Absolutely not. With the boom of social media there has been a downwards trend of email as a marketing tool for conversion with consumers, but on a business to business level, email marketing is still one of the most effective tools for conversation.
If you have found that your email marketing campaigns are not performing as well as they should, it might be time to revamp your email marketing strategy. Here’s why…
Why email marketing still gets the tick
Social media may have stolen the limelight when it comes to social interactions and conversations, but email marketing still plays an important role in keeping in touch with your clients.
Think about this. Social media sites are full of people making constant updates 24/7 and ads vying for consumer attention. It’s chaos out there.
Email marketing is personal. Clients on your send list have chosen to be contacted by you, they have developed a level of trust with you, and want you to keep in touch with them. You can send direct to them personally, addressing them by name.
Email marketing misconceptions
Email marketing is not about overnight results. It requires time and the right strategy.
Email marketing is about building rapport with your clients. Keeping in contact directly with them, letting them know you care not only about getting their custom on one occasion, but you value the ongoing relationship you have with them and you show it by giving free advice, updates and special offers as valued clients.
Who’s sick of businesses you haven’t even heard of spamming you with email ads?
Sending volumes of spammy ad emails is not the way to connect with consumers. This over-mailing tactic is not a smart strategy - it only frustrates customers.
Time for an email marketing revamp?
Here’s a couple of tips to revamp your email marketing strategy.
Update & group your contacts
It’s easier to keep an existing client than to acquire a new one, so update your client contact details to make sure you keep in touch.
Organise your database into groups. This way you can send targeted campaigns to a set group of clients – which is a great way to improve your click through rates.
Simple does the trick
Take out the elaborate items from your emails. They may look impressive but including too much graphics or information in your email send only makes it difficult/time consuming for readers – especially if they check their mail on mobile devices. Most have limited screen sizes that makes reading an email with a lot of stuff in it, painful. Also, large file graphics that take time to download are a pain.
Don’t do the “Do-not-reply” address
We reach clients through email because they want to interact with us on a personal level. Sending an email with a do-not-reply return email address sends a negative message to your clients: ‘I want you to listen to me but I don’t want to hear back from you.’
Most would agree this is completely frustrating. First, you take space in their inbox. Second, you only want them to buy from you. Third, they cannot send you feedback/questions.
Use a real email address when sending to customers. Encourage them to interact and give feedback. Show them that you value the relationship you have with them.
Calls-to-action
Keep your calls-to-action (the messages that ask customers to act. Eg ‘this month’s VIP deal’) brief and straight to the point. Make it easy for your customers and I guarantee you’ll get a better response rate. The more info and steps you require of them, chances are you’ll miss out.
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