Most businesses use some form of email marketing – but are they doing it right? Many are noticing these efforts falling short, and it could be that they are not approaching potential clients in a way that is going to pique interest. Below are four different types of email marketing, but don’t feel that you have to stick to just one. Many businesses are using a combination of techniques to relate to a broader range of the interest and needs of buyers.
Direct Email Marketing
You need to be careful with this one. Direct email marketing goes like this: you basically get a list of email addresses, send an email blast advertising your business, and hope that people respond. This can be tricky because if your list of recipients haven’t opted in to these emails, you risk the chance of becoming black listed with email providers. Wikipedia defines spam as “the use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages, especially advertising, indiscriminately.” Fun fact: 17% of Americans create a new email address every 6 months, and 30% change them annually! Keep this in mind if you got ahold of an older list.
Can this be done without spamming? Sure. Just build your own opted-in list, and don’t overdo it. Send one or two emails, then follow up with a phone call. Keep in mind, this doesn’t necessarily mean you will be getting more responses – sure, nobody marked it as “spam,” but that doesn’t automatically equal sales. Keep reading for a few more effective ways to approach leads.
Direct Marketing Appointment Setting
What makes Direct Marketing Appointment Setting (DRAS) different than Direct Email Marketing is the content of the emails. Instead of using persuasion, with generally more words, the email is targeting a specific problem the buyer has and offering an appointment to offer potential solutions. You are not using your company’s name, and you are getting to the point in just a couple sentences. This offers a personal touch, and stands out in comparison to most other marketing emails the prospect is getting. This technique builds trusts with leads much faster and generally have a much higher response rate than the standard method.
To make DRAS work for you, research is key. You need to know exactly what the prospect’s problems are, and what triggers the most responses. You may not get the results you are looking for on the first try, but testing out different templates and measuring responses can help you determine what works and what doesn’t. It is also helpful to segment buyers into different categories, and send emails that relate to them specifically – one size does not always fit all!
Lead Nurturing Automation
Lead nurturing automation offers the low efforts of email blasts, combined with the personal targeted message you will find by manually typing an email. Basically you set up “rules” that will automate emails to leads at ideal times based on their needs and interest level. As the lead’s situation changes, the targeted emails will change automatically to fit what’s going on. As far as content, there are a couple ways to approach this:
- Product marketing – Send information about your company or product that relates specifically to the buyer’s needs at that time. This will remind them that you have the solution to their problem.
- Content marketing – Send relevant and valuable industry related information that can help them now. This approach focuses more on communicating with lead to build a relationship rather than direct selling. This can also improve your website’s SEO by driving traffic to the content on your site.
Newsletters and Dedicated Offers
Sending newsletters and limited offers to customers and prospects is great to keep them updated and informed, while also driving some additional interest. Keep in mind the risks we discussed with Direct Email Marketing – your list of recipients should be scrubbed each time a blast is sent out.