LinkedIn. Twitter. Blogging. Webinars. The way that we digitally communicate with customers has changed over the past decade. New digital media have been invented and older media have either disappeared or evolved to keep up. However, one of the oldest forms of digital communication is still one of the best ways to reach your audience – email marketing.
Email is still the communication medium that people trust the most. According to Hubspot, email continues to grow, and The Radicati Group predicts that half of the world’s population will be using email by 2020. Since email is private and direct from sender to receiver, recipients view emails as personal messages. Usually if you have someone’s email address, there is a prior relationship, so recipients are already likely to trust the sender. Consistently sending valuable content in your marketing emails helps build trust and company value.
Also, while social media may offer a way to enhance your marketing reach, you as a social media consumer, never “own” your contacts. This is one of the reasons why we encourage businesses to collect email addresses – you have control over your contacts.
To be successful with email marketing, you need to get four things right: your list, your branding, your content and your consistency.
Building a list
Build your list using the principles of permission marketing – the privilege of delivering messages to people who actually want them. Even if you have an unsubscribe button in your email, you must get permission before sending to a new contact. You can still be blacklisted if those who unsubscribe from you give the reason “did not sign up.”
Be creative and ethical when asking for permission, since this builds trust. Ask your audience what they want to read. Offer something of value and deliver it to your contacts. If you consistently deliver on permissions and promise, your email list will grow over time.
To add to your list, create an opt-in form on your website to make it easy for people to subscribe to your email list. Remember: you can manually add someone to your list ONLY IF they give you explicit permission and their contact information. Offer an email signup on your social media channels.*
When creating a sign-up form, be sure it is easy for your audience to read, use and understand. Since they are sharing their contact information, they need to know exactly what they are signing up to get.
*Keep in mind: Social media trends and rules change all the time. Recently Facebook announced that collecting people’s personal information on the platform will result in low impressions for business pages. Be aware of each platform’s rules and ramifications before promoting your email newsletter sign-up form.
Brand Awareness
Your email marketing and newsletters are important extensions of your company. When setting up your email account, make sure your logo appears, images are the proper resolution, company information is up-to-date and your “voice” is on brand.
There are three main types of emails that B2B marketers use.
- Updates. A check-in with your audience to tell them what’s new. Send check-ins regularly (once a month) and when your audience expects them. Most monthly newsletters fall into this category.
- Posts. When you publish an article or industry alert, you can also send it as an email. Posts are typically shorter than updates and will add unique value by complementing the longer, less-urgent content in your newsletter updates. Remember – don’t overshare, only send the posts that are significant to your company’s industry.
- Promotion. A promotional email helps show how your audience is getting the best deal, rather than just stating it. A product demo, customer testimonial or limited time offer are all designed to promote your products or services.
If you consistently send updates, posts and promotions, try designing each one with a special name and/or email header image that is consistent with your organization’s brand. This will help to immediately convey to recipients what they are about to read. By using any combination of these email types, you will be building brand awareness and creating a consistent way to communicate.
Content
Getting started on content is a common obstacle for busy professionals. When preparing content, just commit to the process and get started! Your emails shouldn’t be too long, just long enough to deliver on the promise you made to your audience.
- The subject. Your subject is the first thing your audience sees. Make it interesting so people will want to open it.
- The greeting. Who is the email going to? Write something personal to your audience (MailChimp offers a personalized “to” form).
- The lead-in. The first sentence of the paragraph. Keep it simple. Keep it relevant.
- The body. What is the point of the email? This is where you elaborate on your main topic. Offer something of value to your readers. Whenever possible, begin an article and provide a [read more] link to drive readers to your website.
- Calls-to-action. Give your audience a reason to engage. You want them to click to drive traffic to your website or sell your product. Give them a good reason to take the next step.
- The closing. Close the email simply and sign your name for that personal touch.
- The P.S. (optional). It can be a wrap-up. A call-to-action. A reminder. Typically, use just one sentence.
Once you get your format down, you’ll find it easier to develop quality content. A monthly editorial calendar can help you manage topics, assign writers and make sure you are providing value and inspiration.
And remember to proofread before sending. Use spell check. And always have another pair of eyes review before sending.
Consistency
Send your emails out consistently. Sending a newsletter out once a month is often enough for your audience to remember you, but not so frequent as to overwhelm your community. If you send a newsletter more frequently, check in with your audience to make sure the frequency is right. If frequent updates are valued in your industry, offer options in your email subscriptions to make sure clients and prospects are receiving what they want to receive.
Haven’t jumped into email marketing yet? There’s no time like the present to start building your list and connecting!
