Many an online business has been made, or broken, by a single email marketing campaign. If you do it right it can go viral, driving massive traffic to your website. On the other hand, it can sink your company, if you do it wrong. Read this article in full to find techniques and tips to teach you how to do it in a way that benefits your company.
Provide exclusive content in your marketing emails. By providing those on your mailing list with information not available on your site, your customers are more likely to read each message, and begin looking forward to them. Your customers will feel special and appreciated when they receive relevant information in your emails.
Slowly build your contact list. Start with those who have already appreciated what you offer and then move on to areas where you can engage your prospects. It’ll be worth it in the end to build a reliable contact list, even though it can take a while to pick whom should be receiving your emails.
While online promotion is essential, don’t overlook the opportunity to promote your mailing list offline. To build both new subscribers and potential clients, look for any opportunity possible to get the word out. Some great opportunities to build your business can be found at networking events, trade shows, conferences and local gatherings.
The easier it is to subscribe to your email newsletter, the more subscribers you will have. If you have a physical store, ask your customers for their email address when they make a purchase. If you sell on a website, ask them for their address when they are ready to check out.
Be especially careful when crafting your first three emails to new customers. A new customer should get an introductory email inviting them to join your marketing list. Once they accept your invitation, the next email should tell them about discounts or special offers they can expect to get now that they’ve signed up. The third email should contain their first newsletter and their special offer.
Be consistent. Use your logo and a standard color scheme in each email you send. Use a standard, easy-to-read font. People will eventually recognize your layout and know right away that you are the sender. Familiarity counts even more for email marketing campaigns than it does for other businesses.
If you make it easy for customers to unsubscribe, your email marketing campaign will be more effective. People will tend to trust you more if you make them feel as if they are in control, though this may seem paradoxical. Post the unsubscribe link in an obvious place so they can find it easily.
Before sending correspondence by email, it is very important that you gain permission from anyone. Being known as a spammer is the worst reputation a company can have online and will lead to a loss in customers and sales. You can also get blacklisted by certain ISP’s, which can create major problems for your campaign and your business.
Try to make it as easy as possible for customers to unsubscribe from your emails. By not making it simple, they will feel like you are being too pushy and may be turned off from your product or business. Give them the option to opt out from some of your emails or all of them.
When you know what to do, creating an email marketing campaign will be easy, effective and profitable. You’ll better your online reputation while building profits, and the initial investment of both time and money is small. There is no better way to grow your business, so start creating your campaign today!
