| Email marketing is one of many digital marketing techniques open to businesses of all sizes. And while in this age of social media and personalised apps, it may be seen by some as becoming dated, research has consistently proven it can still deliver great results. But as with any form of marketing email marketing campaigns must be set up and run with great care and attention if they are to work.
So what small changes can you make to ensure email marketing works for you?
Send automated welcomes
According to research by email marketing platform provider Dotmailer, 1 in 6 firms don’t send automated welcome emails to people who have registered or created an online account. You’d never fail to acknowledge a customer if they were standing in your office or at the till, so don’t ignore them online.
Mine customer data
The same study revealed that companies often fail to adopt the more advanced tactics they use with other digital marketing techniques when they’re using email. As a result, they’re sending out messages hoping for the best, rather than analysing their customer data to ensure each communication is relevant and targeted. Effective targeting and personalisation is vital if your email is to not only be noticed in recipients’ inboxes but also be opened, read and – ideally – acted upon. After all, most of us receive dozens of marketing emails each day and delete many without reading them in full.
Send basket abandonment emails
Many customers routinely abandon online transactions halfway through, but all is not lost as far as the retailer is concerned. Simply sending a reminder via email about their intended purchase can be enough to get them to pick up where they left off. Figures from Dotmailer show that 4 in 10 online retailers don’t have abandoned cart programmes in place, so that’s a considerable amount of business they could be missing out on.
Ask for feedback
Businesses in all sectors can gain useful insights into people’s view of the customer experience simply by asking them what they thought. Dotmailer indicate that more than half of firms send feedback requests following purchases, which of course, means that half aren’t doing so. As a result, they might be missing out on chances to forge stronger connections with their customers and offer a more compelling proposition. You could offer an incentive for people to give feedback by entering them into a draw to win a prize, such as a Rubiks Cube, Hoodie or lower cost branded merchandise such as a notebook or printed pen. It’s a great way to encourage feedback and your promotional items then serve as a long lasting reminder of your organisation.
As Skip Fidura, Client Services Director at dotmailer, notes, a good email marketing campaign ‘fundamentally changes the way businesses communicate and engage with their customers.’ But those that fail to take the next step and apply more advanced techniques to this approach risk falling behind, ‘regardless of size and sector.’ Refining your approach could make a big difference to your bottom line in a short space of time and generate significant returns.
Further Reading / Sources
What British businesses are doing right with email marketing SmallBusiness.co.uk
Three key findings from the 2017 Email Marketing Census Econsultancy |
