All of us receive a lot of emails every day; it is difficult
for marketer to get his message in the inbox. What does it mean? Is the email
marketing dead?
We have seen some companies give up on email and move
towards social networking, mobile messaging and instant applications, including
messaging. We've all seen a shift in marketing budgets used in social channels
and digital display, but I'll show you why email marketing is not dead and you
have to give the highest value to your email campaign so that you get a higher
return on investment.
Email still represents a much larger share of customers as
compared to social media channels. After all 91% of us use email on a daily
basis.
I'll tell you what is dead when it comes to email marketing
-It is the "email blast", where you put everyone together in one list
and just blast them till they are forced to hit the spam button . These types
of emails exaggerate consumers. It's like watching your favorite TV show and
being hit with a commercial every 2 minutes. Annoyed??
Remember, we have the tools to understand the behavior of
our customers. If you are not using these tools as analysis, surveys and
segmentation you are missing the boat to marketing and it's time to reassess
your approach.
As a marketer you need to understand your customers and
reach them with information that not only are relevant, but also find attractive.
Your messaging must talk to them.
That is your contest, if you take it. If not, email is dead
to you. If you are ready for the challenge then I have a couple of best
practices that will help you to ignite the spark in your email campaigns.
Re-opt in campaign
If you've been
sending emails and you realize that many of your messages are bounced or
returned as spam may be time for a new option in the campaign. Rebuild your
list with new Id’s and make sure you are sending the mail to only those who
want to receive them.
Sure, this may mean that you lose 50% of your list, but its
better to emailing those who want to hear from you to purge out those who do
not?
A re-opt in campaign can save you time and money in the long
run. Just think about it, every email you send costs you to those who do not
want to receive it and it also a effects your reputation.
Go ahead; ask your customers the magic question - "Do
you want to continue listening to us," Keep your copy short and to the
point.
Rebuilding trust
Now that you have rebuilt
your list, you need to rebuild trust. You can build trust by sending an email
to the information they have requested and respecting their time. Use your list
to engage your subscribers and create a dialogue. It's OK to market and sell
your products, but focuses more on building relationships and continues building
trust with them so they want to do engage with you.
Another way to build trust is to let them know what to
expect when they subscribe to your list. Will you be emailing monthly, weekly,
or only when there are special offers? What content should you expect? If you
set expectations in the beginning there will be no surprises. A good practice
is to send a "welcome" email after subscribing explaining everything
out for them.
Segment and optimize your campaigns
The days are gone when you write one message for everyone.
You have to make sure your list is getting the information they want. Asked to
list the information you would like to receive. Are they interested in the
products and / or specific services? Are they only interested in special offers?
Do you have unique demographic features that allow you to customize your messaging?
Segmentation is the key in optimizing and maintaining a committed list.
Provide Value
Do your emails include information all about you, your
products and services? Give value to your patrons. Provide your subscribers
with unique content that is interesting, educational and engaging. This will
make your subscribers to read it. If this is all about "selling" and
provides no value you will quickly make your subscribers to lose interest in
your emails. Remember the messages that
are more personal solves a problem and educational are the most effective
email content,. If you follow these things you will see your email list
to grow gradually.
Email marketing is not dead if you use it as a marketing
tool to encourage conversation with your subscribers, your potential customers,
in a way to know their needs and gives them the answers they want.
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