5 ways to use email marketing to grow your business
Consider the most recent purchase you made that was of greater value than a basic consumable. Do you recall why you selected that product, brand, characteristic, or benefit? Do you recall how frequently you were exposed to advertisements or contacted by the company selling the product you bought?
You probably do not recall all of the touchpoints. However, you likely recall that consistent messaging contributed to your purchase decision.
Recent data indicates that response rates increase with each outreach or “touchpoint” up to eight. Thereafter, the rate of return for subsequent encounters diminishes. Touchpoints may consist of phone calls, text messages, emails, direct mail pieces, remarketing through social media or display advertising, or in-person visits when appropriate.
This raises the question: how frequently do you touch base with your prospects and customers to strengthen the relationship, contribute value to their lives, and expand your business?
Let’s discuss five ways we can use email marketing as an effective source of communication to motivate those we can assist to take action immediately. Email marketing remains among the most effective types of advertising. However, proper implementation is required.
What is the correct path? Glad you inquired!
To nurture your prospects, each stage of your marketing process requires a distinct message and call to action. Asking people to buy when they first hear about you is akin to proposing to someone you’ve never met. Identifying your prospects’ needs and guiding them with value is a foolproof method for gaining their trust and persuading them to say “I do.”
Website Visitor Opt-in
Someone who visits your website is not necessarily eager to contact you. An opt-in can capture the individual who is on the cusp of being interested and ready to purchase. They want to conduct research and ingest whatever information you provide without the pressure of human interaction.
Creating an opt-in on your website can help you cut through the clutter of misinformation on the web and explicitly explain how you will provide your visitors with precisely what they need when they need it.
You can use this opt-in to “drip” pertinent information to your subscribers if you are a water treatment dealer, supplier, original equipment manufacturer, or consultant. This can assist in educating them on your value proposition and any pertinent water quality issues, unique product differentiators, or industry-specific information.
Email opt-ins are advantageous because you can upload your email subscriber list to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google, and other online platforms in order to “remarket” to them. Retargeting enables you to have omnipresence, provide consistent branding and value, and encourage them to take the next step with your business.
New Website Form Leads
When a website visitor submits a form to learn more about you, your products, or your services, this is considered a “lead.”
Putting yourself in the footsteps of your prospective customers can help you determine how to use email to provide them with information that motivates them to call or schedule an appointment.
Email marketing platforms such as MailChimp, ActiveCampaign, and Hubspot permit you to segment your campaigns according to the type of audience you’re addressing. For instance, if your website’s contact form allows users to indicate whether they are current or former customers, you can send them a distinct email series. If they do not select this option, you will know with a high degree of certainty that they are a new lead who could benefit from an email nurturing sequence.
I recommend using email marketing at this level to provide informative content with a strong call to action. Using promotional discounts and loud emails with false scarcity may be effective in the short term, but they can devalue your brand and cause mistrust over time. However, there is a time and a place for promotions, so long as they are genuine and communicated in a manner that increases value rather than decreases it.
Scheduled Sales Appointment
What better way to distinguish yourself from your competitors than to send a brief series of automated emails to your prospective customers containing information and videos outlining what they can expect during their appointment?
The prospect will appreciate the addition of a video from the salesperson they’ll meet that addresses frequently asked questions and any pertinent educational information. Especially if you will be entering someone’s home to test their water, allowing them to get to know you through a video can go a long way toward establishing their trust before you even set foot inside.
Very few businesses establish trust via email in this manner. By doing so, you will distinguish yourself from the other companies they are evaluating while creating an exceptional customer experience that will develop your brand’s long-term equity.
Unresponsive Leads
“Do you hate me?” I’ve received emails with this or a similar subject line that compel me to open the message and respond to the person on the other side of the ether. Consider the long-term influence on your brand’s reputation of this last-ditch effort, as well as spammy promotions.
Every business that relies on leads for growth has been ghosted by a previously promising prospect. You can continue optimizing your marketing efforts for those who are more serious and improve your marketing process to improve the customer journey with the aid of automated email marketing campaigns.
Here are a few methods you can use email to gain a better understanding of why people are leaving your marketing and sales system, as well as to re-engage some of them.
In an email, include a link to a survey that asks them a few basic questions to determine why they have not been in contact.
Use email to distribute written and video testimonials to establish credibility and reassure prospects that others have had a positive experience with your team.
Offer educational content that distinguishes you from your rivals. Consider embedding videos in your emails that feature team members answering frequently asked queries to humanize your business.
Based on how people interact with the survey and these communications, you will likely discover ways to enhance your internal marketing and sales processes.
Current Customer Marketing Campaigns
Increasing consumer retention and loyalty is one of the best business decisions you can make to increase profitability and longevity, according to an abundance of data. Over the past five years, the aggregate cost of acquiring new customers has increased by more than 60 percent.
However, very few businesses have the systems and processes in place to make this a routine part of their operations. The good news is that if you can enhance this aspect of your business, you will be able to gain and maintain market share.
Email marketing is a straightforward and highly effective instrument for achieving current customer communication. With some planning in advance, campaigns that are automated and managed by a third party can generate enduring revenue and goodwill.
Email Marketing Strategies
Here are several ways email can benefit your customers and your business:
1. Cross-marketing possibilities
Numerous businesses in the water treatment industry offer complementary goods. Big blue filters work well before a softener, and reverse osmosis systems work well with a point-of-use softener. Why not use email marketing to inform consumers who have one but not the other about the advantages of the other?
2. New product/feature introductions.
Many of our customers are now selling alkaline or remineralization filters. Email marketing is a cost-effective method for communicating the introduction of these new products and educating customers on water quality, water treatment, and the advantages of the new feature or product.
3. The agony of seven years.
Have your consumers outdated or obsolete products? Do you have a more modern, fruitful, or efficient option for them? Relieve the seven-year itch and educate customers on how upgrading can save them time and money. If they haven’t heard from you in a while and things aren’t going well, you can guarantee they’re shopping around.
4. Eliminate post-purchase melancholy.
Have you ever made a purchase only to be dissatisfied days later? Post-installation follow-ups can assist in informing the client that the system is performing as intended and answering any questions. Additionally, you can use email in conjunction with video to educate customers about the product(s) they’ve purchased and address frequently asked questions.
5. Newsletters.
Customers appreciate doing business with those who do not continually pressure them to purchase. Utilize monthly or quarterly newsletters to stay in contact with your customers without requesting anything in return. Introducing team members, highlighting your participation in community or industry events, and educating them on crucial issues are all effective ways to establish relationships without asking for additional funds.
6. Review and referral solicitation.
What better method to expand your business than to have your satisfied customers spread the word? Email can be an effective method for soliciting customer feedback, generating reviews, and requesting referrals. The greatest aspect is that this can be fully automated.
A few additional considerations for implementing email marketing:
Privacy is paramount.
Be sure to evaluate data privacy legislation and ensure that your campaigns comply. Each email should have a distinct “opt-out” option so that recipients can choose whether or not to receive emails from you.
Avoid excessive email usage. Email blindness is a true phenomenon, similar to ad blindness. Ensure that your communications do not overwhelm your prospects and clients.
Individualization is optimal.
The more you can personalize your message to satisfy the specific needs of your audience, the more effective your emails will be. Ask your marketing collaborator what is feasible for your company based on the size of your audience and the segmentation options available.
Test, test, test.
Platforms for email marketing offer a variety of testing alternatives. Whether you are evaluating audience segments, subject lines, or email content, be sure to establish key performance metrics and set up the processes to measure them.
Email is far from defunct and can be a valuable marketing tool when used appropriately and tracked effectively. We hope that these five email marketing strategies will help you increase your future revenue, profits, and brand value.