With new advances in technology come new opportunities to connect with your customers. In the 21st century nearly everyone has email and many companies have developed successful email marketing campaigns. This can be an important tool but needs to be thoughtfully incorporated into your overall marketing plan.
Without an email list there is no email campaign. Find ways to solicit the email addresses of your customers at each touch point. Include a line asking for email whenever you ask for customer information such as on business reply cards, direct mail and in telemarketing efforts. You should place opt-ins in prominent spots on your web site. The more your customers and prospects voluntarily give you their emails, the better since these are people who have told you that they want to hear from you.
Email affords the opportunity to dialog with your customers, whereas traditional marketing is a one way communication. Sticking with the tried and true means that you miss an important chance to start that conversation and solicit feedback. Try sending quizzes and surveys to find out the impressions and motivations of your customers. Track who follows links to other promotions. This can provide crucial information to inform your more traditional marketing methods.
These days many customers purchase items from their local retail store after researching it on line. With some creativity you can use this dynamic to track the success of your marketing efforts in other media. Distribute discount codes and printable coupons through email and track the rate at which they are redeemed and where. This is a valuable method of determining the success of different approaches. It can also tell you which market segments responded to which approach. This kind of knowledge lets you allocate your marketing efforts in areas with the most potential.
Even though your overall marketing approach is probably more generalized, email allows the possibility of customization. You can use this potential to highlight specific offers to specific customers. Using the profiles and preferences of your email list members, you can direct them to specific offers in other media such as a print catalog. In this way you can highlight and focus different parts of your campaign to specific segments. You can also use each different marketing medium to target your customers throughout their purchase cycle and increase brand loyalty.
If you are going to use email for marketing, it is crucial that you fully incorporate it into your overall marketing campaign. It should have the same look and feel as your other marketing efforts and should play a specific role. If email is handled by another department or just added on, then you run the risk of looking sloppy and confusing your customers. Determine the timing of email messages related to the larger campaign. Should it hit simultaneously with your print and television ads? Perhaps you can use it as a sneak peek for more loyal customers. Maybe it can be a wrap up to a successful campaign. If planned well, the email component of your marketing efforts can become a crucial piece.
When used as one of many available marketing tools, email can significantly augment your campaigns. Use your email list to create more targeted versions of your marketing efforts. Customization helps personalize and focus your message to different market segments. Make sure email is thoughtfully incorporated into your marketing campaign and not just an afterthought and it can be a crucial asset to your efforts.
Article Source: http://www.artsymmetry.com
Justin Bryce has been a contributing author for this website and is an acknowledged expert in the field of Email Marketing.
He can be found on the Internet at this website:
www.emailsthatsell.com
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