What is Email Marketing?
Stream Send (2013) claims Email
Marketing occurs when a company sends a commercial message to a group of people
by use of electronic mail. Most commonly through advertisements, requests for business, or sales. Any
email communication is considered email marketing if it helps to build customer
loyalty, trust in a product or company or brand recognition. It is an efficient
way to stay connected with your customers while also promoting your business.
Email marketing enriches business
communications, targets specific key markets, and is both cost-effective and
environmentally friendly.
About Email Marketing
Copy Blogger (2014) wants people to believe
that email marketing isn't dead. With a strong content marketing approach,
email is more powerful than ever thanks to social media as it moves the conversation about your business to a more personal
environment.
Email provides you the
most direct line of communication for conversion to sales. It is also cost
effective with an ROI of around 4,300% (according to the Direct Marketing
Association), email practically pays for itself. It is what organisations use
when they want to move from “conversation to commerce.” Good email content
deepens your relationship with your audience through making sure they have
opened the email, read the message and delivering quality. (Copy Blogger, 2014)
How can Small Businesses
adopt an Email Marketing Campaign?
There are several examples of email marketing campaigns:
1.
Welcome Emails - Thank new customers
for opting into your subscription. They can give valuable information about
your company and also request key information about your new client, helping
you put the person in the correct categories for future marketing efforts.
2.
Sending out announcements on products
or services
3.
Newsletters regarding your company, products
or services
4.
Coupons for future purchasing
5.
Offers
(Stream Send, 2013)
Every email you send out should have company information on the bottom,
giving potential clients a chance to learn more about your company as well as
‘opt-in’ to get future emails. Incentive programs that give members a ‘promo
code’ to collect discounts on purchases also allow you to monitor the
effectiveness of your campaign as well as what your contacts are interested in.
With the help of email marketing software, email marketing is an effective
way to not only reach your target markets but also to stay connected with your
purchasing base. Through efficient use of email marketing, you can retain
current clients while also targeting new markets. (Stream Send, 2013)
According to Marketo Blog (2014) enlisting
the help of technology can actually make your emails seem a lot more personal,
even when sending emails to huge lists of people.
Courtney McAra, who wrote the blog
explains firstly how even if people are subscribed to your email list, doesn't
mean they're actually reading them. Therefore it is essential to look at the
overall behaviour. Are they opening emails daily? Are they clicking on the links?
If customers aren't engaged, maybe it would be useful to ask why and allow them
to select their own subscription preferences.
Companies who have tailored emailing systems allow the flexibility of
allowing their customers choose what they receive. By notifying individuals on
products based on previous purchases and viewings, it increases the likelihood
of them making a purchase. Retailers should be using their technology to make
their marketing feel more human, relevant and personal.
References
Copy Blogger (2014) 'Email Marketing: How to Push Send and Grow
your Business ' [Online]
<http://www.copyblogger.com/email-marketing/> [Accessed 10th May 2014]
Marketo Blog (2014) 'Why technology makes your Email Marketing
MORE personal, not less ' [Online] <http://blog.marketo.com/2014/05/why-technology-makes-your-email-marketing-more-personal-not-less.html>
[Accessed 10th May 2014]
Stream Send (2013) 'Email News and Strategy' [Online]
<http://www.streamsend.com/what_is_email_marketing.htm> [Accessed 10th
May 2014]
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