

I.

Rachel Caborn:

like exactly like you say, people don't prioritize it because I guess it's kind of quiet, like it's in an email list that you're not seeing people like it's one-to-one, almost like you land in someone's inbox and people are not seeing. Seeing that because it happens kind of behind the scenes.

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

but there are so many, so many reasons that you should start it. And my biggest tip is like, start now. Like no matter how early you are in the process, start building your list now because it's the same, like when you're growing a social media account, it takes time. Like it takes time to like get those followers. And figure out how's best to post. The same thing happens with email, right? Like it takes some time to like get your subscribers and find your own groove with like emailing and stuff. So I think start early is the biggest thing and start emailing as soon as you get those first few subscribers. Like I speak to a lot of people who have started their email list because they know they wanna do it, they know it's important, um, and then they start getting all these subscribers and they don't email at all for months. And then they just start. Getting all these subscribers on their list, but because they don't email those people, like forget why they signed up. They forget who they

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

go cold, basically. That's the word for it. You know, they go cold, they're not as interested, and then by the time you actually start emailing them, they're not as engaged. They're no longer applied. They're not good leads anymore. as soon as you get those first few people on your email list, start emailing them. Like for one, it's good because you are getting them engaged from the very beginning, so they're gonna stay connected to you. And two, like they're interested in what you're offering right now. Like they've joined your list whenever they're interested in you and what you are offering. So now is a perfect time to connect with them. And also, especially if you're starting out, like it's really good to start not even practicing emails, but getting used to emailing and getting used to like. What you can do with it as well in the beginning with those first few people before you do have huge lists and then you decide, what do I do with it now? So, yeah.

Vicki:

Yeah. You know, the one common question that I get a lot is the same that comes up with creating social media content with, which is. What if I don't know what to email? What if I don't have a topic? What if there's nothing going on in my business that I could share that's noteworthy? So what do you tell people who have that kind of writer's block? Or just they're kind of stumped?

Rachel Caborn:

Uh, there's always so much that you can share. Like you have to think about your, like whoever's reading an email, your ideal client and think about it from their perspective. Like, they don't know you, like, you know, you, so I'm

Vicki:

Mm-hmm.

Rachel Caborn:

something that you can share that would be helpful to them. Um, like think about where they are in their journey and like what you would tell them, like what advice you would give them. Um, what. Stories do you have from your other clients that have showed the transformation? So like I'm sure there have been clients that you've worked with who are exactly in their position now. Like what would you share with them and also like your own personal experiences, like in your business and how you've done the thing. Obviously it depends on like. Whatever it is that your business is about, but your personal story so that they can connect with you on that deeper level. Because people wanna like work with people and read from people that they feel like they trust and they feel like understands them and you know, they're on a similar level, they're aligned in values and stuff. So share your personal stories, share things that have happened that you can connect, like whatever your ideal client would need to hear in their part of their journey. Like share that I think.

Vicki:

That's a great suggestion and I, I agree. I think it comes with, you know, especially with small business owners, we all have the luxury of telling our story in a very personal and vulnerable way, versus a brand like I. You know, I'm just like throwing something out like Pepsi Cola or something. You're not gonna get an email from Pepsi that shares some kind of vulnerable, you know, family moment or less like, you know, life lesson, something like that. But as small business owners, we have the opportunity to do that, which is such, again, a great way to connect with your. With your target market or for the person who needs your service. So I, I buy into that so much is that it's, you know, not necessarily using it as a diary, but using it as a way to be open and be vulnerable. Um, do what, oh, go ahead. Sorry.

Rachel Caborn:

No. Yeah, I was just gonna agree with you completely. Like, um, there's so much you can say and I always,'cause I've ridden emails for like, product base, big brands, big companies, and obviously service providers and coaches and personal brands. And they are very different. Like if you receive an email from, uh, product brand like skincare, it's, it's really about the products. There's really no like, personal stories in there. Like they might send you helpful advice and tips and stuff, but it's really not. It's not personal at all, and that is a huge benefit you have as like a coach, a service provider, a personal brand is that it's personal, like people are buying into you as a person, so you really wanna share that.

Vicki:

Yeah. So for any listeners who are on the product side, how would you, would you change your answer just a little bit of. Where they should start in I building their list. Sounds like it would be very much the same as just start marketing and start making emails as soon as those people come into your pipeline. But in terms of the content, how would you kind of separate that or what are some tips you have there? I.

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah, if you're a small business with a product, I definitely still think you can put in a story in there. Like the big brands lose that when you know they grow so big. But if you're still like a small business with a, like a product that you have and you've created. Share why you created that, because that's what people are gonna connect to. And then I guess also like the why, like why you need this product. Like what does it help with? Again, think about the same thing, like what does your ideal client need to know and why do they need this product? Or what is this product gonna change? How is it help people? All of these things are gonna be so useful to share.

Vicki:

Amazing. Amazing. Is there a common mistake that you see amongst clients when you first start working with them? Like, oh, this is when it comes to email marketing or just digital marketing as a whole? I.

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah, I think with email marketing especially, people like to just share like tips, like they value is the thing they love to do because they wanna be seen as helpful. So they will send emails with like lots of tips and stuff, which is great. But there are a lot of other things you need to like bring in there as well, like. The client stories is a part of that. Your own stories, because you wanna show authority in your space as well. You wanna share the experiences you've had.'cause if you're just sharing tips all the time, it's hard to, for them to connect with you as a person or see like how you've helped other people. So you nearly really need to think about it on like a broader scale. But yeah, tips are great, but just don't stick to just those. I think that's one of the biggest mistakes a lot of people make.

Vicki:

Oh, that's interesting. I wouldn't think that that's what you were gonna say, but it makes a lot of sense because it is true. It becomes really stale after a while without putting any personality behind it.

Rachel Caborn:

Mm-hmm. Yeah, a hundred percent. And I, I guess that's like the most common one. But I also see a lot of like, I guess like more technical problems that I see people do. So like obviously we all know a subject line. It needs to be. The biggest hook when you, um, get an email because that's what make people open it. But I see a lot of people not filling in the preview text. So this is like a little, um, bit of text underneath the

Vicki:

Oh

Rachel Caborn:

line. It's just as important really because people are gonna see this first, and again, it's gonna help them to open it. So make sure you always

Vicki:

yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

because a lot of people kind of forget that that exists. Um, the second big thing I see is. A lot of people when they're starting out, they will send their emails from like a Gmail account or an Outlook account. When you're setting up email marketing specifically, you have to make sure you have your own domain. So this is like what you use for your website. It'll be like your name at your domain. Your business name, whatever it is, dot com instead of like at Gmail. And this is really important, especially in the beginning because it's all about deliverability. So like your emails, they will land in people's inboxes. Like that's kind of how it works, obviously. But sometimes they can land in spam or sometimes there can be flags that basically say, this looks like. Spam. And if you're emailing like mass emails from your marketing for your, for your email marketing from a

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

or Outlook account, that's when inboxes flag it as spam. So you need to have that, um, domain set up. And there are a few other things like technical things like your um, D Mark and your SPF records set up so that again, like verifies and basically shows inboxes like. You are verified, your legit, you are not spam. So it's

Vicki:

Okay.

Rachel Caborn:

to do that in the beginning so that you have a good reputation. So those are two like that people sometimes skip in the beginning.

Vicki:

Yeah, absolutely. And I'm guilty of no preview text and, um, when I first started I was sending to g sending from Gmail. So absolutely, I I would probably be your worst nightmare. Um, a year and a half ago. Um.

Rachel Caborn:

people just dunno do they in the beginning? Like, how are you supposed to know that if you are just starting out? So that's one of the reasons why I love speaking to people, especially in the early stages, because I can tell them all these things so they don't yeah, have to mess up and fix it later on.

Vicki:

Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And because we're talking so much about email marketing, something that comes up a lot is, well, how do I gather people's emails where. Opt-ins are amazing and, um, digital downloads, however we wanna structure those. So I'll, because you're the expert, I want you to talk about what is a, what makes a good opt-in, and what are some things that you've helped or designed for clients that gets them the highest rate of, um, a, a return.

Rachel Caborn:

Okay. So I think the first thing is it needs to be valuable. So like, again, put yourself in your ideal client's shoes and think what is the one thing they need right now that's gonna help them? I. At least some step of the way. Like obviously you can't give them your full solution, like your offer is the solution to their big problem. But what is one small part of that problem that you can solve and get really specific. Like don't try and make a guide or a video that has everything in it, like it just needs to be a small quick fix for them. Um, especially because it's something free, right? Um, so you wanna create that in whatever format it's gonna look like. Videos are really great. I feel like a lot of people that do like recorded, um, masterclasses and stuff, those are really great because people just want a quick fix. Like I say, they're getting a freebie. They just want something quick. So they wanna watch a video. It's easy for them, and they can quickly implement something from it. So I think the number one thing is having value and when you create the opt-in page for it, like again, keep that in mind. Like show the biggest piece of value that they're gonna get from it and the reason they're gonna sign up and don't make it super difficult for people to sign up. Eva. Like you only need a short page with the main thing so that they can go straight on that, understand straight away why they need this, and sign straight up. Like it doesn't have to be complicated. And then when they download. Um, the freebie or when they watch the masterclass, you wanna make sure you're following up with emails. This is a really big part, like a lot of people, they might just create the freebie and send it out there, and then there's no follow up. And like, yes, your, your person that's downloading it might know you a little bit from social or wherever they've downloaded it, but this is still your chance to really like, introduce yourself and like get to know them. Like, think about it, you are creating a. Relationship here with your subscriber, and this is the very beginning when they first sign on. So you wanna create some emails that are gonna really start building that relationship, telling them who you are, telling them what more you do and like what's the next step if they want to move on with you or do something else, telling them how you help and. It's really just the start of that relationship. So putting in that sequence in the beginning is really gonna set you up, um, for a long-term relationship with the subscriber. So I think those are the main things at the beginning when you wanna get people onto your list.

Vicki:

And in terms. Of where we're placing these. I mean, the obvious answer is through our website, but are there any other strategies that you have with your clients of where to put opt-in offers that really help drive that engagement?

Rachel Caborn:

Oh, there are so many places. So yeah, definitely wanna put it on your website. On your website. You wanna have like a signup for, uh, like a newsletter as well. So anything that's just a general opt-in, you can have that. You wanna have the freebie, you can have it as a popup on your website too, so that people don't have to go searching for the page. So those are great places, obviously your social media. So you

Vicki:

Mm-hmm.

Rachel Caborn:

you wanna be posting about it, um, on your Instagram or your LinkedIn, wherever you are posting about it a lot as well. Like, you don't wanna just post about it once, keep. Talking about it and like bring up the different things that come out of this freebie, right? You don't wanna just post about it once and forget about it.'cause people won't see that. They need to be reminded. are the main places. Um, obviously if you do like collaborations and events, so like think Facebook groups or like summits or wherever you go where you're connecting with people, you wanna give them a chance to opt into this three B two because likely they're interested it as well.

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

the other one, um, is paid ads. So eventually, like if this is a freebie that you've using as part of an email marketing funnel that's leading people into like paid offers, then you can run ads to it as well. Again, finding new people that are gonna be interested. So really think about where your ideal client is and who

Vicki:

Yeah,

Rachel Caborn:

gonna help, and you can go to those places.

Vicki:

that is amazing advice and I think because it is, it's. So easy to get trapped into one place, like thinking that your website is your engine for everything. Um, and I, what I always explain to my clients is all of these things really work together. So you can't really say, I'm gonna put all of my eggs in my website basket because how will people find it? Or, I'm gonna put all my eggs in my social media basket. But then where are we driving people to? What customer journey are we creating for them to. Experience. And so I'm really big on that too. And diversifying where people are, are connecting with content and able to really connect into our internal community.'cause I really think that's what we're all building through being small business owners is our own community where we can help serve.

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah, a hundred percent. Like you have to think about the journey that your customer's going on. Like, okay, they might find you on social, like that might be the first place, but then what happens next? Like you, there's the algorithm that means they might find you for a week and then they never see your post after that, or I. do they go after that? So you wanna make sure that you've got like a funnel guest, like a journey for them. You, you wanna bring them onto your email list so that you're showing up in the inbox every week or however often. Uh, you wanna make sure you have a website there so that you can, when you've started emailing them, you can lead them to sales pages and other content on the page to give them more information. It's all part of the journey. And I have to think as well, like. subscribers are gonna come from different places. Like your customers are gonna come from different places too. So you can't just choose the platform that you like the most. Like a lot of people might pick social'cause they enjoy

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

like, well where are your, where are your people at? Like they're gonna be in different places. You have to be there for them as well.

Vicki:

Very true. Very true. And since you do you, you have kind of this dichotomy of. Building email sequences and email marketing. But then it also sounds like that you help clients with bigger launches. So how, how does that differ, or what should our listeners be thinking about if they're launching a product, a service, a new course, um, you know, like what is different about the launch versus just the everyday kind of email sequences?

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah, that's a good question. A launch. There are so many things you can do with email and so you wanna make sure you are starting way before you are actually ready to say, Hey, this is live. Like, it starts way before. So start getting your list, start talking about whatever the launch is about, um, to prepare people. I think the main thing is it's all about, you've gotta warm up your audience. Ahead of that launch, get them ready. Get them understanding why they need whatever's coming, and make sure that you are top of mind as well, that you've shown what you do and why you are the person to deliver this thing, so that by the time the thing actually launches, they're already thinking about you. They already understand why. They need this thing and they already understand like the problems you solve and how you help people. So it's really like preparing in advance. And then when it launches, you are gonna have another like sales strategy after that to like again, tell people why they need this. Build some urgency in there. Like there's a whole structure that you can put in place. I think. The launch, it's, it's not just about like, like normally you might be sending like weekly emails, like we talked about before, like the stories, the tips, the advice. This is when you really wanna get really super focused. So you're talking about the launch, you're reminding people, you are showing up probably a lot more frequently as well, because you wanna keep reminding people what's happening, why they need this state, and getting really specific at the problems you solve. And. Yeah, there's so much you can do. I think another thing is like segmenting your list so it sounds complicated, but essentially just means emailing the certain emails to people who are interested. So let's say that you created like a masterclass, a free masterclass or something to launch your um, paid offer. Those people have shown particular interest, so there might be things that you want to email them specifically aside from your usual list that you wanna make sure that they are. Getting extra attention or getting extra details because they've shown interest or like say you've created a wait list for this launch as well. You might be able to ask them questions about, well, I'm creating this offer. Um, join the wait list and like, tell me more about what you wanna see from it. And, and you can really like tailor their emails to be super specific to the people that are interested versus like on social where you're just posting to everyone. This makes it so that you can really target your launch, that people are getting exactly the right information, they're interested in the most.

Vicki:

Amazing. Yes. And segmentation, I think for the non-techie person sounds really overwhelming. It sounds really complicated. Um, and so do you have a particular. Like email service that you recommend, or do you have one that's easier for the non-technical person to set up where they can build their own tags or segments that could work for this exact purpose?

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah. And it does sound complicated, but you're, it's so right, like it's not that difficult at all. It's

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

of them as like. are sending emails to specific groups of people. So essentially, let's say you have created a masterclass, like we said, like a free masterclass, that you're getting people to join and sign up for, that you're gonna hopefully sell your paid offer. when you create the opt-in page for that, you're gonna create in the backend a tag that says Masterclass signups really easy. And then you can then. Send specific emails to them like, oh, the masterclass is starting in one week. Like don't forget, here's all the details. And you send it to everyone in that segment, in that tag masterclass, signups. And then afterwards the masterclass has happen. Same thing. You can send them a specific one that says, you know, here's the replay. What did you think? Et cetera. All this information again to that specific tag. And I think that's kind of. The basics of how you can use it and then you can build it from there. Like it can get complicated when you have lots of different tags and things going, but like, just keep it simple and remember that it's only sending emails to specific groups of people. Um, another kind of way to think about it is like, even if you haven't created the tag on your own in terms of like an opt-in, it might be people who have gone cold, for example, they haven't opened your emails for like. A couple of months or whatever, and your service

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

service provider is probably gonna say, these are your cold subscribers. That again, is another segment. It hasn't got a tag in the same sense, but it's still a group of people who you can send a specific, um, set of emails to. Um, so again, like if you're, if you see this cold group of, um, subscribers, you might wanna send them targeted emails to say like, Hey, we haven't signed up in a while. Like, how can I help you? Same with

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

you've got. A, um, product based business, you might not have set up the tag, but you've got people who have recently bought or haven't recently bought, or maybe they have, shopped around at your website, but they didn't buy. So they'll have a specific tag as well, and you can email them specific things. So again, it's just thinking about who are different types of people in my, uh, list, like what are these different types of people doing and

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

send them specific emails to what they want to see?

Vicki:

Totally. That's a great explanation. And I just wanna add to that too, that it's, it's no different whether you have a small list too. You know, whether you have a hundred people, you can still build segments out of it and, and market specifically to those that are most interested or connected to your, your product or service. So I love that you explained that it.

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah, and you should definitely start doing it from day one. Like as soon as you have those lists and you are getting people from different places, just mark

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

they're coming from. Because the very beginning it might not seem like you wanna send them a specific email'cause you're getting people from different places. But then it's gonna be really helpful to see, you know, especially as you do start to grow, where the people have come from and then where you can start sending them personalized stuff. So definitely start that as soon as you start the list.

Vicki:

Amazing. Do you have a, a, a like special, a, a special client story of someone that you've worked with either on a launch or developing their email marketing strategy that had a lot of success, that they were just like maybe not naysayers of the power of email marketing and then really saw a transformation? Is there one that like sticks out to you?

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah, I'm working with a client at the moment and she had built up a list for a long time. Like she had like a freebie and stuff, and she was, so, she was getting subscribers into a list and, and growing it up. She had about a thousand subscribers altogether, but she'd never emailed them, like she never had anything set up. She didn't. Really, no, like she was sending emails from like an Outlook account as well. So she was collecting all these subscribers, but nothing was happening. And even when people were downloading the freebie, like they weren't getting any sort of introduction after that. They were just getting a, okay, here's your freebie, and that's it. So. We really had to start almost from the ground up, like we have all these subscribers, but like how do we, start this email list from, from scratch essentially. Like, how do we fix and, and kind of improve what you've got? So a few things. There's obviously getting everything set up and getting all of those, you know, the domain set up, the, all of the background stuff to make sure that her emails are not landing in spam because some of them were in the beginning and how would she even know that, like she didn't know. and then it's also making sure that the freebies and the lead magnets that she had, um, that actually going somewhere and they're having an introduction. Like she was, she had a, a freebie on like a different, um, of. System or whatever. They were coming in from a different place and those

Vicki:

Mm-hmm.

Rachel Caborn:

even being captured anywhere. So obviously we had to make sure they were coming into our email service provider so we could actually email them.'cause she didn't have that in place either.

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

we made sure that was all set up and that they're getting, um, a welcome email so that when they actually joined that understanding what's gonna happen next, like what else is going on? What else can they expect from these emails? How else can they work with her? And then what we're also doing is then, you know, setting up a newsletter. So they're going out every week so that her audience is starting to connect with her and starting to hear from her. Um, because obviously they hadn't in so long. And then as

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

started setting that up, like we're getting people responding who are saying like, oh, I'm so excited to read this newsletter. Like I'm. this was so much valuable information for me. Like I can't wait. And she's still getting replies and stuff from people now who are like, oh, I read these and I really enjoy them. like recently, I was asking her like, oh, you know, who have you booked calls with recently? Like, who's been, you know, showing interest in the offers and things? she showed me like, oh, this one person who I've just sent an invoice to, like, we're gonna work together. And I looked through and I saw that this particular person had been reading every single email that. They'd like what we'd sent out in the past few weeks.

Vicki:

Amazing.

Rachel Caborn:

shows like how much impact this is having. Like this person obviously has been opening their emails every single week and now they've booked a call and now they've worked with her

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

might not see it as well, like, you know, all these people are opening emails, but they're not necessarily like responding or being loud like you can't see on social media that they're liking or like commenting because they're just reading quietly. But then it all kind of builds in and then they're finally taking action and like booking the call and then working with her. And yeah, that was just a really great transformation to see like, you know, this list that had had, nothing happened to it. All these people, she was just gathering and now we're

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

we're connecting with them. We are like building relationships with them and it's kind of like, you know, she shows up on social media all the time and now it's like doubling those efforts a little bit because, you know, she. Her audience is seeing her on social media, but now they're also seeing her in the inbox and it really is helping to like, like you say, with the multichannel like marketing, it's really helping her to like show up in different places where her audience

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

build that connection. So that was

Vicki:

Yeah. That's amazing. I think. I hope everyone that's listening to this is listening to the last five minutes of you speaking.'cause I think that's that just. Sums up the power of all of it, that it's showing up in different places and it's building an experience that people can work their way through as they continue to connect with you. So it's crazy that she had a thousand subscribers and just was sitting on this like pile of gold and didn't do anything with it until recently. Which is amazing too, because it does show as you build your audience, the people who. Are there for, for you and for what you bring to the table. They will, will be your stands. They will stay. They are the ones that are gonna read that material no matter what, whether they got added in a year ago or today. So I, so my, my takeaway from that is it's never too late to start.

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah, and, and like, don't get me wrong, she definitely had some unsubscribes

Vicki:

Sure.

Rachel Caborn:

looking through them and was like, oh, this person is like an old person I work with, or This person isn't my ideal client anymore. So like. If you wait so long, like you probably are gonna have people who are, are not interested anymore. And like, that's okay because if those people aren't interested, they're not your person. But maybe if you had

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

ago, they would've been, so obviously it's best to start, as soon as possible. But like if you are sitting on people now and you haven't emailed them, like yeah, don't think that it's too late and like, oh, I've, I've wasted all this time. No, you can still make

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

work more for sure.

Vicki:

Absolutely. Absolutely. I, I always like to transition a little and talk about your experience as an entrepreneur in all, you know, in all of the folks that you've worked with in bigger brands and smaller businesses, what has been your biggest takeaway in building your own personal brands? Like what have you learned most about yourself and through this whole experience?

Rachel Caborn:

That's a big question. I think, I guess there are two things that I've learned, I guess in terms of like business side and personal side. So I guess like business wise, um, I think you have to not be afraid to go out there and show up. Like in the very beginning, like I said, I was on freelancer platforms and I didn't really build a personal brand until. A little bit of a way in. So I think that is a huge thing. Like you do need to show up and you do need to show up on different platforms as well, like we said, like where are your ideal clients? So don't be afraid to show up and show a personal side, like build a personal brand. People are gonna be interested in you and your story. And I think as well in the beginning, like. A lot of people, they think they don't have enough skills because they're just starting out. They think they're not like good enough, they don't have enough knowledge. But you'll always have something that you can help someone with, like even if you're early in the beginning. So like don't be afraid to shout about that and be confident in what you can do.'cause there's always gonna be people that are better experienced. You have something you can help someone with. So I think being confident to build that brand and just talk about it and share is one of the biggest things I've learned because I think a lot of people don't do that in the beginning.

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

like personally as well, this whole journey of like building a business. You have to have so much like confidence and self-belief in yourself to do it. And I think that's one of the biggest things that I've like had on this journey of like, you have to believe in yourself. You have to have the confidence that you can do it. Um, because yeah, you are starting this business. You want other people to believe in you, so you have to start with the self-belief from yourself first. For sure.

Vicki:

Yeah. I love that you said that. And do you think that has come more from gaining experience in working with clients? Or do you, I. Do you feel like you've had that since the beginning of just feeling like you know who you are and you are here to serve?

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah, I think it definitely didn't come in the beginning and I always used to think like, oh, the more like testimonials and the more experience I have, like that will give me proof and like it

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

does

Vicki:

I.

Rachel Caborn:

Like obviously taking action is the thing that is going to give you confidence, but I also think you have to start. And, and make the action first before you feel confident enough and ready. So it's like go out there and just, even if you don't feel a hundred percent ready, even if you don't have all the experience and all the testimonials, focus on what you can do, do that. And that's how you're gonna build the confidence and that's how you get the momentum to keep going. But yeah, I feel like

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

definitely wasn't there in the beginning for me. And like, it's hard, like if you're starting out something new, you don't automatically feel like you're gonna. Yeah, I dunno. Just be the best at it because you are new,

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

you just have to know that you can do something and then just keep going from there.

Vicki:

Yeah, I believe that a hundred percent, and I obviously travel and experiences is so high on your priority list. As an entrepreneur, as a business owner, which is difficult to maintain, schedule and create time management, create systems for yourself that. Make your business still run, even though you're not in a, a typical kind of office setting or coworking space that you go to every day. How do you make that work for yourself or what's a, what's a tip that you would give? I.

Rachel Caborn:

I think you, it's difficult because you have to make your business work for you. So like what I'm doing might not work for someone else. So I've really kind of, I think a big one for me is like the time zone aspect. So obviously I'm working with a lot of people who are in the US we're like 12 hours apart. So the way I have to kind of create my business is kind of. Around that, like, and make sure that my clients know what's happening. We have a call when we need a call, but we are not constantly, you know, needing to be in the, the same time zone. So I just make sure that my process kind of has that built in. Like I have project management board so clients can go in and see what's happening even when I'm not there. Um, but I think it kind of depends on your business too. Like, I still work a nine to five because that's what works for me. But obviously my clients aren't working those same hours, but I've made sure that how I'm communicating them with them does work for that. So yeah, I think you kind of have to find what works for you and like, yeah, it's, it kind of, yeah, find what works. What works for you.

Vicki:

No, that's a, that's great advice too. And the idea of being an entrepreneur is that you. Can create this for yourself. And I struggled with that for quite a few years of thinking that I had to be in the same mindset, the same hustle zone, the same available all the time, answering my phone all the time. And in the past couple years, I've kind of slowed that down, but I, it's a, it is a mindset shift. To step into the person and, and remember why it is you started a business, which is to give yourself flexibility and a new life experience. Not to just rinse and repeat everything that you've learned up until this point from corporate or, you know, societal just markings and culturally and things like that. So I, I think that that's so true.

Rachel Caborn:

Yeah, a hundred percent. Like when I started, I very much in the same mindset of like corporate. You kind of just keep operating on the same because you're so used to it. It's kind of ingrained and you think other people work like that, but you really have to remember that there is no rules really. You can do whatever you want to do and you can't assume that people wanna work in a certain way either. Like you can create whatever you want to create, and that's the beauty of it. Like you can do whatever you wanna do. I guess. Definitely at the start, for me, I was like. I almost felt guilty for taking like a morning off or something just because I thought I needed to be working all those times. But

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

no, I can take a morning off and, and go to a yoga class and it's totally fine because I've built my business around that. And you don't have to work the hours either. Like your value isn't equated to when you are sat down and working. It's what you've created and what you're building. So yeah, definitely step outside the box and just dream about how you could actually run your business, because it doesn't have to be the same as anyone else really.

Vicki:

That's a mic drop moment. That was, that was so beautiful. So I'm so happy that you said that, and I've loved my time with you today. I would love for all of our listeners who are interested in connecting with you to find you where they can. So can you share what's the best way to connect with you?

Rachel Caborn:

Yes, so I'm on Instagram, LinkedIn, I have a website, so I guess we'll put the links in somewhere. And since we're talking about

Vicki:

Yeah.

Rachel Caborn:

lot, I also have a like free template as well. So if you do create like one of those free resources, a free guide and you wanna send them emails afterwards, I have a template to kind of show you what to do. So we can put that in there as well if you want it. And yeah, I think

Vicki:

Amazing.

Rachel Caborn:

bit places.

Vicki:

Amazing. Yes. I will link all your contact information in the episode description so that everyone can find you. Um, but Rachel, thank you so much for your time this morning tonight here in the US uh, oh, I should say on the East Coast. Um, but thank you. I really appreciate your insight. I think if you have so much amazing tips to share and I can't wait for this episode to come out.