It is time for you to ramp up your email marketing and take advantage of the huge market just waiting to be tapped.Can you imagine selling your products and services to 3 Billion Customers? Top business research firms recently announced that the total number of email users will reach a staggering 3 Billion subscribers by 2020.With the rise of the all-mighty Apps in smart phones, tablets, and other hand-held gadgets — a lot of marketing people have given up on using email as a strategic tool. Conversational commerce was the buzzword in 2016 when chat, messaging, and voice apps took over many marketing functions that were originally launched using email. TToday, many companies use conversational commerce for their sales support, customer service, and other business-related functions because it has direct contact with customers. With a live operator or a chat bot, a company can touch base with customers and get immediate feedback.But don’t give up on email just yet. Electronic direct marketing is still alive and kicking. One just needs to know how to navigate the tool more effectively in an ocean of technological options. For one, electronic direct marketing is still one of the most cost-effective and impact-driven marketing tools available. While anybody can compose an email message, it takes more time and purpose-driven writing to develop an effective email marketing campaign. Here are the fundamentals of effective marketing using email:
Name Your Niche First and foremost, know your niche market. Your email message needs to be custom-fit to the needs, interests, preferences, and wants of your customer. While we might think that every single person on the planet is a customer — and to a certain extent, that may be true — it would be wise to focus on a segment of the market that would most likely respond to your marketing campaign.For example, if your product is about baby care then your email contact list needs to be filtered to show mothers with newborns, infants, or toddlers. Customer database companies that provide or sell this information are very detail-oriented and they make sure to obtain this type of information. Even most government forms have required fields that ask about a person’s family information including the name and age of their children, if applicable. If your product line is related to sports equipment and outdoor sports, it would be helpful if your contact list filters and selects “twentysomethings”, high school and college students, or persons that belong to a certain sports club or fitness group.Know Your Key MessageOnce you’ve identified your niche, it is crucial to know how to write your key message. Email marketing involves a lot of creative work in terms of visuals and color psychology. But it all boils down to the message.In writing your email message, go back to your research on what your target customer wants. For example, if you are doing a campaign to reach out to female college students looking for the best cosmetic products, you can start your email with a spiel that captures their imagination. Your email message must create a mental picture of the outcome or benefits they will get by using your product or service.
In short, the key message is about acknowledging what the customer wants and how your product or service will provide them with what they want. The key message also needs to call them to action — whether to write an email reply, click on a link, or call a toll-free number to reach your sales team.
Show Substance in Your Subject LineReaching customers is different from actually making an impact on customers. Here is where having substance in your email subject line comes in. It is important to make your subject line highly interesting. It must capture their interest or curiousity at a level that compels them to click on it and actually read your email marketing message.Don’t just write: “Best Shoes in the Market” in your subject line. You can create a more engaging subject line by making sure it appeals to the reader. “Shoes Worn by Top Teen Celebs 70% Off Today!” might be a more catchy phrase. It tells the reader that what you offer is what the most popular teen idols actually wear and, best of all, they could probably get those “cool shoes” at a great bargain. At the back of the reader’s mind, they would immediately be curious about how those shoes look and how cheap they can buy them —- but only if they first read your email.
Tapping into billions of customers really starts with going back to the basics of email marketing. Use every platform available but make sure to leverage on the tried and tested email as a way to show the world why and how to buy your products and services.
