By Megan Totka
Are you a small business looking for ideas to take your email marketing to the next level? With the ability to access virtually anyone at any time thanks to the new generation of mobile smartphones and tablets, emails are the quickest and most effective way to reach new and existing consumers. When the right components, like personalization and smart automation, work together, customers react more positively to your brand’s messages that are delivered via email marketing.
Email campaigns need several components to succeed, though. With the right focus, your emails will reach more customers and urge them to action. Take a look at four of the most important components of an email marketing initiative:
List Building
You can have the best email marketing campaign in the world – but if you do not have a growing list of recipients your efforts can fall flat. Email list building is a crucial part of a company’s marketing strategy. There are a number of online and offline strategies you can use to build a high quality email list.
- In Store: If you have a brick and mortar business then it’s imperative to get your customers email address while they’re checking out. Let the customer know about events and discounts that only email subscribers receive.
- On Website: Place an email opt-in form prominently on your website. Don’t just place the widget there and forget about it. Let the visitor know why they should sign up, such as exclusive discounts and first dibs on new products. HelloBar is a great email signup tool that’s easy to place on your website.
- Social Media: Facebook offers custom email sign up tabs. Take advantage of this feature and drive your Facebook users to sign up to become part of your email audience.
- Create Amazing Content: You’ve heard the saying “content is king,” but not just any content. You must create engaging content that provides value to your readers. Use this content to drive traffic back to your site which can lead to more subscribers.
As you grow your list, use an email marketing platform to send automated emails that keep subscribers engaged. An email automation platform can be a useful tool for not only growing more customers but also maintaining your existing group.
Customer Engagement
Are your customers engaged? How do you truly gauge the answer to this without accurate data analysis? Customer engagement should be the core of your marketing strategy. A platform that can measure interest based on the amount of activity, such and opened emails and clicks, is vital to tweaking your email marketing to perfection. A sophisticated tool like this may cost money, but the investment is clearly worth it. An email automation tool gives you the metrics to see what stands out to customers and what does not.
Personalization
Nothing draws a person’s attention more than their own name. Follow that up with a custom offer based on an item that person has searched on your site, and your email marketing is sure to impress. Personalization is an overlooked asset to your marketing campaign. In a fast paced, sometimes cold digital world, it’s important to capture your consumer’s attention and make them feel like you are talking just to him or her. Platforms such as Campaign Monitor can help your company efficiently produce professional content rich emails that are personalized to individuals based on data like age, gender, location and transaction history. Drive interest by using the subscribers’ behavior to generate unique emails directed just to them. Adding personalized messages in marketing emails can increase sales conversion rates by 15-25% and click-through rates by 25-35%.
Retention
We have covered prioritizing the growth of your audience but we haven’t touched on the importance of retaining these customers. Today’s customers come back when the applications and tools are easy to use on all devices. Learn where your current customers are most engaged and utilize email automation to enhance those experiences. Ensure that email autoresponders are triggered if there is an abandoned shopping cart or half completed signup page. If you’re a service based business, continue to add value to customers by sending them content that educated or solves a problem.
By identifying your goals and creating a strategy with the key components mentioned above, your company is sure to have a strong plan for your email marketing. Investing in an email automation company is a key factor to this success because it gives you all the tools needed to create, send and track emails. You have the opportunity to put your message in front of a countless number of people. Do not waste any more time — put your email marketing strategy at the top of your list for 2017.
Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources and business news. Megan has several years of experience on the topics of small business marketing, copywriting, SEO, online conversions and social media. Megan spends much of her time establishing new relationships for ChamberofCommerce.com, publishing weekly newsletters educating small business on the importance of web presence, and contributing to a number of publications on the web. Megan can be reached at megan@chamberofcommerce.com. Website: www.chamberofcommerce.com
