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Using Email Marketing to Stay in Touch

Having a professional-looking, SEO-friendly, responsive website is the first step toward connecting with new and existing customers online, which is something that is an absolute must amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, it’s just the first step.

Your website is your business’ main hub online, and it’s where you send people to learn more information about your business, learn about the goods and services you offer, and learn more about your industry as a whole. However, it doesn’t do a lot when it comes to maintaining strong connections with customers.

If your small business is like many, you’ve had to adapt to coronavirus in more ways than one, and you may have even had to temporarily close your doors. But, even if you’re not actively in business at the moment, it behooves you to stay relevant by staying in touch with your customers, and that’s where email marketing comes in.

Most forms of digital marketing, like paid ads and SEO, are about getting your name out there in front of new customers and building more awareness around your brand. But, email marketing is unique in that it’s all about building deeper connections with your existing audience, and that’s something all small businesses should be focusing on at a time like this.

The Benefits of Using Email Marketing to Stay in Touch

#1. It gives you a lot of bang for your buck.

During these uncertain times, the last thing you want to do is pull your marketing budget altogether. After all, you want your business to stay relevant, even if you can’t actively serve your customers in person. Also, with more small businesses pulling back their marketing budgets, there’s less competition online and it’s the perfect time to work toward your goals.

However, you might need to consider reallocating your budget a little. If you’re looking for an option that will give you a lot of bang for your buck, email marketing is the way to go. From an ROI standpoint, email marketing is an incredibly powerful thing. In fact, for every dollar spent, email marketing generates an average of $38.

In addition to being an affordable digital marketing channel, email marketing also won’t take up a whole lot of your time compared to other channels. Though it will take time to come up with thoughtful, informative, and valuable content, email marketing is a relatively low-maintenance marketing option.

#2. It can help you build stronger relationships with your customers.

Your customers recognize the time and attention it takes for small businesses to draft emails, and many of them very much appreciate it. Many of your customers also want to be in the know about changes within your business — particularly the ones that affect them — and it’s not possible to reach them all by phone, nor is it cost-effective to send everyone updates through the mail. That’s where email marketing comes in.

With email marketing, you can quickly and easily send updates out to your customers. Don’t be afraid to share lots of news about your business, and remember that, if someone signed up to be on your mailing list, it’s because they want to be. You don’t have to be shy about providing them with information; after all, it’s why they signed for your mailing list to begin with!

#3. It allows for more targeted content.

There are many things that make email marketing very cost effective. One of those things includes the ability to create targeted content for specific subsets of your email lists. This allows you to curate your content that’s extremely relevant to the audience that will receive it, which makes for a more effective campaign.

Here are a few ideas on ways that you can segment your email list:

  • Age - Your customers might be all different age groups, each with its own unique needs. Segmenting your audience into age groups helps you address those needs individually.
  • Purchase History - Customers who have used certain products or services in the past might be interested in content that might not be relevant to others. For instance, if you are a sporting goods store, customers who have previously bought basketballs are probably more interested in an email about a basketball hoops or shoes than an email about a weight lifting bench.
  • Purchase Frequency - If someone works with your business frequently, they’re likely to be more open to your upcoming offers and more eager to learn more about your business.
  • Sales Funnel - When creating content, it’s important to consider where customers are at in the sales funnel. You wouldn’t send the same content to someone who has merely browsed your website as someone who has already made multiple purchases with you.

#4. It builds trust and credibility.

If there’s one thing consumers hate, it’s feeling like the wool is being pulled over their eyes. However, when you’re trying to educate your customers, and that education includes a service or product that costs money, it can sometimes be difficult to convince your customers that you really do have their best interest at heart. On the other hand, when your customers are informed, it helps to reduce or eliminate that feeling.

Through email newsletters, you can keep your audience informed about things relating to your industry and business in a non-threatening way. By creating credible, valuable content for your audience, you can help to build more trust in your brand, as well as more customer loyalty.

When it comes to establishing a presence for your business online, having a website is a great start, but it’s just that — a start. You also need to be able to connect with your customers and build deeper, longer-lasting relationships with them, and email marketing is a wonderful way to do that.

Whether you’re interested in building your own website with the Websites 360® website builder or you’d like professional help building an email marketing campaign, get started today!