The COVID-19 situation has had a disproportionately negative impact on small businesses and SMEs the world over. In such a dark time, any kind of marketing – even something as simple as email marketing – may be far from the minds of business owners and entrepreneurs.
However, we strongly advise that, instead of sitting idle or getting depressed, take this time to talk to your target audience. Tell them more about your business and what you’re doing in these difficult times. Share some simple industry-related tips and tricks, or even speak about what makes your products unique. That’s where email marketing plays such a huge role.
Email marketing: Building authentic connections
Contrary to unpopular opinion, email marketing need not be a bugbear.
Remember: your emails will only be counted as spam if they offer no value. Instead, use email marketing as a great way to truly connect with the consumers who matter most to you. In fact, 6 out of 10 customers say that an email has influenced their purchasing decision.1 But, shockingly, more than 85% of customers say the mails they get are not relevant for them.2
So, here are 4 essential things you need to know to make your email marketing campaign more effective.
1. Have an email marketing strategy
We can’t stress this enough. Too many people send out one or two emails and then discover that they’ve said everything they need to say. They’ve also put in everything about their business or product. And now, there’s nothing new.
That’s why you need a robust strategy where you list out possible topics, product USPs, customer pain points, etc. Then, every week, you can tackle one or more of these so that your readers always get something new and interesting from you.
2. Don’t oversell your products
These days, customers mainly look for brands they can trust and develop a relationship with. This is NOT someone whose every email ends up ONLY selling their product. Sure, talk about your product and its USPs, but don’t use overly ‘selling’ language.
3. Talk in your customer’s voice
In email marketing, it’s quite easy to forget the focus is your customer. They will lose interest immediately if they get an email that doesn’t talk to them directly, in the way they talk, about things they’re interested in. So, figure out what’s the angle that would get your customer to buy your product or engage with your brand. And then talk about that.
4. Measurement and optimization
Remember: the purpose of your email marketing is to get more customers to sign up to your brand. That’s why you need to measure everything, and use those measurements to further optimize your campaign. There are several metrics you need to keep in mind, and many different tools and software programs are available to help you keep track. And once you have these results, use them to make your campaign more accurate and more effective.
With this starter list of essentials, you are more than ready to set up an effective email campaign. If you’ve got queries, our content marketing experts are always here to help! And if you liked this article, make sure you follow our blog!
1. HubSpot, The Ultimate List of Email Marketing Stats for 2020
2. OptinMonster, Is Email Marketing Dead? Statistics Say: Not a Chance.
