Communication with new and existing clients is crucial to the success of a small business. Companies need to be engaging and stay in touch with patrons to ensure repeat business. Email marketing may often take a back seat to social media, but a creative email campaign can help to increase brand awareness and keep customers interested.
The American City Business Journals explained that the three best practices to get people engaged with email marketing are to keep a subscription list, send regular newsletters and to make the most of special offers. These easy and inexpensive steps will boost customer engagement and help increase sales.
Getting people signed up
The first step toward a successful email marketing campaign is to create a list of subscribers. This can be done either electronically or in person. Many businesses simply put a sign-up sheet next to their cash register or have salespeople collect email addresses. If a customer knows the business will send coupons, promotions and sales news via email, they’ll be happy to provide their email address.
Creating an impressive newsletter
Newsletters are great ways to engage customers and encourage return business. However, most individuals receive numerous promotional emails each day, so it’s important to create a newsletter that stands out. Newsletter services like MailChimp offer free templates that are colorful and professional. A business should try to convey what the brand is all about without seeming pushy.
Best practices with newsletters include sending them regularly to keep people in the loop about upcoming sales, new products or services and achievements. Most email marketing services offer analytics and tracking tools. They provide data on who opened the email, what links were clicked and if people unsubscribed. This is valuable information that can be used to tailor future campaigns.
Including special offers
One tactic to make the most of email marketing is to offer special promotional products when people sign up or when they receive their first newsletter. Depending on the target market, different products will be popular. Athletic customers might like a 27-oz. Poly-Clean Sport Bottle, while beauty-fanatics will prefer a Custom Imprinted Manicure Pillar. There are options for every client type from mothers to doctors. These affordable promotions will ensure that customers are signing up for emails and opening each one.