Last Updated on Mar 12, 2020 by James W
To develop good business contacts and reach potential customers, email marketing is one of the most powerful tools. Using it, you can promote your business quickly, easily and conveniently in a cost-effective way. However, some people don’t understand the true value of email marketing and use it to vex people with useless prattle and sales pitches. If executed the right way, email marketing helps not only to enhance your financial prospects, but also in developing long term business relations.
How can email marketing be done effectively? The most important aspects that come into picture when this question is asked are the content of your emails and how they are composed.
What should be included in your messages?
1) Above all, your email should include the link to your privacy policy page. Before you communicate or do any business with your potential customers, they have to be assured that the information they provide will be safe and confidential and shall not be misused.
2) Do not forget to ask the recipients how frequently they would like to receive emails from you. It shows that you are being considerate.
3) Provide information about the complete pricing structure of your products and services. Emails with this information missing appear untrustworthy and makes people reluctant to reply.
4) Give a clear idea of your products and services so that your potential customers can relate their needs and problems in a better way.
5) Provide only relevant information that is useful and interests your target audience. If your email is stuffed with trivia, it loses all appeal and you risk losing a lot of market.
6) Including a capture form in your email is a very good idea to make it interactive. Ask your potential customers what interests them and which types of products and services they frequently buy.
How can you compose effective marketing emails?
It is possible to compose effective marketing emails only when you learn to respect the intelligence and time of people in your recipients list. You should value their privacy and treat them considerately as they are very crucial for the expansion of your business.
1) Your emails should reflect your genuine interest in potential customers and the values on which your brand or company is based. Values impart authenticity and people always like to deal with such companies. If your email appears as a purchased sales script, it loses its value and power to engage the recipient’s interest.
2) Your communication should have a personal touch. Your prospective customers should feel privileged and that they are being treated specially. If the email is just a panoptic message sent out to everyone regardless of their association with you, it appears feigned and people think that you are trying to spam.
3) Address the needs and problems of your potential customers and present your products and services as possible solutions to them.
4) Probe using interactive, short, concise and open-ended questions. Try to obtain as much relevant information as possible without being bothersome.
5) Your email should be well planned out and structured. It should not appear as a haphazard and messy compilation of some randomly chosen sales copies.
6) Do not use words commonly found in commercials and advertisements. Spam filters are growing more intelligent day-after-day and can easily filter out emails that sound like commercial-grade messages.
One of the most important aspects of email marketing is how you handle the unsubscription. Always ensure that the link to unsubscribe is working. Provide your customers an option to unsubscribe whenever they want to. If they are unable to, it may lead to a suspicion that you are trying to deceive. When recipients are about to unsubscribe, it’s your last chance to convert. Try your best to keep back their interest in your services. Just before they actually unsubscribe, you can ask if the number of emails they get should be reduced. Inquire whether they have been receiving any unnecessary and irrelevant information. Provide an option to add categories for which they would like to receive mails and delete those which don’t concern them any more.
Some beneficial steps to include in your email marketing:
Based on the information you get from the capture form, offer free and informative resources to your customers like ebooks and newsletters that will help to resolve their issues. Ask for an appointment so that you can discuss your opportunities more precisely and in detail. A personal appointment and direct conversation will enable you to understand your customers’ needs more clearly and comprehensively.
Email marketing is one of the easiest and most cost-effective techniques to enhance your customer-base if done the right way. To be a successful email marketer, you should learn to value your recipient’s privacy, respect their intelligence and time and present solutions to their problems and needs. Make a point to maintain communication etiquette, focus only on the relevant and necessary details, don’t push when trying to sell and you will find yourself going a long way towards building long-term and successful relationships with your customers.
