Web-Clubs have been involved in Email Marketing since 2000, a long time in this industry. As it pays our bills it’s not surprising we are passionate believers in it, we know where it works and where it doesn’t. Whatever type of business you have and whatever its size, email marketing is a tool you should use.
In this short article, we are sharing with you, what we consider the benefits of email marketing.
It’s Proactive – Number One Strength
Marketing tools fit into three categories, Proactive, Reactive and Defensive, let’s look at them in more detail.
Proactive
Here you are taking the initiative to generate new business. Email Marketing excels in this area, here are some examples;
- You are opening a new shop, bar or similar, you need to shout about it and possibly make an introductory offer such as free first drink
- Your product is new, perhaps revolutionary and you want to inform the market about it
- You need to drum up business in a quiet spell so you want to make an offer, e.g. 20% of Summer boiler servicing
- You are selling something that people don’t often think about, examples include; life and health insurance, changing energy suppliers
- Telling people about this week’s special offers, triggering impulse buys
Reactive
Here the potential customer makes the first move, to which you react. This area is dominated by Google, Bing and other search engines, in the past, we would have gone to Yellow Pages or similar.
To see how it compares to proactive marketing, lets look at the plumber example from before. Reactive marketing wouldn’t help sell boiler servicing in the quiet months, it is though the right tool to promote emergency boiler repairs.
Defensive
This is all about customer retention and gaining a greater “share of wallet.” Pretty well whatever you order online, you will need to give your email address. This is then used to keep in contact with you, remind you when renewals are due, tell you about offers etc. Email marketing again works well here, newsletters are a powerful tool to help to retain customers and sell them more.
Other Benefits
Good Return on Investment
Compared to other proactive marketing platforms, email is the most cost effective. According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) the return is about £30 for every £ spent. Various pricing tools based on send volumes, click/open rates or a variation/hybrid are on offer from leading agencies.
Ease of Implementing
Email technology is straightforward and familiar. Small campaigns can easily be managed in-house. To reach further, specialists in the area like Web-Clubs can help you with email design, sending strategy and target lists. Linking to your website, or better still, a dedicated landing page is easy.
Measuring Results
Being digital, it’s easy to measure. The basic measures are Open Rate, how many opened the email and Click Through Rate, the number clicking from the email to a website or landing page. Hidden codes can be placed into the email campaign for tracking purposes. This compares favorably to other proactive tools such as direct mail and media/press advertising.
Speed of Implementation
Campaigns can be out to a target audience in hours, making it a very useful tool to take action if there’s a sudden downturn in business.
Targeting
Whatever marketing tool you use, the better you target, the better the return. Compared to other proactive tools, targeting is much easier. The proviso being that you have a suitable database and well maintained. Web-Clubs for example maintain datasets of our members within our various specialist interest clubs.
Impact
Most of us are addicted to checking our emails, the tools secret to success is being in there, making an impact
Reaching Outside your Comfort Zone
By using targeted lists you can reach prospects in new geographical areas or in new market sectors where your product fit.
Spreading the News
Newsletters are a great way to keep existing and prospective customers aware of what you do, what’s new and developments of interest.
Raising Awareness and Demonstrating Expertise
Subconsciously we tend to favour names we know or have experience with. Large companies invest heavily in their brands to achieve familiarity. By using regular email and newsletter campaigns you can cost effectively do this. For example, an accountant may send a monthly newsletter with tax advice, the next time a recipient of it, has a question, there is a good chance he/she will think of them.
Personal and Flexible
Emails can be personalised. Different target audiences can receive different versions. Edits are easily made to enhance performance or to react to market conditions.
Campaign Shelf Life
Most of us are not too good at cleaning up our inboxes, we tend to leave emails there until we run short of space! That means your email is sitting there, often being browsed through time and time again.
Knowledge Base – Online Presence:
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