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Email marketing is a great way to not only communicate with customers but also to establish yourself as a credible business at a price that won't break the bank. Did you know that the average millennial spends about six hours per day reading emails? It's not just the millennials, though; most of us are constantly refreshing our email throughout the day.
Email marketing builds a relationship and provides a channel of communication with your customers. It's very cost-effective and a great way to reach consumers, especially if you know they're checking their inboxes every day.
How Email Marketing Works
Email marketing gives you the ability to deliver timely, targeted, and relevant information to your customer base. There's no better place to go for revenue growth than your existing consumers. With email, you're able to keep in touch with your customers daily, targeting specific people at specific times with offers that are customized to their particular needs, such as emails for:
- Birthdays
- Seasonal purchases
- Special incentives
You can also target customers who have purchased a particular item with information that's relevant to that purchase, or target other consumers at times when information pertains to their prior spending habits.
The more value you show in your email content, the more invested customers will feel. When this happens, it's easier for customers to engage in your calls-to-action. Information should be more than just about making a sale; it should focus on building a brand relationship. With this in mind, let's explore three ways email marketing bolsters your business.
1. Builds Brand Relationships
You can (and should!) customize emails to fit the personality of your business, bringing relevant information to consumers while being consistent in your conversations with customers. Build a database with information on buying habits and preferences. This will help you truly know what your customers want (as opposed to guessing) and helps you develop marketing that's relevant to their desires. Also, invest in a marketing software that gives you the ability to collect information and target an email campaign based on specified audience segments.
2. Increases Sales
Who doesn't love a spike in sales?! Marketing Week reports that email marketing generates around $37B in retail sales annually. Email marketing is a great way to let customers know you're running a sale or offering free shipping, which will get the impulse buyers to spend their money. It's a great way to target specific consumers with add-on purchases that will enhance the purchases they've already made.
3. Maximizes Credibility
Creating an effective-yet-simple email marketing strategy offers a way to build on your brand's credibility. Emails with a shady subject line or unknown email address can come off as spam and will only end up in the junk folder. Make sure the email is coming from your business and includes a witty subject line that makes the reader want to open it. This could be as simple as adding an emoji to make them smile when they see it. You need to tailor your content to what your customers want to see; after all, it's really about them.
Tips to Optimize Your Email Marketing Campaign
- Pay special attention to the subject line. The subject line is SUPER important. Half of all email is identified as spam by the subject line. Don't be cheesy or too long, but do be succinct and clear.
- Keep the first few lines of your email strong and to the point. The text that is viewed in the preview pane determines whether or not someone will actually open it and read the rest of the content.
- Try video emails. These are a great way to personalize your email campaigns.
- Include links for information. This helps you track responses.
- Keep images or graphics simple and small. The larger the image, the longer it takes to download—and the more likely someone is to delete the message. Also, be sure your graphic doesn't contain the entire message. Make sure your email isn't dependent on an image for the message. Many email programs don't have HTML activated; if your image is stripped out, will your readers still understand the point you're trying to make?
- Plan a follow-up campaign. In fact, plan four. Follow up with up to four emails in subsequent communication, each different from the last but building on the one before. Just like with other advertising, email response rates increase with frequency.
- Make sure your emails are mobile-friendly.
- Make sure there's a place to unsubscribe.
There's a lot of learning involved with email marketing. However, the benefits outweigh any learning curve that's involved. Email marketing allows you to always be there for your customers, is cost-effective, and sets you up as a recognizable business your audience can trust. If you're ready to ignite your business, reach out to fuze32 to learn how we can help!
