Would you like to stay in touch with your customers and clients? Say it in a newsletter. Email communication is an easy way to keep subscribers in the loop of your business activities, sales, and promotions.
Email communication effectively levels the playing field for small businesses to compete and market in the same league as big corporations. The technology is easy to use, and no expensive capital is required. All you need is your own creativity and organization.
In fact, email marketing, when used effectively, has an average ROI of $43.62 for every dollar spent, according to a study performed by Direct Marketing Association. Compare that to only $21.85 ROI for internet search advertising.
However, email marketing must follow a certain formula to be effective. Here are some tips.
Never, Ever, Spam – Spamming is ineffective and creates negative branding for your business. Never buy email lists to send unsolicited high-pressure sales pitch to people who have not asked to be on your mailing list.
Form an Email Strategy – Like any form of marketing, you must have a strategy with your marketing efforts. Do you simply want to stay in touch with clients? Perhaps you want to promote special sales to email subscribers? Make sure you know what you want to accomplish.
Customize your Emails – It’s easy to cut, copy and paste industry news into your emails or newsletters. Rather, you should write all customized content. Write an article about a specific industry happening and add your own opinions and comments. Individualize it for your audience.
Add Value – Every email subscriber should be chomping at the proverbial bit to open your next email newsletter. Why? Because you add value. They should know that when they open your email, they can expect interesting news, valuable advice, entertaining anecdotes, or even money saving specials.
Make it Consistent – And lastly, make your emails consistent. If you send newsletters, avoid sending them sporadically. Make it consistent, such as every month or every quarter.
Your email subscribers want to know that you continue to care about them. A well-designed newsletter or regular email marketing effort can pay off rich dividends with the right amount of work and planning.
To get started, you can start with an email marketing tool for free. Sign up at MailChimp.
