Many business overlook email marketing, but there are several compelling reasons to use it as part of your overall marketing strategy, including:
- High ROI: Compared to other marketing channels, email consistently delivers one of the highest ROI’s. It’s low cost, with the potential to reach a high audience. What more could you want?
- Automation and scalability: You can streamline your emailing strategy with the use of automation tools. For example, abandoned cart reminders are a good way to drive conversion rates at scale.
- Measurable results: Email marketing platforms provide robust analytics and reporting features, allowing you to track the performance of your campaigns in real-time. By monitoring metrics such as open rates, click-through rates and conversion rates you can make data-driven decisions and tweak your approach as you go.
- Customer retention: Nurture existing customers and encourage repeat purchases. By staying top-of-mind with regular communications including valuable content and exclusive deals, you can strengthen customer loyalty.
Convinced? Here are six ways you can take advantage of these benefits:
- Audience segmentation
Segmentation involves dividing your email list into targeted groups based on specific criteria that you want to create personalised messages for, e.g. demographics, location, purchase behaviour and engagement level.This allows you to send more relevant and personalised content to each group, increasing engagement and conversion rates.
- Promotions and exclusive offers
Create a sense of exclusivity by offering promotions that are only available to email subscribers. This will not only encourage people to sign up to your mailing list, but it will also help to retain people who already are.This will require some compelling subject lines and visually appealing designs to grab people’s attention. A clear call-to-action will drive clicks and conversions.
- Personalised communication
Personalisation isn’t just simply addressing recipients by their first names. If you’re collecting analytics you can use these insights to segment your email list and deliver specific content to different groups.Leverage behavioural triggers to send timely and personalised messages, like the abandoned cart reminder mentioned in the first section of this blog. Perhaps a discount will seal the deal?
- Automated email campaigns
Following on from the last point, automated emails allow you to set up pre-defined workflows triggered by specific actions or events, such as new subscriber welcome emails.This will help you streamline your marketing efforts while ensuring that the emails you send are timely, relevant and provide value to the recipient — otherwise you might end up as a brand of processed canned pork and ham made by Hormel Foods Corporation, AKA: Spam.
- Survey and feedback
Gain insights into the preferences of your customers, as well as their opinions and satisfaction levels by sending out surveys.Use the feedback received to identify areas for improvement and address customer concerns. Just like with online reviews, even a complaining customer normally appreciates it when a business acknowledges their feedback and explains how they might address it.
- Cross-selling and up-selling
This is sales 101, and these techniques can definitely be employed in your email campaigns. With cross-selling, you’re recommending complementary products or services based on past purchases or interests. With upselling, you’re encouraging customers to upgrade to a higher-priced or generally more improved version of a product they’re already considering.Combine this with point 4 and you can send out automated emails to showcase related items, accessories or upgrades to enhance the value of the original purchase. Consider offering incentives such as bundle discounts or limited-time promotions to sweeten the deal.
So, there you have it. If you want some seasoned professional help when it comes to planning and executing an effective email marketing campaign, check out our inbound marketing services.
