In today’s competitive marketplace it’s more difficult than ever for a business to get noticed. Once upon a time you may have been able to rely on the quality of your product or service (and a little word of mouth) to bring sales in. But with the rapid growth of the online space, that system is a thing of the past.
Nowadays, a solid online marketing campaign is essential for any business to become, and remain, successful. Unfortunately, there are so many advertising options to choose from, it can get overwhelming and confusing.
A great place to start is with email marketing. In fact, every business should be doing it. Here’s why.
It’s inexpensive
Sure, there are many flashy ways you can get your customer’s attention – but you’ll have to pay the price tag that comes with it. Email marketing is an inexpensive way to directly access your consumers. If your product or service is marketed online, you can entice potential customers to give you their email address if they’re interested in receiving your newsletter, hearing about specials, or maybe even getting a freebie. This freebie is usually a digital product that will add value to their lives and is of no cost to you (other than the time you spent creating it).
Direct access
Jackpot! These days most people have access to their mobile 24/7. Essentially, anyone can check their email anywhere, anytime. What does that mean for your business? It means that by having an email list you have direct access to potential consumers, who you can contact at any time. And if you know what you’re doing, you can then convert them into repeat customers.
Reach
Despite the many social media platforms available, email is still considered to have the largest reach. This is in large part because more people regularly access their email than any other social channel. Ask just about anyone and they will tell you they have an email address – even those who don’t consider themselves tech-savvy.
Targeted messaging
As your email list grows you should start doing targeted marketing, based on the information initially collected when customers join your contact list. You can segment your list and develop tailored messages to different groups, based on relevance. Consider doing surveys to find out more about the people on your list. What are their needs? What kinds of products and services are they interested in? The more you get to know them the more your message can be tailored to their preferences, and the more value you can create.
Trust
Email marketing is a great way to build a relationship with your clients. By sending out scheduled emails on certain days of the week, people will start to expect your messages. Stay consistent. Use your newsletter as an opportunity to provide constant value. The idea is to get people to open your emails. Share the good and the bad. Building a rapport with people is a great way to convert them into loyal customers. Just make sure to be sincere – people know a fake when they see one.
Track and measure
Another great aspect of email marketing is that you can track email open rates and sale conversions. That means you can see how many people are opening your emails and how many of those people are buying your product or service. You can experiment with what works and what doesn’t. Try different email headlines and see if you can notice any patterns? The more you try different things, the more you’ll start to know what works for your business and what doesn’t. Don’t be afraid to see what’s worked for others that have gone before you. There’s always value in learning. In fact, once you find the right formula, just rinse and repeat.
Content
Email is a great medium for content delivery because there’s so much flexibility. On some social media platforms you can only use a certain number of words or characters to get your message across, whereas email allows you to be as brief or long winded as you want (i.e. whatever the situation calls for). Long copy has proven to be quite effective when it comes to marketing.
Don’t miss out
At the end of the day, what it all boils down to is: if you don’t have an email list, your business is missing out on sales. Plain and simple. The low cost makes it accessible to everyone, so why not take advantage?
It’s also a great place for those who are new to online marketing to start building up their digital presence; it’s one of the easier methods to master, while still boasting decent returns. Once you’re comfortable with email marketing and you start to reap the rewards, you should expand your reach and begin looking at other marketing mediums.
No matter what, email marketing should always play a part of any online marketing strategy. It just makes good business sense.
