Your business needs to invest in email marketing today if you haven’t already. Think it’s a waste of time? These statistics will make you think again:
- Email marketing has an ROI of 3800%
- On average, you get $44 back for every $1 spent on email marketing campaigns
- The value of an email marketing campaign is at least three times higher than that of any social media
Email marketing is the pivotal point of digital marketing where you can convert leads and nurture your existing customer relationships. While SEO, social marketing and digital advertising can generate leads, most of these practices cannot convert nearly as effectively as email marketing. This is because you have a narrowed audience, one which has expressed interest in your brand and opted in to your marketing messaging. No other online customer segment is as willing and ready to buy as your list of email subscribers and you should take advantage of that.
Any company can start a successful email marketing campaign without a tremendous budget. With the right tools to compose, segment and track your campaigns, you can see incredible results. There are a few basic rules you should follow, but luckily the more simplistic you make your emails, the more likely they are to generate qualified leads. Unlike SEO and social media, email marketing is something that doesn’t need to be active daily. You want your customers to be informed and target your messages towards their individual needs and buying behavior.
To make your email marketing campaign a real success, here’s what you need to remember:
Make it valuable to subscribe, and easy to unsubscribe.
Getting subscribers to your list is the most difficult step. The consumer, even if they are interested in your company, does not want to be bombarded by spam emails and promotions. They will be hesitant to sign up for a newsletter unless you have established trust and offer something of value to them in exchange for their information.
Websites accomplish this in a number of different ways. Some require users to give their emails in order to view certain types of content or offer gifts to reward users who sign up. In order for this to work, you need to determine what your customers want and need the most. If you have a high-quality blog on your website, an exclusive e-book or promise of unreleased content, this may interest your users. If you’re trying to sell products directly on your site or through email, you may consider offering a discount or free item when users sign up.
Because email marketing is more personal, and more intrusive than other forms of online marketing, you also need to make sure customers can opt out at any time. Just because a customer unsubscribes from your list doesn’t mean they weren’t positively influenced by your email marketing. However, if you make it a hassle for them to do so, you may turn a satisfied customer into an angry one. Never send follow-up emails after a user unsubscribes, unless they are still a paying customer.
Send a welcome email.
Immediately after a user subscribes, this will be the most likely time for them to engage. Your company is fresh on their minds, and they may even be considering a purchase. Grab their attention immediately with a welcome email that thanks them for their interest and offers a reward for their subscription, such as a discount or valuable content they couldn’t get on your website.
Your welcome email should be short and conversational. Use images to communicate as much as text so that your welcome seems inviting. You can feature top-selling products or link popular blog posts to redirect users back to your site once more. Most importantly, your email should be tailored for the individual customer. Use their name, and reference products or content they may have clicked on during their site visit. This will establish trust with the customer, and make them more likely to open your next email.
Don’t send unless you have something to say.
The reason most people will unsubscribe from an email list is because they begin to expect “noise” rather than quality, informative content. Unless you are having a sale, new product release, or other pertinent consumer information to share, an email update is unnecessary. If your customers expect noise, they’ll ignore it. But, if every email they receive has beneficial information for them, they’ll keep reading.
Now that you know the best practices to make your email marketing campaigns work, it’s time to start writing.
For more tips on attracting, nurturing, and selling, purchase a copy of Scale Up Your Profits! here.
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