Why use email as a marketing tactic to obtain customers?
Because it is cheap. It is easy to target who you want to receive your emails. Personalization allows you to make the email appear as if it the content was written especially for them. And with market automation you can send emails whenever you want to whomever you want.
Email is nearly 40 times better than Facebook and Twitter at acquiring customers. (McKinsey & Company)
With Twitter, you are limited to 140 characters to communicate your message, and with Facebook, you have to hope your buyers see your post in their Facebook stream. Whereas email provides you with the great opportunity to get in front of new buyers with tips, new product announcements or promotions that isn’t limited to characters or good timing.
As your contact list begins to grow, consider adding email as one way to reach new buyers. Successful email marketing focuses on the who (segmentation), the what (primary pain point for this segment) and when (frequency).
With any new marketing campaign, you will always want to begin by setting a goal. What are you trying to achieve by sending this email to your list? Further segment your list? Drive prospects into the next buying stage? Your goal will determine the type of content and CTA to be created for this audience.
Here are the essentials for email marketing:
Who = Segmentation
Segment your list so that the content you create will provide help with your audiences’ primary pain point. Examples of segmentation can include location, business type, etc. Segmenting your list allows you to reach primarily those who will be most interested in what you have to say.
Companies that use email list segmentation saw 39% higher open rates and 28% lower unsubscribe rates. (Lyris Annual Email Optimizer Report)
“There are countless ways to build lists, but trust is what builds relationships.” – Hunter Boyle
What = Content
Providing something of value is the key to the content of your email – information that helps address their primary pain point. Email content can consist of a newsletter providing tips, a link to your newest blog post, or even an offer designed to move this segment along the buyer stages. Use your email as a touch-point with your potential customer.
95% of those who opt into email messages from brands find these messages somewhat or very useful. (Salesforce)
“Where there is friction there is opportunity. Either you solve it for your customers today or a competitor will do it tomorrow.” – Bryan Eisenberg
When = Frequency
Although I know we are quickly approaching the holidays, it is important to remember your contacts receive emails from many other companies and individuals. Rather than inundate your contacts with many emails per week, or even per day, consider giving them the option of receiving your emails whenever you have an update to share (could be more than one email a day), only once per day, or rather once per week - a weekly digest. Sending less frequent emails and keeping the leads you have will lead to a good impression (on the part of the buyer) and it saves you time and money.
Small business owners estimate that getting an extra hour in their day back from doing their own email marketing (and other activities) is worth $273/hour. (Constant Contact)
“A small list that wants exactly what you’re offering is better than a bigger list that isn’t committed.” – Ramsay Leimenstoll
With all the new ways to reach buyers via social media, email marketing still ranks #1 as generating the highest ROI.
Email marketing yields an average 4,300% return on investment for businesses in the United States. (Direct Marketing Association)
And,
Companies using email to nurture leads generate 50% more sales-ready leads and at 33% lower cost. And nurtured leads, on average, produce a 20% increase in sales opportunities compared to non-nurtured leads. (HubSpot)
So take advantage of the hard work you have done to build your contact list and start using email to reach, engage and sell.