You’ve just noticed that you have received an e-mail from a stranger? What do you do?
Most people delete the e-mail without reading it, but that shouldn’t discourage companies from making e-mails part of their marketing campaign. In fact, companies of all sizes, including the small businesses that post their profiles on Storeboard.com, can formulate a successful e-mail campaign that will significantly increase their revenues and profits. The first step, though, is understanding the perspective of the people who receive e-mails – the people who generally delete e-mails.
A successful e-mail campaign requires finding quality clients and getting to know them well enough so you’re sending different e-mails to different clients. If you send the same formulaic e-mail to everyone you will come across as a business that’s trying to make money via the numbers game and isn’t attuned to the interests of specific clients. The focus should always be more on building a long-term relationship than a quick sale.
A company is more likely to be a quality client if it has previously expressed interest in your company. The article “6 Common Email Marketing Mistakes Small Businesses Make” recommends sign-up sheets on your website and at your company office.
You will also significantly increase the chances that your e-mail campaign will be successful if you improve the quality of the content in the e-mail. These five tips will improve the quality of your e-mails.
1. SHARE INDUSTRY NEWS: You should realize that prospective clients might consider you a stranger, even if they have expressed interest in your company. How should you introduce yourself? The best way is to share something of value with them. They could be totally uninterested in a sales pitch, but they could be very interested in news about their industry. If you’re lucky, they will share the news with others in e-mails they send or on their website -- and might give your company credit. You should read trade publications to search for news in several industries.
2. SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE: Instead of sending sales pitches or positive information about your company in an e-mail campaign’s early stages, you should build a rapport with prospective clients by e-mailing them tips that could help them with their business. Here’s an example – “Ten Tips On How To Utilize Social Media.” Here’s another – “Ten Tips On How To Publicize Your Company’s Accomplishments On A Small Budget.” Getting prospective clients to trust you as an expert might make them more amenable to sales pitches later in your e-mail campaign.
3. SEEK THEIR FEEDBACK: Asking questions in the subject line is a great way to grab prospective clients’ attention. A question such as “What Social Media Do You Use In Your Business?” or “What Search Engine Optimization Techniques Do You Use?” might spur the recipients of the e-mail to share something that they know and you might not. It might also create a rapport between you and the prospective clients. Entrepreneur magazine’s “Six Tips for Maximizing Email Marketing Campaigns” article recommends e-mail surveys on products and services.
4. KEEP IT SIMPLE (STUPID): The KISS philosophy of writing is always important when you’re communicating with people who are in a rush. That’s why reporters write newspaper and magazine articles using the kind of vocabulary they wouldn’t use in an academic or research paper. They generally don’t use technical jargon when writing about industries. You shouldn’t either -- even if you’re sure the recipients of the e-mail will understand it. Writing conversationally is preferable to writing academically or “professionally.”
5. THINK ABOUT YOUR PRESENTATION: The words can be perfect, but the e-mail can be ruined if the words are presented in an intimidating fashion. People in a rush such as prospective clients can be intimidated by long paragraphs. Proper spacing between paragraphs can also help you avoid formulating an e-mail that will look sloppy. It’s also often a good idea to edit your e-mail so there will be more short sentences and fewer long sentences. Using lists and subheads can also make your e-mail more reader-friendly.
This is the first of a three-part series that will be published in the next week on helping businesses improve their marketing campaigns and SEO efforts.
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