Companies with a long history of using direct mail might not believe email marketing can improve their marketing strategy, but email marketing is a better investment.
When used successfully, email marketing campaigns provide offers and information to consumers at different points in the sales funnel. Email newsletters provide information to passive consumers in the research phase, while coupons or offers can be sent to leads to seal the deal. Confirmation emails reassure newly-signed customers that they made the right choice, and emails for periodic services remind previous customers to return. With email, there are so many ways to communicate efficiently and effectively with potential customers.
The reason email makes sense is because it costs less than direct, gives more information and data, and has the ability to be tested to see what aspects affect performance.
Cost
With the rise of email marketing was also the rise of email marketing software. Now there are plenty of options, from free with a limited amount of emails, like Emma and MailChimp, to paid with unlimited emails and other inbound marketing services, like our friends at HubSpot; most also include discounts for non-profits. And while direct mail can be expensive if sending to thousands of recipients and may be cost-prohibitive for more than a couple of times a year, email marketing service’s fees allows for access to the software whenever sending an email is necessary and won’t accutane cheapest price depend on that month’s budget.
Data
When shipping out direct mailers, there’s an aspect of waiting at home, fingers crossed that it will bring in enough business to make it worth it. With email, what’s performing and what isn’t is immediately available. See how many people, and who they were, opened or clicked an email. Identify leads by who clicked through to the site or special offer and follow up with a more personalized email or phone call. And as recipiants interact and respond, more data is collected, making it easier to segment by demographic properties, to target specific users with tailored messages.
Test
Gaining an understanding of how emails are performing is only the first step—the next step is to test different variables and make the emails even better. Split test subject lines, send times, and calls-to-actions and learn how the audience reacts to the changes. Implement what works and throw away what doesn’t. Don’t overlook the opportunity to continually improve.
Email marketing isn’t just for large companies to send newsletters or retail outlets to send daily coupons. While ditching direct might not be practical depending on the industry, email marketing could be—should be—implemented as part of the whole marketing strategy, whether for a small business, a non-profit, or a niche-market service.
Click below for our free resource and learn how email can assist your marketing efforts:
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