A Costly, But Successful Approach To E-Mail Marketing
There is an interesting post by Jesse Laffen on Search Engine Journal discussing businesses’ willingness to pay high pay-per-click prices to draw customers, even if those costs leave little if any profit margin. In fact, I would go so far as to say the example used would leave those businesses with a huge loss. But then, the idea is to get a foot in the door.
For centuries, marketers have worked on the principle of getting customers’ in the door. Provide them with a good deal, a great service, and hopefully they will return every time they require your product. The extension of this is through pay-per-click where the cost-profit analysis is not measured on a single sale, but across the life of a customer.
The one big difference between online and offline is that online customers won’t always return to your website. Often, they will click the most convenient link and that could be in search, social, or through some other means. This is where retargeting comes to the fore, particularly e-mail marketing.
Obtaining e-mail addresses is not that difficult if they have purchases from you. You need an e-mail address to send order confirmations; all it takes is an offer to receive newsletter with special offers – you will be surprised at how many buyers will opt in. Once you have their details, it’s simply a matter of sending regular e-mails with offers related to that product.
This approach will not work in every marketing plan and is definitely one best suited to consumables. Also, being active on social media such as Facebook can help to retarget your customers. The lesson here is a simple one. The cost per click may make a search marketing campaign unprofitable when it comes to single items, but if you can sell multiple items over a period of time, then the cost per click may not be as high as you imagine.
Why E-Mail Marketing Is Now Even More Important
E-mail marketing has been through the hoops over the last ten years. It was immensely popular before hitting a wall built entirely of spam. With the advent of spam filters and double opt-ins and easy opt-outs, e-mail marketing has again risen to become an important tool for successful businesses. I sense it can only grow in importance as social media start to heavily influence online activities.
Where many people see e-mail lists as pots of marketing gold, I see those same lists as pots of relationship gold. E-mail marketing will lose its value if e-mail lists are used purely to send out page after page of sales materials. The more successful entrepreneurs will be the ones that use those lists to connect with subscribers.
There are hundreds of different ways that e-mail lists can be used as clever relationship marketing tools. Here are just a few to get your brain ticking over:
sending invitations (with links) to conversations related to new products, problems, or the niche in general
sending requests for feedback on marketing materials, new website designs (always good for spiking traffic), or new products
requesting help – I have noticed one or two e-mails requesting help to moderate in forums and community pages. People like to think their skills/knowledge/ability could be recognised in this way
I have only scratched the surface with those three suggestions, but they all have one thing in common, there is no overt marketing. In fact, they are all social inspired and involve some element of two-way communication. Every e-mail that is sent is a reflection of your business – at the same time it is an opportunity to display and reinforce your brand, and an opportunity to develop your reputation as a leader in your niche. E-mail marketing is an important tool for any business, especially if it used cleverly.
Is E-Mail Marketing Too Hard – Consider Collective E-Mail Marketing
How important is e-mail marketing to your business? Big business has once more taken to e-mail marketing, not with a vengeance as in the past, but with a ‘slowly slowly catchy fishy’ type approach – and for many, it’s proving to be quite valuable. For smaller businesses, I sense a little of the ‘it’s too hard’ mentality, which is a shame given the benefits that could be obtained.
E-mail marketing was once the most popular form of online marketing. It developed a bad name and dropped away fairly quickly. It is now rebuilding and with many of the checks and balances now in place, is also being welcomed by many users. The fact they have to ‘opt-in’ and can ‘opt-out’ at any time is a big plus.
Is e-mail marketing too hard? It may seem so, but it needn’t be. Collecting e-mail addresses is not that difficult these days – what is harder is keeping them. All you need is some form of database, and decent copy to send to those in your database, and the jobs done. There are professional services that can make managing your subscription list a little easier.
If you are not using e-mail marketing, you need to ask yourself why. If your response is because it’s too hard then think again. The smaller the business, the smaller the database and the easier it is to manage. There is however, an alternative that is growing in smaller communities, and that is collective e-mail marketing.
This is where several businesses in an area form a loose collective for the purposes of marketing. They promote e-mail marketing as a collective and send out e-mail newsletters as a collective. By combining their efforts, collectives can employ professionals to deliver their campaigns, often more cost effectively than if they had tried to do it alone. For consumers, they are receiving one newsletter servicing five or six businesses rather than five or six individual e-mails from the group – or none.
For some consumers, none is the worst option, they want to be in the loop, they want special offers, and they want to feel like they are special customers – e-mail marketing can address that. If you think e-mail marketing is not for you, think again. If you run a business, then e-mail marketing could be an important channel for increasing business turnover.
E-Mail Marketing Cultivation For The Festive Seasons
E-Mail marketing is still performing well across most business sectors. As the festive season gets closer, effective use of this channel can lead to a significant increase in sales. Marketers are becoming quite deft at taking a paper based sales catalog and turning it into both an online page and a page suitable for e-mails.
The question for most businesses is whether or not it is worth the time and effort to convert those catalogs. The old saying, ‘you won’t know if you don’t try’ springs to mind and it’s true. However, most studies show that paper based catalogs that arrive in letter boxes generally go straight into the bin, unopened.
When it comes to e-mail marketing, the story is a little different. Paper based catalogs often arrive en-masse and the whole bundle is thrown out. With e-mail, it is a single document that arrives. You should also remember that e-mail marketing is an opt-in process, whereas paper based mail outs don’t require that option.
More importantly, if you have an e-mail list then you should be using it well. Your mail-outs should be interesting, they should be engaging the receiver, and they should be creating a culture whereby the recipient opens the e-mail instead of trashing it.
If, for example, Christmas is a big earner for you then you should be cultivating your e-mail list throughout the year so that, come the festive period, they are more than willing to open your e-mails. That really is the battle – getting that e-mail opened. If your sales catalog is well designed then sales will flow.
I use Christmas as an example and this cultivating of your e-mail list can be done for any money earning time of the year. Cultivate your list well and you will reap the benefits. E-mail marketing is still highly effective – use it to your advantage rather than abusing it and losing subscribers. You want the maximum number of subscribers to come your most profitable time of year.
Why You Should Have E-Mail Marketing In Your Mix
E-mail marketing is potentially one of the great untapped channels available to many businesses. It allows businesses to stay in touch with their customers, or potential customers, rather than losing them, often forever. The online world is very competitive. Check your stats to see how many unique visitors you have. Many of them land on your pages, see what you have to offer, then disappear, never to be seen again.
The power of e-mail marketing comes to light when you grab those one off visitors. If you can get their e-mail address and you then use those details wisely, every sale gained through this channel becomes a bonus. With that in mind, e-mail marketing should be a part of your online marketing mix. The difficulty of course is in trying to obtain those e-mail addresses.
Yet acquiring e-mail addresses need not be that difficult. Every visitor that arrives on your site, whether it be by search or social, should be offered the opportunity to join your list. How you make that offer is up to you. Some businesses use bribery in the form of a freebie or special discount, others sell the benefits of receiving a regular newsletter.
For those businesses that have bricks and mortar fronts, you have a third opportunity to acquire e-mail addresses – your walk in customers. Often, brick and mortar businesses find it easier to acquire these details than online businesses do – perhaps it’s the personal touch used when making the request.
E-mail marketing when done well works. There is little argument in the marketing world on that score. Build a list, deliver well written content to that list, and your e-mail marketing campaign may well give your business a huge boost.
Taking E-Mail Marketing To A New Level
E-mail marketing has ridden a roller coaster over the last ten years. At one stage, it was THE most popular marketing channel available. But then, through abuse the steady stream of spam, it lost its appeal. Today, e-mail marketing is again reaching new heights in popularity and one of the major reasons behind this is the control that consumers now have.
When it comes to any form of marketing, consumers like to feel like they are in control. When it comes to television, the remote became a viewers number one weapon against unpopular ads while channel surfing became a popular pastime. Whether it’s radio, newspapers or any form of online marketing, if the consumer has some form of control, they are reasonably happy. With e-mail marketing, the consumer has two choices: open the e-mail or not is the first while the second provides even more control – they can opt out. If the marketer is wise and follows the rules, the consumer will be removed from their lists.
That last point is the most important part of e-mail marketing. Use your mailing list the wrong way and you can watch a steady stream of customers opting out again. As we move forward, consumers may well tire of e-mail marketing campaigns and we will see this option decline again. As a marketer, you need to keep your consumers on your list for as long as possible.
One option that I am starting to see from smart operators may seem strange at first glance. However, I think it is a smart move for those looking to keep their lists for long periods. What is their strategy? They are not overtly marketing at all! In fact, e-mail newsletters, when they arrive, look more like helpful guides offering advice, tips and handy hints on how to use products.
I mentioned they were not overtly marketing. That doesn’t mean they were covertly marketing, or not marketing at all. They are still marketing, but not “in-your-face” type marketing. They are using the old in text links to great effect – but again, not flooding the text. An article may have one text link that has been inserted where it will have the most effect.
These newsletters are popular within their niches. They offer value to recipients while helping to build the reputation of the sender. Company names and brands are being developed and along the way the newsletters are delivering steady streams of traffic. If you want to maintain an e-mail list for a long period time, try taking your marketing to a new level and actually provide information without the push of information. In marketing terms, you are pulling the customers in – and they make better long term customers.
Why E-mail Marketing Beats Social Media Marketing For Local Business
Does e-mail marketing beat social media marketing? Many businesses still think it does and for many of those businesses, they are right. So why does e-mail marketing beat social media marketing?
Let’s start from a different perspective and accept that each and every business is different. What works for one business will not necessarily work for another – and e-mail marketing versus social media marketing is a prime example. For local businesses, it can be far easier to acquire an e-mail list than it is to find customers on social media sites. For large international businesses, social media marketing can be easier, quicker and cheaper. For many businesses that sit somewhere in between, a mix of both could be the best approach.
For local business, it is easier to acquire a data base of customers. Simple sign up forms at the check out, especially if an attractive offer (read bribe) is attached, can soon swell your e-mail list. Because they are already customers, it can be easier to target your marketing to this group.
Social media marketing can be time consuming. Finding locals who are also using that particular site, developing a relationship, and hopefully getting them to spread the word to other locals all takes time and patience. When you start to place a value on your time, e-mail marketing wins hands down – at least initially.
For most local businesses, e-mail marketing can be more reliable and easier to implement when compared to social media marketing. However, long term, I believe the argument is moot. As a business you need to seriously investigate both. Start with e-mail marketing if that is easier and cheaper, but also include a social media marketing approach, one that you can slowly develop over time. That way, rather than saying either/or, you can say that both are effective for your business.
E-mail Marketing – Becoming The Subscriber
Staying ahead of your competitors is an important aspect of any business. In fact, they are constantly working to stay ahead of you and if they’re smart, they will be watching you and any other competitor is up to. One channel that is worth considering is their e-mail marketing.
E-mail marketing has become a popular marketing channel for many businesses, both online and offline. It can also be a great source of information for you, the business owner. Are you a subscriber of your competitors? If not, why not? The e-mails coming from your competitors can be a great source of information. Consider these points – you can gain information on:
- the latest prices and special pricing,
- the latest tricks and work-arounds,
- new products coming from your competitors,
- personnel changes,
- new shop-fronts opening (or closing), and
- changes to policies, procedures and customer service.
And that is just a short list. You may even find that by reading these newsletter you get ideas to improve your own newsletters. It is also interesting to see how your competitors are attracting subscribers to their e-mail marketing lists.
We are in a competitive world so knowing where your competitors are placed has become important. In the offline world, it has always been easy. Take a visit to their shop-front, keep an eye on their advertising or talk to customers – you soon get an idea of where they are in terms of competition. Online, it’s not so easy, but it can be done. E-mail marketing can often give an insight into where they are going, what they are thinking, and how they are dealing with customers. Become a subscriber and learn from what your competitors are doing.
Sharing And E-mail Marketing For Local Small Businesses
E-mail marketing has become the life blood for many businesses, and local small businesses are now starting to realise the real potential it delivers. The difficulty for many is the acquiring of e-mail addresses. With double opt-in, opt-outs and the need to include complete business contact details, some businesses simply place in the too hard basket. Others have not only taken to the concept, they have used it to their fullest advantage.
One trend I am noticing, especially in big business but now being adopted by smaller businesses, is the attempt to make a newsletter sign up more social. When I say social, I am not talking about making the process friendlier. I am referring to the practice of adding one further step to the sign up process – the request for e-mail addresses of friends. This is often accompanied with free gifts or special discounts.
It’s a smart move and although a little spammy, has been very successful for big business. What is even smarter is the approach made to those extra e-mail addresses. Rather than sending a straight invitation, it is sent as a recommendation. Does it work? It seems to. People take recommendations from friends and colleagues quite seriously so when an email arrives stating that “person X is reading our newsletter and thought you may be interested”, it does at least tweak an interest and an initial visit.
Should the recipient want to receive these newsletters, they still have to go through the double opt-in processes. Of course, they too are invited to share their sign-up with friends. It can quickly grow your e-mail list to sizeable numbers, even for a local small business. It’s certainly worth consideration.
Will Social Media See The End Of RSS And E-Mail Marketing?
There has been commentary over the last week or so about the future of RSS, e-mail, and e-mail marketing. It has made for some interesting reading and some of the comments have been valid. But will e-mail use ever die off? For that matter, will RSS feeds ever go past their use-by-date?
At times it seems that hype, and loose comments here and there by respected members of the internet, get blown out of proportion and commonsense lost. The argument is that social media marketing will replace e-mail marketing and RSS. Today, all three are valid and very useful methods of delivering information. What about the future?
E-mail Marketing
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg started some of this commentary when letting slip that she thought e-mail was ‘probably going away’. At the same time she suggested she couldn’t imagine life without email. Neither can we. E-mail may well lose its significance when it comes to semi-personal conversations – these are carried out through social media access. When it comes to personal and business, e-mail is here to stay for a long time. In fact, social media sites like Facebook rely on e-mail as part of a user’s login.
Users are wary about privacy issues when it comes to personal and private conversations and are more likely to use a telephone or snail mail than use social media. E-mail at least falls somewhere in the middle and has become acceptable for these conversations.
Blogs and RSS Feeds
Will RSS feeds ever lose their appeal? ReadWriteWeb (in December 2009) reported that usage of RSS feeds were down. However, while that data may be old now, there are still millions of feeds being accessed each and every day. What may change into the future is how we access RSS feeds. Keeping up with all the news coming from blogs around the world can be a difficult task. With sites like Facebook allowing users to feed RSS data into their pages, this is becoming a common access point. The end result is not a replacement of RSS by social media, rather it’s merging of the two. Social media may replace some RSS readers into the future, but not RSS itself.
Over time, e-mail, RSS and social media will begin to merge. What will be interesting to see is whether or not a social media site like Facebook or Myspace ever takes the next step: that is, incorporating a fully fledged e-mail system within their social site. Can you imagine also having an e-mail address of yourusername@facebook, for example?
Social media marketing is here to stay. E-mail marketing is not only not going anywhere, it is growing in popularity. And RSS feeds, they are still strong and, for many, a valuable start to the day. Rather than looking to see which will survive into the future, you should be harnessing all three to help build your business today.