3 Critical Techniques to create Effective Email Marketing Campaigns
A s a small business owner, you’re always looking for ways to close more sales and grow your business. And by now you’ve either adopted email marketing, or you will shortly. After all, email marketing is easy, fast, inexpensive, and, in most cases, yields the highest ROI. Which is great for you – the small business owner. However…before you send another email, consider this: the majority of entrepreneurs have no idea how to use email marketing effectively. And they’re losing out on thousands, even millions of dollars because of it.
The key to creating successful, effective email marketing campaigns is tied up in 3 critical (but little known) techniques:
1. Use Segmentation to Send ONLY Relevant Messages “Stop Blasting Emails to Your Entire Contact List!”
No single email will be relevant to EVERYONE on your list. But without segmentation, you have no idea who’ll respond. Effective email marketing requires you to know everything you can about your contacts. You should know their name, gender, email address, location, marital status and career, as well as:
• Their interests, particularly as they relate to your products and/or services
• When and what they last purchased
• Whether they open and click on emails
• Their behaviors (wouldn’t you like to know if a prospect had been visiting your website?)
With these details, you always have the chance to send targeted, relevant messages. Messages that get results! That is what makes the difference between you and millions of other small business owners.
2. Keep Your Email Marketing Consistent and Predictable “There’s No Excuse for Losing Touch or Breaking Trust!”
Just because you’re strapped for time doesn’t mean you should neglect your contacts. Your contacts deserve consistent, valuable communication from you whether you have one lead or a million. And they’re more likely to buy if you are someone they can trust…not just the person who sends them a promotional email once in a while. Once in a while does not build relationships. Ironically, most small business owners send emails when they want to run a promotion or when their sales numbers are down. Then, they can’t figure out
why no one is buying. No one is buying because your customers and prospects are working on their time. Not yours. And your only hope of closing additional sales is to be there at the exact moment your contacts decide to buy. Chances are, that moment will not occur the last two days of the month.
With an advanced email marketing system, you will always be there when your contacts need you. Because you can stay in touch with ALL of those people, you can:
• Follow up with new prospects when they request a free report
• Let contacts know about upcoming events
• Send weekly tips and tricks of your industry
• Immediately send out emails about Product A
• Deliver a monthly newsletter
Devote the necessary time and resources to making your email marketing consistent. If you promise to send a monthly newsletter, than you better send out a newsletter. If someone expresses an interest in your free report, you better email that free report right away (and follow up to make sure they received it).
You need to be someone they can count on to keep in touch. And you need to be someone who follows through on expectations.
There’s no excuse for losing touch or breaking trust. Consistently sending emails to your prospects and customers will help enhance your relationships and lead to a significant increase in sales.
3. Include Multi-media Along with Your Email Marketing “Email Itself is Not a Marketing ‘Cure-all’!”
As we’ve mentioned, email marketing works! And when done right, it works well. So why in the world would you want to use any other form of marketing? Well, the bottom line is that email is not a marketing “Cure-all.” Other forms of marketing fill different needs and produce different emotional and psychological responses. And depending on the purpose of your marketing message, you may want to consider an alternative form of communication.
For example:
What would a new customer of yours prefer to receive…an email thanking them for their purchase? Or a letter and free gift, welcoming them into your business family? Chances are, the email would be deleted before it’s even read. Sending a thank you email has become almost a formality. It’s great for you, because it’s fast and takes very little thought.
But what are you trying to achieve by sending a thank-you email? Wouldn’t you have greater success at creating loyal, repeat customers if you sent that gift?
Even with segmentation, email marketing has lost some of the personal connection customers and prospects like to feel. It’s mechanical and can be easily mass produced. Your prospects and customers know that. By incorporating multi-media into your marketing efforts, you’re showing your contacts that they are more than just a name on a list. They are someone worth spending time on.
Case Study:
Months ago, a fast-food chain discovered the value of multimedia marketing. Statistically, Tuesday afternoon was their slowest time of the week. Then, they tapped into the power of text messaging and turned Tuesday into their busiest day. How did they do it? By texting their contacts on Tuesday (midafternoon) and inviting them to enjoy a sandwich at a
discounted rate. Sending an email could never produce the same results. It had to be text. This company found an effective way to reach busy, stay-at-home moms and the people who were running errands during their lunch breaks. Sending an email could never produce the same results. The text had to come right as people were getting hungry.
That is why you need to incorporate multi-media. The use of multi-media enhances everything you’re doing with email marketing. It gives you a chance to communicate more effectively and ensure you’re connecting (in one way or another) with everyone in your database.
Credit Source: Infusionsoft