How many times have you gone to clear your emails only to discover a great deal at your local store or online?
Email marketing can be like a giant billboard, guaranteed to get your customer’s attention. There is so much power from having a strong online marketing strategy and email marketing is one of the key components delivering your message directly to your customers inbox. If you use it right, email marketing can be one of the best ways to communicate with your customers and build a great brand for your business. It’s a great platform to share information, a great way to manage a database and an affordable marketing tool.
The team here at GFM are email marketing pros, producing email newsletters for businesses nationwide and getting great results. We asked around our team to see what they thought makes a great marketing email.
“Consistency is key to brand awareness, especially with email marketing”
"Email marketing is all about reinforcing the message across multiple platforms so people see it on social media, they see it on your website and BAM it hits their inbox… and it often means people get the email notifications whilst on the go or in a moment of downtime how many people are constantly clearing their emails during the day whilst out and about on the go.
If you’re going to use email marketing, make sure that you use it on a regular basis. There are a lot of businesses who will get all excited and send out three emails in one week and then not send out another for months. This will do nothing, except annoy your customers who have trusted you with their email address. Theme your newsletters to match the rest of your business branding so they instantly recognisable and reinforce your brand message. "
Sara Reid - Director
“Email marketing should communicate something extra with your customers”
Everyone wants to feel special. It’s as simple as talking to your clients as you would on the phone, or in person. You wouldn’t leap in front of someone in the street with a sign insisting they buy from you now, would you? The same rule applies for email marketing. You need to build a relationship with your clients before closing the sale. Tell a story in your email, share your valubale knowldege and generally engage with your customers on their level.
Encourage customers to reply to your email, strike up a conversation and most importantly, have fun and be authentic!
Zoe Coyne - Marketing Assistant
“Make sure you use all the tools available to track results and reward loyal customers”
One huge advantage of email marketing is that you can use the software to manage your customer database, track who opens your email, at what time - and how long they spent reading it.
We can also see what links were clicked in the email giving us insights into what’s pushing people’s buttons. Use this data to your advantage; Talk to your sales people about what has generated the most clicks in the latest newsletter or use it to shape future newsletters to keep engagement high and people waiting in anticipation for the next issue.
Work out what’s the most common time for your emails to be opened and schedule this time in for your next email. Remember to always offer your customers incentives and prompts to get in touch - ‘Call To Actions’ are critical!
Bryan Palmer - Head of Project Management
“Share personal, relatable information about you and your business”
One of the main benefits of email marketing is that there is no character limit. Share a bit of company news, photos of staff, client testimonials – anything that’s going to strike up a conversation. If you have a big team, staff members love to see shout-outs and are more likely to share the link to your newsletter on social media or forward it on to their friends and family.
Research has proven that when information comes from someone they know, customers are way more likely to view the brand as trustworthy.
Lane Robins - Social Media
“Send people to your website for more information”
A well written email newsletter should drive traffic back to your website so potential customers can find out more about you and what you do. If you’re in the service industry people might want to see staff profiles and read testimonials about previous work you have done or maybe you sell physical products and then customers will want to see photos and read details about each product before getting in touch to make a purchase.
Make sure you include multiple links and buttons in your newsletter so it’s easy for people to get to the information they want.
Also remember a lot of emails are read on mobile, so make sure you test it works across all devices before sending out. Oh, and never attach a PDF document to your email, no one will have time to open it!
Jordan Marsh - Web Developer/Project Assistant
Get in touch with the email marketing experts!
Email marketing can increase brand awareness, manage your customer database, help build trust with existing customers, communicate important news, drive traffic to your website and social media and increase your sales. This can only happen if it’s done right though!
Do you need help? GFM Branding Solutions are based in New Zealand and offer genuine solutions for businesses nationwide, if you need help with your email marketing get in touch with us today.