Below is some information to consider when thinking about email marketing:
Do you have an email list ...
Do you have an email list of current and potential customers who you regularly keep in touch with? So many businesses I speak to rely on Social Media channels to ‘keep in touch’ with their followers, but what on earth would you do if the Facebook algorithm, for example, changed tomorrow, and your entire community of followers no longer saw your posts?! Or what about if your account was hacked, and you lost access to the list? I’ve actually seen this happen to businesses in recent months, and as a result I can’t stress the importance of building your own mailing list and keeping in touch with those people via email to help keep your business ‘top of mind’.
If you haven’t got an email list already, why not think about setting one up? You could reach out to your existing customers and ask if they’d be happy to receive a monthly email from you, and you could also add a signup form on your website, to get people to subscribe to your mailing list in exchange for something free or useful – for example, a voucher, a free download, or PDF, etc.
Invite signups to your list ...
In order to set up a signup box for your website, a tool like Mailchimp https://mailchimp.com/ or Active Campaign https://www.activecampaign.com/ could be a cost effective way of adding a simple but attractive sign up form to your website. You could then follow this up with an auto-responder type email that shares the free information they requested (or their voucher), and then drops them into a monthly cycle of newsletters. Just remember that it’s important to clearly state what people will receive (i.e., monthly newsletters with offers, etc.) and that they must be given the option to unsubscribe at any time, as those on your mailing list must have consented to receive the information you send out. (See our Blog on GDPR for more information!)
When to email ...
To help maintain a positive relationship with your customers, I’d suggest you avoid making every single email about a sale or special offer. Why not provide useful content that sets you apart as a knowledge leader in your field, and conveys your skill and professionalism? This can really help to build trust with a potential customer and could make them more likely to purchase from you. Bombarding your list with irrelevant content, or too much content, could give the impression that you are ‘spamming’ your customers, and lead to complaints from those on your mailing list – an issue that could impact your deliverability and even result in your email marketing tool provider revoking your access to the platform.
Spam triggers to watch out for ...
Speaking of spamming, it’s also worth avoiding spam trigger words in your email headings, to try and ensure that any emails you send out actually end up in the inbox of the recipient (therefore having a higher chance of being opened and read). This helpful blog from Hubspot provides a list of 394 spam trigger words it’s best to avoid.
And to summarise ...
An email list can be a simple but very effective way of gently reminding potential customers of your existence and the quality of your service and products – it doesn’t have to cost the earth, with tools like Mailchimp offering free versions for basic functionality, but can provide the highest return on investment of any digital marketing channel - don't forget the all-important stats already mentioned - research by Litmus suggests that email marketing can provide an average return of $36 for every $1 spent.
Why not start thinking more seriously about email marketing today? And if you need any guidance or advice, do get in touch with CC Professional to see if we can help :)