The friendly email marketing marketer a white paper on email campaigns

 

email marketing – the persistent ringing of the doorbell got the house owner irritated, and upon answering the door, she kissed the cold of the day, and the snow not helping matters continuously fell on her nose, making breathing difficult.

Immediately she identified the faces staring at her; she was displeased. These people were now regular visitors to her home, who lacked courtesy, and repeated the exact words they spoke to her every time. Finally, without greeting or acknowledging the presence of the woman before them, they said in uniformity, “We are from the shop down the street, and we came to market our business.” With regret and annoyance, the lady slammed the door and withdrew into the comfort of her warm home.

 

Funny story

This story might seem funny and unreal to some, but sadly, this is how some email marketers market their businesses to subscribers. They only send emails about what they offer and fail to connect with the identity of their subscribers. Bear in mind, that the market is full of diverse companies who solve the same problem(s) your product or service solves; hence, subscribers have opportunities to purchase from any business that solves their needs and at the same time treats them right.

From the scenario earlier painted, the sole reason why some email marketers send mail to their subscribers is to sell their products and services, but there is more to email marketing than that. Email marketing helps you quickly identify who your subscribers are outside the wall of the business. You can follow them on their social media handles and study their likes, dislikes, and whatever information that could help you relate with them as people and not just subscribers.

As an email marketer, you must possess good communication skills to attract, keep and engage your subscribers. Unlike traditional marketing, your subscribers cannot see your face to better engage with you. Hence, compelling communications and business strategies are necessary to make up for face-to-face marketing. To better understand this article, we would streamline our focus and consider dog lovers as our subscribers.

 

Compelling strategies for targeted email marketing

 

Have a guide:

To target your email campaign, you must have a guide- a target or contact list. This list is a curated set of interested buyers who visited your website or made an inquiry about your solutions. For instance, you can ask visitors for their email addresses in exchange for a 15% coupon. Your list is a guide that would help plan your email campaigns so you do not send emails to uninterested people, which would, in turn, get your email in the trash or spam sections.

  

Personalize your emails for email marketing:

Like the lady in our story, no one is a fan of boring generic emails; avoid getting your subscribers angry and slamming the door in your face. Instead, email marketing should be relationship-friendly and personal, creating a solid bond between your subscribers and your brand. 

For instance, to inform your subscribers of the new polka dots dog collars you have in stock, you could write, “Hey Lora, check out our latest polka dots dog collars around Aaist.” With this, you have not just informed your subscriber of your latest stock, you also included her location in your email, and with this, Lora would be confident you did your assignment in identifying her as not just a dog lover but a polka dots fanatic.

 

Segment your campaigns:

As a vendor, in the pet industry, be sure that your subscribers’ needs are different despite their love for pets. Avoid always sending mass emails to all your subscribers, a segment which email goes to which subscriber.

It is also at this stage that your target list is of relevance. With your list, you know which subscriber has brown fur dogs and other colours of fur. You would also be able to identify which subscriber prefers a particular dog cookie to the other. This information goes a long way in adequately segmenting your campaigns. For example, you should not send an email selling polka dots dog collars to customers who do not fancy one. 

 

Monitor your matric:

Every email marketing strategy needs metrics. This would analyze the effectiveness of your campaigns, ensuring you are meeting your set goals. A report by the Director Marketing Association highlights the four most important email marketing metrics to rely on: click-through rate, conversion rate, open rate, and Return on Investment (ROI). These metrics guarantee you a comprehensive view of your email campaigns and help you make proactive business decisions. Take, for instance, if your open rate drops, you know it is time to try new subject lines, and if your click-through rate increases, it shows your subscribers’ interest in that particular content. Likewise, monitoring your matric helps introduce strategies to satisfy subscribers. 

 

Deliver in time:

Timing is as important as the message in the mail you want to disseminate. To prevent subscribers from not seeing or paying attention to your email, you must identify the best time to send emails, which subscribers, and the best timing. For instance, you have a general email you want to send to all dog owners on your list, but some subscribers live in a different location from your country of residency. A business in the United States has to study the time difference with other subscribers’ countries and then schedule dissemination to these customers fitting their timing. For example, you can send emails to subscribers within your jurisdiction by 10:00 am USA time, but you would have to prepare to disseminate the duplicate emails to subscribers in Nigeria by 10:00 am Nigerian time. 

 

How to retain subscribers

 

Be welcoming 

Anytime new visitors subscribe to your mailing list, it is essential that you immediately reach out to them, welcoming them to your society. In this email, you also introduce new subscribers to what your business is all about and what they can expect from your emails. Also, remember to keep the conversation friendly to encourage them freely converse with you.

 

Share valuable contents

The purpose of email marketing is to sell your products or services and inform and educate your subscribers. This can be done by sharing with them Do It Yourself (DIYs), upcoming programs that could impact them, and any other information you believe is of value to them. For instance, you send DIY details on how to mix dog food with nutrients and bones. Subscribers would practice this and appreciate your help. 

 

Ask questions 

The key to success in the business world is understanding your customers. If you want valuable audience insights, try sending your subscribers emails with targeted questions that would help shape your next stage in your customer journey, drive conversions and get them involved with your brand. 

 

Giveaway

Giveaway is one of the most potent promotional campaigns you can run, reaching out to your subscribers. All you need do is send an email announcing your giveaway, prize, and conditions. With your giveaway incentivized, your subscribers can share your campaign with their friends, attracting new subscribers to your business.

 

Announce winners

Every time you run a contest giveaway, publicly announce the winners of the campaign. This gives your subscribers closure, boosts transparency and trust in your brand. 

Email marketing promotes intimacy with subscribers thanks to the availability of their information via the internet. Therefore, make good use of the information you compile on your subscribers and be respectfully personal with them.

 

If you found this article on email marketing relevant enough, you might want to check out our white paper on (business strategic solutions).