More emails? Ugh! Why would you bring more emails into the world? It's madness….but in the best way possible! You might think email marketing is dead. You might even be reluctant to consider the idea. But why is that? For most small business owners, you're either over-overwhelmed with the emails you receive or not sure how it works. And we get that!
This blog will help you understand how email marketing works and why you should be bothering with it.
What is email marketing?
Let me get a little technical on you for a moment. It'll be quick. Promise!
If you hit up the "Googles," you'll find endless Ads for email marketing. But, no matter how you flip this pancake, the concept doesn't change. It's the process of targeting a specific audience, like potential or current customers, with intentions to sell your services or products via email. Ideally, the email contains helpful tools or information for the end-user.
A strong email marketing campaign can set a business apart from its competitors by connecting with a target audience in a more personal way. So, providing eye-catching yet valuable information to subscribers helps you boost the conversations about your own business and grow your revenue.
Why bother with email marketing campaigns?
According to a study by GetResponses, there's a 32% chance your first-time customers will buy from you again. Second-time customers are 53% more likely to place another order, and by the time they've checked out a 10th time, they're 83% more likely to buy again.
Think repeat business is difficult to achieve? It is! That's a big reason you need to pursue your target audience to buy from you again and again. Email marketing can help you do just that.
Here are three reasons why you should bother with email marketing:
#1 Simple & cost-effective
Go ahead. Google it. Time and time again, email marketing is one of the most cost-effective tactics with proven ROI results. It doesn't need to be an expensive activity to generate more sales. It's one of the most affordable tactics to reach a large audience.
#2 Target YOUR audience
You have direct access to your tailored audience that brings you directly back to your brand's site and not another platform. Think about it. When you utilize Paid Ads, like Facebook, your potential customers stay on Facebook to learn more when they could be swimming around your site. Don't you want a few backstrokes on the About Me page? Hop to it!
#3 Better brand recognition
Yes, it's crucial to develop brand awareness via other marketing channels. But, but, buuuuutttt with email marketing, you reach loyal customers more often and directly. It's as simple as that! No other medium provides direct, consistent interaction other than email marketing. It's all you, baby!
You got this!
You got it, dude! Yes, you finally understand why it's crucial. So pat yourself on the back. You are one excellent human being, and gosh darn it! We like you. Lori Greiner and I are proud of you. Now, let's move on to something a bit more entertaining. I'm exhausted with all this stiff technical talk.
Listen, kid. We aren't handing out participation ribbons anymore. You need to learn this takeaway. It's going to set you apart from the competition.
Don't be afraid to toss a little fun into your emails. Sprinkle a dash of creativity. Actually, dump the entire bowl into it. And put some glitter on there, too. You must be creative. Otherwise, go ahead and drag and drop your campaign into that tiny little digital trash can.
Be creative or else.
I know it sounds dramatic, but the more creativity, the better. Your target audience most likely has a short attention span, and we need to capture them quickly. Think about it like this. When your cat gets out of the cat carrier, and you're already running late. You need to create a creative plan to capture and retain them (and quickly). I'm sharing three ways to captivate your audience in the best way possible.
#1 Popup Campaign (Acquisition Emails)
Chances are you've entered your email address into a pop-up in exchange for a promotion, like a discount code. You know what it is. It's a small window that pops up over the webpage while someone visits a site. It's utilized to collect visitors' email addresses while offering discounts, free shipping, and anything else a customer might love. It's a trade-for-trade.
The company gets to lock you into their newsletters via email campaign, and you get to stay in touch with a favorite brand. And as a "bonus," you get discounts for staying in touch. You might even have a call-to-action plastered on your very own site. Why? Because it's an email marketing strategy that works. We love this email marketing tool because it's an email marketing strategy that works. Are you doing it? You should be.
#2 Quirky content-heavy newsletters
As a small business, it's your job to provide subscribers with helpful knowledge about your products and services. But email newsletters cannot (I repeat) cannot be boring! You must add value (and fun) to their inbox by creating engaging content, including announcements, how-tos, and "bonus content."
Engaging content ideas:
Pet photos
How to guides
Blog posts
Refer a friend program
Case studies
Reviews
Show Off User-Generated Content
Event invites & recaps
YouTube videos
Product announcements
Coupons & promotions
Gift guides
Company story
Employee bios
Behind the scenes
Job postings
FAQs
Industry news
Interview an expert
Ask for feedback
Giveaways
Quizzes
Holiday greetings
Share recommendations
Inspirational quotes
You've got their email; now stay in contact. Retention emails are a clever way to keep your hard-won customers—a retention email targets existing customers to increase loyalty, engagement, and overall customer satisfaction. You're missing out if you're not utilizing this strategy to keep customers coming back again and again.
Disclaimer: In the marketing realm, you should no longer be making your clients "work for it." They're exhausted. If they think it will be a challenge to get information from you, they'll move on to the next brand.
#3 Outreach Emails
You don't know them. You don't know about them. You found their contact email on the internet or ran across it in a fishbowl drawing. The only information you do know is that they work somewhere and that somewhere is somewhere, somewhere good. You know that you'd like to do business with them (and as soon as possible).
Cold emailing is highly targeted. It's a way to engage in a one-on-one conversation with a specific individual. Your goal with outreach email marketing is to aim to get a business conversation started rather than promoting a product or service. You want the connection (which will lead to sales down the line).
You might feel a little slimy sending a cold email. But, someone needs to start the conversation (and a good one at that). Simply sending a generic email won't do. You'll need to get creative if you don't want poor results. Luckily, at The Clever Catalyst, hiring a professional copywriter will help you refine the strategy.
Need Clever Email Marketing Services? Call us today!
Email marketing is affordable, efficient, and easy to do. With a bit of creativity, you can attract customers to your site and retain them for life. Your products won't even get to stay for pie.
So, now that you're "locked" on email marketing, like Chuck and Blair's first kiss, go ahead and take a "backseat" and allow us to handle the rest. We have the time, energy, and creativity to whip up a campaign that will thicken your wallet.
If you're ready to start a conversation immediately, shoot me a text at 614-233-1943. We can go at your pace if you'd like a slower approach. But, you'll need to cold email me first at admin@clevercatalystllc.com. Don't worry. It'll be the last time you do that.