Why Use Email Marketing?

It is undeniable that the most powerful form of marketing online today is email marketing. The reason is simple. Email marketing works!

According to research conducted by the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing generated an ROI of $43.62 for every dollar spent on it in 2009. The expected figure for 2010 is $42.08. As such, it outperforms all the other direct marketing channels examined.  Source:  Email Marketing Reports

Ever wondered what causes people to actually open and read your email? Some people think it’s the subject line (that is part of it). Others are convinced it’s the opening paragraph of the email content – that is another part. In fact, there is something else that is the #1 factor in determining whether your email gets opened and read.

The first thing people look at when deciding whether to open an email is who the sender is. If they don’t know you, chances are they’re not going to open your email.

But what about the content?  If the sender is consistently blasting sales emails and not providing useful information, recipients will delete that email quickly.  Don’t you get annoyed when you see too many of those “buy now” emails?  Most people quickly delete those  emails.

Recent studies show that over 40% of people surveyed buy things online based on an email they receive. I know I do, and I’m willing to guess that you have bought products too that you learned about in your email inbox. And who hasn’t visited a site and filled in a form to learn more about a product they were interested in?

Four Good Reasons to Use Email Marketing

• It allows targeting

• It drives direct sales

• It builds relationships, customer loyalty and trust

• It supports sales through other channels

Here are five ways you can use email to do more, sell more and to keep more customers happy. I hope you use each one.

1.  The #1 factor in determining whether your email gets opened and read:  Provide useful, helpful information on a regular basis.

Two e-newsletters I subscribe to and read every week are from Prevention.com and VitalChoice.com Why?  First, their subject lines grab my attention.  One email from Prevention.com read:  “Beware of the Sneaky Wrinkle Causer.”   Yikes!  I absolutely had to read that email.  And from VitalChoice.com:  “Vitamin D May Boost Brains,”  another attention getter.  Their emails always provide useful information and I usually end up buying a product recommended in their e-newsletters.

2. Customer Follow up

Whether it’s a simple as a one-time ‘thank you’ or as elaborate as a 10 message follow up system, customers love to know you care.  At a minimum, send one message thanking customers for every order.  Share neat ways they can use the product they bought from you. Be helpful in every way you can. Keep messages short and they will always be welcome.

3. Customer Learning

Do you offer a product that takes a bit of learning to use? Most products do take a bit of instruction to master. Teach your customers how to get the benefits they deserve from your product or service via email. Keep messages on topic and separate your follow up series into bite-size learning pieces. These follow up messages can drastically increase customer loyalty.

4. Special Pricing and New Product Launches

Use email to deliver insider information on special bargains, limited time pricing, new product launches and more. Much like a coupon sheet in your local newspaper, selling in this type of email is a breeze.

5. Hard to Find News

Want to know the secret to building a loyal mailing list? Give the people what they want!  People love offbeat news, especially when it has a connection to their lives.

Email is everywhere and tremendously effective. But it can be one of those methods that gets overlooked in the rush to find the Next Big Thing.  Don’t fall into that trap – make sure your email marketing is rock-solid and then experiment all you want with the “next big thing” as time allows.

Start to use email in your business today and I can guarantee you will make more money with less effort in the months to come.  And that is a beautiful thing indeed!

How do you use email marketing?  Help our readers by sharing your experiences in the Comment section below.