GrowinG Your Business ThrouGh email markeTinG · 1/10 OPEN BOOK INSIGHT — PlaN fOr yOur BuSINESS...

1/10

OPEN BOOK INSIGHT — PlaN fOr yOur BuSINESS GrOwTH

Email marketing can be a cost-effective way to acquire new customers, and to enhance relationships with your current customers. Done correctly, email marketing can help you build trust – the foundation of all successful business relationships.

Email marketing can build long-lasting relationships with your customers that can help grow your business over time. when considering the full impact this type of communication can have, it is helpful to think in terms of moving your prospects and customers through three stages.

MaKE a CONNECTION1. “Permission email campaigns are ten times more effective than direct mail campaigns.”- IMT Strategieswhen a prospective customer visits your website, walks in your door or calls, the first step toward establishing a relationship is getting their contact information. at a minimum, you should collect a person’s name and email address, so that you can add them to your email contact list. In general, this is all that many websites request, since the more information you ask for, the fewer people will provide it. for more targeted

GrowinG Your BusinessThrouGh email markeTinG

Ari Weinzweig & Mo FrechetteZingerman’s Mail Order, Ann Arbor, MIMember since 2005

EMaIl OffErS a NuMBEr Of BENEfITS OvEr MaNy OTHEr MarKETING METHODS:

— low cost — unlike traditional marketing, there are no printing, mailing or media expenses – making email much less costly than direct mail, print advertising or telemarketing.

— Proactivity — Email delivers your message directly to customers or the prospects who have asked to receive your messages and offers. you don’t have to wait for someone to visit your website or find your ad.

— relationship-building — Email lets you communicate the value of your offerings, demonstrate your successes and build your position as an authority. recipients can respond immediately by replying, visiting your site or calling.

— Targetability — you can send different messages to different types of customers or prospects, including tailoring messages to specific individuals.

— Flexibility — real-time results let you see who is responding to what parts of your message, so that you can revise your message as needed.

2/10

communications, you can let site visitors specify the type of information they’d like to receive from you. If you are collecting contact information in person or over the phone, ask for their street address, phone number, company name and title. for example, a retail store can provide a form at checkout; if you meet prospects at trade shows or other events, you can simply collect business cards. whatever you do, be sure to get the person’s permission to send email marketing communications. “Explicit” permission means that the individual has signed up with the clear expectation of receiving your email. “Implicit” permission may come when you have an existing business relationship with the individual. Sending email marketing when no prior relationship exists and no permission is granted is known as spam, and there are strict regulations in place that prohibit you from including such addresses in your campaign.

Tip: Offer something in return for contact information, such as valuable content like a white paper, or a discount (e.g., “Receive 20% off your next purchase”). This will motivate respondents to provide valid email addresses.

NurTurE THE 2. rElaTIONSHIP “The cost of acquiring a new customer can be as much as five times the cost of keeping an old one.” - Peppers and Rogersa successful email marketing program is built on understanding customer needs and communicating relevant and valuable information. Email is uniquely useful as a way to educate customers and prospects on an ongoing basis and enhance relationships in order to build your business. your email program should support your overall marketing objectives. for example, you might be trying to enhance awareness of your company among prospects, or to motivate customers to buy more from you. retail businesses might focus on making immediate


sales, while service businesses might focus on demonstrating expertise in order to nurture prospects. These objectives will drive the formats of your emails (see page 4), and let you assess the effectiveness of your email communications.

Tip: Develop a communications calendar to map out your strategy and provide a visual overview of your communications over the course of the year (see worksheet). For example, you might send an email newsletter every month, put out alerts during your busiest season, and drop one-off news announcements when appropriate.

BuIlD TruST3. “A 5% increase in retention yields profit increases of 25% to 100%.” - Bain and Co.Email’s ultimate strength rests in its ability to engender trust with your customers. Targeted, interesting content not only gets the attention of your audience, but can encourage customers to become your advocates. after all, there is no better way to acquire new customers than by having current customers spread the word on your behalf. The key to avoiding the recycle bin is to provide customers with the information that benefits them most. for example, a landscaping company might send emails alerting customers to an upcoming sale. This may generate some one-off business, but it does not necessarily create a long-term relationship. If, however, the

Jennifer BeharJennifer’s Homemade, Coral Gables, FLMember since 2005

3/10


landscaping company sent monthly tips about kid-friendly plants, how to keep deer away, when to plant bulbs and other helpful topics – each accompanied by a short promotion for the plants highlighted that month – customers might begin to see the company as an expert and a trusted partner, not just someone interested in meeting sales goals.

GET yOur EMaIl OPENED

an email marketing campaign can only succeed if people actually read your messages. How do you get your emails opened? Start with these basic practices:

— “From” line — The first thing a person wants to know is who an email is from. Make your “from” address work for you by using your name, company, product or service name – whatever the recipient is most likely to recognize. avoid generic addresses such as sales@ or info@. your goal is to build familiarity and credibility that assures the recipient that the email comes from a reliable and trusted source. also, make sure your reply-to address works, and you are ready to handle any possible replies.

— “subject” line — Once the recipient knows who an email is from, the next question is “Do I care?” your subject line needs to be descriptive and engaging to encourage people to open your email and read your content. avoid generic descriptions such as “Monthly Newsletter” in favor of vivid titles such as “5 Tips to reduce your Taxes.” wonder what works? look at your own inbox. which subject lines get your attention and which look like spam?

— Frequency and timing — when delivery of your email is predictable and consistent, recipients will look forward to your messages on a certain day or at a certain time. Test alternatives and monitor subscriber feedback to come up with the timing that works for your audience. Then stick to it. Keep in mind that communicating too infrequently is as bad as communicating too often – your goal should be to keep your name top of mind without being intrusive.

— Design — Is your email clear, uncluttered and easy to read? Is the most important information easy to find? Does it reflect the style of your business? remember, many people use their email program’s “preview pane,” which may not display your images or layout. Those readers may make their “read or delete” decision from the first few lines they see, so make them count. use strong and provocative headlines so search engine skimmers can quickly take in your content. It is important to let recipients view your newsletter as a web page, through a conspicuous link.

Tip: Find it hard to come up with interesting content for your newsletter every month? Interview your best customers – you may be amazed at their expertise, and how happy they are to be profiled.

4/10


THE rIGHT EMaIl fOr THE JOB

Email marketing can take a variety of forms. The right format for you depends on the type of information you want to communicate, your objective for that communication and its intended audience. for example, a retailer might send out bi-weekly or monthly promotional emails alerting customers to sales or new products. an accountant, on the other hand, might focus on a more educational monthly e-newsletter that covers news and insights related to taxes or financial planning.

Here are the common types of email communications and their suggested uses:

email Type Possible Frequency Best for … Possible Call to action

newsletter (educational) Monthly / Quarterly • Demonstrating expertise• Enhancing awareness

• Read full article• Learn more about …

newsletter (mixed educational / promotional)

Monthly / Quarterly • Building trust with current customers

• Boosting sales• Driving site traffic

• Forward to a friend / colleague

• Learn more about …

Promotional message Bi-weekly / Monthly • Motivating purchases• Driving traffic (on line

and offline)• Complementing

advertising programs

• Click here to buy• Print out this email and

bring it to our store

event invitation Event-based (multiple communications)

• Building event attendance• Multiple communications:

save the date, sign up, reminder to attend

• Register now and save• Save the date• Registration almost

full - 10 seats left so register today

announcement Event-based (single communication)

• Alerting audience to news• One-shot

communications: press release, product launch, new appointment

• Email me for more information about …

• Learn more about…

survey Event-based • Gaining insight into customer needs and motivation

• Targeting future communications based on interests

• Complete the survey• Sign up to receive

the results

5/10


CHOOSING aN EMaIl vENDOr

Many businesses use third-party email vendors (such as Constant Contact) to host and manage their email marketing campaigns.

Here are some of the services an email vendor can provide:

1. Design templates — If you don’t want to design your own email newsletter – and code it in HTMl – a template-based system that sets up the format, graphics and layout for you can dramatically simplify email development. look for a provider that has a robust library of professional-looking templates. (See below for examples)

2. Campaign management — If you plan to send a large number of emails on a regular basis, an email vendor can help you stick to your schedule and avoid mistakes.

3. list management — your email marketing vendor can help you build, manage and secure your email marketing contacts, and make sure you comply with anti-spam regulations.

4. reporting — Tracking your campaign results can help you determine which emails are most effective, as well as the optimal timing and frequency of your email campaign. your email marketing vendor should provide you with real-time, detailed reports to help you see who has been clicking on which parts of your emails.

5. support — Email vendors can also educate you on the best practices for email marketing by providing easy access to consultants, tutorials and tech support. Some may even offer live or online classes or webinars for their clients at no additional charge.

To learn more about Constant Contact, visit http://ConstantContact.com/mmam

email newsletters email Promotions email event invitations email Cards

Design templates courtesy of Constant Contact, inc., Copyright© 2008

6/10


This worksheet will help you get started planning your email marketing strategy and messages.

— CrEaTE a CalENDar To make your email marketing strategy most effective, it is a good idea to develop a calendar to coordinate the communications you plan to send out over the course of the year. Here is an example of a communications calendar.

use this blank calendar to plan your communications strategy.

worksheeT 1: PrEParE yOur STraTEGy:DEvElOP aN EffECTIvE EMaIl MarKETING CaMPaIGN

Jan Feb mar apr may Jun Jul Aug sep oct nov Decevents

events

- save the date

- sign up

- reminder

announcements

- product launch

- personnel

newsletter

Jan Feb mar apr may Jun Jul aug sep oct nov Decevents

events

- save the date

- sign up

- reminder

announcements

- product launch

- personnel

newsletter

7/10


— DEvElOP aN aCTION-OrIENTED SuBJECT lINE an engaging subject line will encourage people to open your email and read your

content. Consider these two examples:

from Subject a. forever Green landscaping Monthly newsletter, issue 14 B. forever Green landscaping five Steps to Beat the Heat

a. Michael Katz, CPa eNewsletter B. Michael Katz, CPa Tips to reduce your Taxes Now

In both examples, B is the more engaging subject line because it is action-oriented.

as you’re considering your first (or next) email campaign, write three potential subject lines and run them past a few of your customers and colleagues to get their feedback:

1. 2. 3.

you can also evaluate them against these criteria:

Keep it brief - ideally six words or less and under 50 characters (including spaces).

Make it actionable and accurately reflect the message’s major content. Don’t falsify the subject line - using “rE” or “fw” deceptively can put your message out of legal compliance.

worksheeT 2 PrEParE yOur PITCH:GET rEaDy TO ENGaGE yOur rEaDEr

8/10


— CrEaTE CONTENT IDEaS If you put out a monthly newsletter with three different articles, you will have

to come up with nearly 40 articles each year. Here, you can identify potential topics for articles or interesting tidbits of information you can include in your email communications.

what are the top questions your customers ask you?

what articles have you read recently that you find interesting?

Do you have any customers who have used your product or service in an

interesting way? are there any quotes or “success stories” you can share with a wider audience? (you can also use your outgoing email messages to ask for these stories or quotes for use in your future marketing. Be sure to get permission from these customers before you use their story in any email marketing campaign.)

what problems do you forsee your customers encountering this year?

worksheeT 3 PrEParE yOur CONTENT:rEvIEw IDEaS fOr yOur NEwSlETTEr

9/10


what will you do to solve these problems?

what information would your customers value that would also help them view you as an expert?

Now that you’ve identified some possible sources of content, check them against

these guidelines to determine which might be most compelling to your audience. Does the content provide valuable information they can’t get anywhere else? Is it a topic on which readers look to you for advice? Is it interesting or unexpected? Does it complement your brand and reputation? Does it lead them to want to learn more?

10/10


worksheeT 4 PrEParE yOur NExT STEP:CONNECT wITH yOur rEaDEr

— INCluDE a COMPEllING Call TO aCTION Each section of your email communication should lead to a desired result (“Buy

Now,” “learn More,” etc.). whether the content is educational, promotional or informational, an email campaign should include a next step for the reader. Consider these examples:

Type of Communication Desired result Call to action Newsletter Click here Promotion Come to store

Event register now any Pass it on

using the subject lines you created earlier, think about the type of content you will

be including in your marketing emails and what result you are looking for from recipients. use this worksheet to help you craft compelling calls to action that will complement your content and your subject line.

Email Content Desired result Call to action

If your call to action is a link to more information, make sure the user’s experience when they arrive delivers on its promise and that the page is consistent with the page they are coming from. If you have several different calls to action in an email, make sure you monitor which ones result in higher click-throughs, so you can learn more about how to move your customers to action.

read the full articlePrint out this coupon and save $10register now and save $100Email this article/offer/ invitation to a friend

To learn more about our products and services, call 1-800-now-oPen or visit us at www.open.comFor more oPen Book insights, and other resources to help you grow your business , visit www.openforum.comFor more information about Constant Contact, visit http://ConstantContact.com/mmamCopyright© 2005-2008 American Express Company. All Rights Reserved. The information contained in this document is meant for advisory purposes only. American Express accepts no liability for any outcome of its use.

GrowinG Your Business ThrouGh email markeTinG · 1/10 OPEN BOOK INSIGHT — PlaN fOr yOur BuSINESS...

Documents

Transcript of GrowinG Your Business ThrouGh email markeTinG · 1/10 OPEN BOOK INSIGHT — PlaN fOr yOur BuSINESS...