Nov
9
Engage Your Audience With Email Marketing
One of the most cost-effective marketing tools available for small business is email marketing. I’m not talking about the random, plain-text emails you shoot out from your Yahoo! account two days before your upcoming sale.
I’m talking about well-designed, branded, trackable, HTML email blasts such as newsletters, announcements, invites and coupons that provide information, value and engagement to your audience.
As with any marketing tool, there are some best practice tips, rules and techniques to keep in mind, which will ensure greater success with your email campaigns.
CHOOSE YOUR PLATFORM
One of the front-runners in the email marketing industry is Constant Contact. I had an account with them for several years and was extremely pleased with everything about my experience.
Their pricing plans start at $15 per month, go up to $150, and are based on the number of contacts you have and how much storage capacity you need. They offer great customer support and send out informative monthly e-newsletters that I always looked forward to reading.
With over 400 templates to choose from, small businesses of every stripe should be able to find ones that will represent their brand. Plus, the templates are easily customizable.
Social media integration was their main weakness for some time, but with their recent acquisition of NutshellMail, they have proven their desire to step their game up in that department.
I highly recommend Constant Contact and the ONLY reason I recently switched to Mail Chimp, which is FREE, was because I was trimming up my monthly budget and decided to allocate my $20 per month elsewhere.
Mail Chimp isn’t quite as flexible as Constant Contact. The user interface is not as intuitive, nor does it offer as many templates. However, its tracking and analytics are excellent, its social media integration is on point and its overall brand is fun and irreverent.
And, did I mention it’s FREE? For no cost, you can communicate with up to 1,000 contacts and send up to 6,000 emails per month. While I can’t say I’m as pleased overall with Mail Chimp as I was with Constant Contact, I will admit that it is growing on me more each month.
Other players in the email marketing game are Emma, iContact, Exact Target and Jango Mail. I haven’t used any of these, so I can’t vouch for them, but I do suggest that you look into a few options before making a decision on which platform is right for your business.
ASK BEFORE YOU ADD
Once you’ve chosen your application, it’s time to start building your list. The most important thing to remember is that ALL email marketing must be permission-based. You need to ASK your prospects and customers if you can put them on your mailing list before you just start mining email addresses from your collection of business cards.
Remember, marketing is about building relationships. If your customers think you are taking advantage of them by being sneaky, dishonest or careless with their contact information, they will revoke their trust in you and your business.
Besides, all of the platforms listed above are very serious about their anti-spam policies. If you get too many spam reports, it could result in your provider closing your account. So don’t forget to ask before you add.
BUILDING YOUR LIST
Once you get into your “mailing-list mindset” it’s important to take every opportunity available to acquire contact info from qualified prospects, leads or customers.
Here are a few ways to do so:
- Have a sign-up sheet available at your main point of contact (front desk, retail counter, trade show booth)
- Have an opt-in box on your blog or Web site
- Create a rewards program and let the participants know they will be receiving monthly communications
- Hold a monthly prize drawing and collect business cards to determine the winners (be sure the informational signage mentions that entrants will be added to your mailing list and notified of the results)
- When you’re networking in person, always have plenty of business cards to exchange with qualified prospects. Express interest in joining their list as well. Don’t just make it one-sided.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR THEM?
When asking people to join your mailing list, you’ve got to let them know how it will benefit them. If you treat your email marketing simply as a selling tool, you’re not going to win many fans.
Instead, think of your email communications as opportunities to build relationships, engage your audience, educate them, entertain them and inform them. This is where your strategy comes into play. You need to decide what you want your audience to take away from your communications.
Some questions that will help determine your strategy are:
- What is our objective?
- What kind of content are we going to produce?
- How does this reinforce our Brand Promise?
- How often will we send our communications?
Once you’ve defined your strategy, you can craft your pitch to make it sound like joining your mailing list is a benefit instead of an obligation.
For example, instead of, “Hey, can I put you on my mailing list?” It becomes, “I provide free weekly marketing tips that will help you grow your business. With your permission, I’d love to start sending them your way. Are you interested?”
GETTING EMAILS OPENED
While we’re on the topic of providing benefits, that same mindset is necessary when writing your Subject line. After all, having a hearty list is worthless if your contacts aren’t opening your emails.
When writing your subject lines, provide a little intrigue. Give recipients a taste of what awaits them if open the email. Give ‘em a teaser that will peak their curiosity. Let them know how the enclosed information will improve their lives.
Does that sound overly dramatic? It should! Your audience is bombarded with so much information, you’ve got to prove to them immediately that the information your sending is going to be worth their time.
GIVE ‘EM AN EYE FULL
One of the main advantages HTML emails have over plain text is that they can look good! Be sure to maximize this advantage by adding images, logos and graphics that best represent your brand.
If you’re sending out e-newsletters, give your subscribers a glimpse behind the scenes of your company with photos of your staff, special events, new products and fun things around your office.
You want to showcase the personality of your company, while maintaining the objective of your strategy and protecting the integrity of your brand.
The more you engage your audience, the more they feel like part of your community. This is key when building business relationships with qualified prospects who will eventually become loyal customers.
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What is YOUR email marketing platform of choice?
