If you’re looking for a fast, easy, and effective way to reach prospective customers, we’d like to suggest that you consider email marketing. And before you start thinking about spam and scams like Nigerian princes who just need someone to help transfer their money, you should know that email campaigns are one of the most powerful and cost-effective ways to boost your bottom line.

Research shows that:

  • 28 percent of online shoppers in the U.S. subscribe to store or product emails
  • 66 percent of consumers have made a purchase online as a result of an email marketing message
  • 82 percent of customers open emails from companies
  • the click-through rate on marketing emails is 1.7 percent, as opposed to the .1 percent rate on banner ads

As for your advertising dollar, one recent study showed that email marketing has a return on investment (ROI) of $42 for every dollar spent, as opposed to a $2 return on every dollar spent on Google Adwords. This statistic alone makes email marketing especially attractive to small businesses.

In addition, emails allow you to build a personal relationship with your customers that can be elusive in other forms of marketing. If you’re ready to take advantage of this valuable marketing tool, here are some tips to get you started.

 

1. Get permission

If you send emails to those who haven’t opted in, your message is more than likely to be deleted unopened. So make it easy for customers to sign up to receive your emails.

Post a signup form on your website, blog, and all social media, and be sure to tell them what they’ll get in return or INCENTIVIZE them to opt-in. Will they receive a 15 percent discount on their first purchase? Will they get the latest information about your new products? Will they receive advance notice of sales?

And don’t forget to make it easy for them to unsubscribe from your email list. Nothing is more annoying than unwanted emails.

 

2. Have a goal

As with any type of marketing, you need a clear-cut goal in order to maximize your efforts. So before you even begin to think of creating an email, you need to know what you hope to accomplish.

Do you want people to attend a special event? Purchase a new product? Subscribe to your newsletter? Read your latest blog?

Once you know what your goal is for each email, it’s easier for you to write the copy and easier for your customers to understand why you sent it to them.

 

3. Craft interesting copy

Keep in mind that the best sales pitches are all about the customer: their needs, their desires, their problems, and how your product or service can help them.

These issues don’t even need to be stated explicitly, but they should be in the back of your mind as you write and should be implicit in your message.

Be sure to include some interesting visuals to help break up the text; just don’t overdo it. Too many images can detract from your message.

 

4. Create segments

These days if you want to sell to people, you need to tailor your message to them. And with the many tools available, there’s no reason you can’t segment your audience to target them with messages of particular interest to them.

Such email builders as Mailchimp, ConstantContact, and HubSpot allow you to personalize your emails to help build a relationship with recipients.

 

5. Provide a clear CTA

Once you know what your goal is for a particular email, you’ll know what you want your recipients to do. Make sure your call to action (CTA) is clear, prominent (e.g., use a different color font from the rest of the email), and easy for them to accomplish.

 

Our advertising and internet marketing experts have all the latest tools and techniques you need to help you launch a successful—and lucrative—email marketing campaign. So contact us today and let us know how we can help you take advantage of this often-overlooked marketing method.