It has been said for quite some time now that email marketing is no longer useful. We all ignore those marketing emails in our inboxes, and potential customers are apparently not keen to click links any more. But what is the reason for this? And why do we think email marketing is dead? Here are some of the reasons that email marketing can still be used effectively, and how you can implement this into the day-to-day running of your business. Just make sure you let your IT Monitoring and Management team know you’re intentions before using mailing lists, so they don’t block anyone’s access to be able to get the email lists!
Collect information
You don’t necessarily need to bombard your potential customers, or existing customers, with marketing material that screams “buy this” but there is no reason you can’t send emails asking for information, help, and opinions on things, to improve your market research efforts. You can always offer incentives to complete these tasks. And most people really don’t mind taking a moment or two out of their busy schedule to help a business out if we ask nicely. It’s no longer about shouting the loudest, as marketing is lost on people when it’s too “in the face”. Do you remember the last time you opened an email that was clearly from a marketing campaign? Probably not because you may not have even realized it was a marketing email. There are people very skilled in writing marketing materials, who will happily provide you with information, either as an employee or a consultant. The beauty of email is that it reaches most people’s mobile phones, which they carry with them everywhere.
Testing
When businesses are testing out new products and services, the first place that is usually added to the list of recipients is everybody on your email list. This is because these people will know more about the actual products and services than many because they are either an existing customer or a potential customer. Either way, they know exactly what to say, and will be more than happy to help out either way usually. This method also means you can keep track of who responds to which ads as well.
It really is interesting to know what you can find out when you ask, and what you need to do in the future. You will also have the right amount of information this way, and knowledge is power.
Use targeting
Social media these days is very active, and you can input email addresses and target those people via Facebook. Other social media platforms are catching up, and it’s fascinating to know that you can target people and tailor the ads to them directly, which equates to great results. Mailing lists aren’t a thing of the past, and the more you incorporate them into your marketing budget and plan, the better.
So delve into your next challenge with both feet, quickly, ready to use all of the information wisely, just remember not all people want to be contacted and follow data protection laws carefully. It’s essential to enjoy running your business as best as you can though, approaching it with a positive attitude is the only way to go.
