Email marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing ever used. Don't let ANYONE tell you that email is dead! It’s still more effective than social media marketing, pay per click marketing, and other forms of marketing available to use today. Any rumors to the contrary are wrong. Forbes, CopyBlogger.com, and Hubspot all agree that email marketing is still highly effective.
You do not have to have a large list to make money. A smaller, more targeted list can be better than a huge list without a target audience. Create a list with your existing customers. From there, build your list of prospects and new customers with smart campaigns that attract only your ideal customer. Try offering a free gift for people who opt-in to your list. If your free gift offer isn’t interesting to anyone but your perfect client, that’s a good start.
You don’t want to have people on a list that promotes product A when they’ve already bought it. Instead, you want them to be on list B now so that you can promote product B to them. Your email software can be set up to do this automatically. Segmentation allows you to send the right message, to the right people, at the right time. This action alone can help you avoid problems with customers getting bothered by your emails. It will also up the likelihood of your audience buying your next product.
When someone signs up for a list it’s because they’re interested in getting the information for which they signed up. If you don’t send them information on a regular basis that is relevant they’re not going to be very responsive. But, if you do send them what they’re looking to get, you’ll be surprised at how positive the email list experience will be, for you and your audience. A regular newsletter is a great way to keep your customers and prospects informed, interested, and motivated to purchase!
In addition to promoting your own products and services it’s also helpful to your list to point them toward information and products or services that they need that you don’t create. Consider sharing helpful articles from industry websites, your trusted vendors, or other newsletters that you receive. You can become a needed and trusted resource for your email list members. As they get to know you and trust you, they’re going to be more likely to accept the helpful information that you provide.
A good use of your email list is to remind them about the messages on your blog - you can't count on people to visit your website on a regular basis to see if you have posted a new blog. Introducing a new blog post within an email message is a great way to ensure that your readers get the information they need about you, your company, your industry, and the products and services you offer. If you're not writing a blog, maybe now is a good time to start.
Don’t be too clever with your headlines. People get angry when a headline is deceptive and dishonest. Be direct about what’s inside so that when they open it and read it they develop even more trust for you based off the fact the headline matched the message. The more direct you are, the more honest you are; the more effective your email marketing messages will be. Experiment with headlines and subject lines - look at the statistics of your campaigns - replicate those subject lines that got a great response and dump those that didn't!
Like blog posts, every email message you send to your audience should include a call to action (CTA) of some kind. Whether its buy now, read this blog post, schedule an appointment, or share with your friends include something for your audience to do.
Nothing is ever done without the numbers. Try different subject lines, and different CTAs to see what gets the best results. Which types of subject lines are opened more often? Which CTA’s were answered? How many people purchased X product upon your recommendation? How many people are responding to your questions and surveys? If you know this information you can use it to improve your email marketing campaigns.
When you find a winning way to run your email campaigns, keep repeating it for different products and services. You will get better email marketing results, and your business will grow!
For more tips on email marketing, download the FREE Blueprint for Success: Email from the Next Level U Resource Library. You will get 21 ideas that you can implement now to take your email marketing to the next level! DOWNLOAD HERE.
To your success!
Laura
If you are not currently using an email marketing program, I recommend Constant Contact. It's a great tool for small businesses - easy to use, great list management tools, and helpful metrics for tracking your results. Click here to get a free trial.
P.S. If you are a small business owner (or want to be one), whether you are just starting out, or have been in business for awhile, I hope you will become part of the Next Level family. Visit our Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/NextLevelAd) for tips, tools, and resources to help grow your business. We now have a Facebook Group, Next Level U, for those who are interested in joining a private community of small business owners and marketers.
Some of the links in this publication are Affiliate Links, meaning that – at no additional cost to you – Next Level Advertising may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Please know that when you see an Affiliate link from Next Level Marketing it is for a product or service that we use ourselves or that we have thoroughly researched and reviewed!
Laura Olson-Oxley is an entrepreneur, coach, speaker, marketing and business consultant, and sales professional. She has over 25 years experience working with small businesses in a variety of industries, focusing on strategic business growth through effective marketing and advertising. Also a strategist, numbers nut, project manager, and life-long learner, Laura looks at the big picture to analyze and recommend the most effective tools to take businesses to the Next Level.
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