Upon hearing that his obituary had been published in the New York Herald, Mark Twain famously stated, “The report of my death was an exaggeration.” One hundred and fifteen years later, we’re setting the record straight about the reported demise of email marketing.
Not only is email marketing not dead, it’s thriving. According to a study recently released by Crain’s BtoB Magazine, 59 percent of B2B marketers feel that email is the most effective channel in generating revenue, and 88 percent of respondents reported that they use email to promote their brands.
With statistics like these, what prompted email marketing’s premature obituary? It all boils down to one thing: success. Many marketers who have experienced poor results with email marketing blame the medium instead of the marketer.
All too often, over-emailing and irrelevant content prompt email recipients to click the “unsubscribe” link or, even worse, report the sender for spamming.
By following a few simple rules, marketers can make email marketing work for their businesses:
Be Relevant
Before sending your next email marketing campaign, ask yourself this question: Does my email give the recipient something he or she values? “Valuable” content may include new product updates, educational articles that help customers meet a challenge or solve a problem, interesting news about what your company is doing, and upcoming deals or specials.
Get Personal
People like dealing with people, not faceless corporations. Develop a relationship with your readers by treating them like respected friends. Would you bombard your friends with hard sales pitches every day? Probably not. By sending your readers relevant, personalized content, you can develop valuable, long-lasting relationships. To get an idea of what kind of content your audience may be interested in, try joining some forums that target your product or service.
Follow Through
Creating relevant, personalized content may get your email opened and read, but what drives readers to take the next step? Many marketers lose track of the main point of sending an email campaign – getting their readers to do something. First, decide what you want the recipients of your message to do. Then, design and write your email to lead the reader to a call-to-action (CTA). A good CTA clearly states what you want your reader to do, such as “request a quote” or “try our software for free.”
Keep in mind that the most successful email marketers hone their skills by continually testing their strategies and learning from their mistakes. As the great Mark Twain also said, “A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.”
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We are a Sacramento marketing agency serving Northern California and Nevada. Specializing in Internet marketing, email marketing, and web design, our team is passionate about exploring new ways of increasing marketing ROI. Contact us today to request a free quote.