When you engage in activities aimed at driving traffic to your website, you are practicing website marketing. One very effective website marketing strategy is email marketing. Almost any attempt to attract potential customers, and to keep current customers engaged can be considered email marketing if the brand and email are the same.
Today, we will be focusing on deliberate efforts to establish and keep in contact with customers via email. This is not to be confused with spamming, which is sending unsolicited emails. You will be learning eight email marketing tricks you can use to boost your business. But first, let us explore why email marketing is worth the effort.
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Why Use Email Marketing?
1. Remarkable Returns on Investment
In the United States in 2019, about $35 million was spent on email marketing. With return on investment (ROI) reported to be over 40%, you can easily see how website marketing through emails is worthwhile.
2. Emails Are Still Read
Unlike with other channels, email marketing allows you to have direct access to the people you wish to see your product. In 2019, two and a half hours were spent daily checking personal emails.
3. Personal Choice
Customers and potential customers more than likely chose to be a part of email marketing. What this translates to is an increased willingness to at least open the email, which could be one reason a quarter of sales were generated through email marketing in 2019.
8 Tricks to Boost Business Using Email Marketing
Timing
Do not wait until you have amassed a particular number of subscribers, because there is no magic number. Do not ignore new subscribers until you are ready to send the next scheduled email. Welcome emails should be sent to new customers and subscribers as they join. Timing also includes the days(s) of the week and hour you send your emails.
Trick #1. Give your customers a hearty welcome
Try including a welcome promotion to sweeten the deal. Examples of this could include offering percentage discounts or coupons on their first purchase or providing credit to be applied to their cart at first checkout (it would be best to include an expiration date to spur activity).
Tips:
- Ensure the subject line mentions the promotion.
- Make the discounts substantial enough to elicit a response to your call to action.
- Use an email marketing tool to track when and who opens your mails, as well as provide other metrics.
Subscriber List
While the size of the list is technically irrelevant, actively try to keep it growing.
Trick #2. Build your email list
Prompt your customers to sign up for your newsletter or other website marketing ideas by having noticeable sign up calls to action on your website. If you also have a physical store, it is highly recommended that you verbally suggest the idea of signing up to customers.
You must keep it active by regularly engaging subscribers. While your subscribers may have chosen to receive emails, there is an implied expiration date. This will help you target specific customers for specific reasons.
Trick #3. Reach out to customers for feedback
Try asking customers for the types of information they would be interested in receiving at sign up. You can do this by providing options, including one that allows for open responses.
While you can stave off customer fatigue and boredom by using yourwebsite’s email marketing tool, do not despair if some have already ceased opening your emails.
Trick #4. Segment your email list
Segment your list according to those who consistently support you, and those who have not been opening your emails in the past six or so months. Determine the interest of the latter by sending a special email.
Trick #5. Launch a few special offers
Entice them back where necessary with special offers. This does not mean ignoring loyal customers.
Trick #6. Start a “thank you” promotion
This tip would demonstrate your appreciation for their support over the years, as well as keep them loyal for the foreseeable future.
How you segment it depends on what you are trying to achieve. While we recommended segmenting for dormancy earlier; that is, according to those who engage and those who do not, there are other options. For example: segmenting according to product preferences, or dollar value regularly spent. Isolating customers according to product preference can help when you have new stock, and will undoubtedly cause more of your emails to be opened.
Tips:
- Don’t spend all your time managing your subscriber list. When you use yourwebsite’s website builder, you gain access to several add-ons that you can use to maximize website marketing strategies.
- Ensure the ‘Unsubscribe’ or opt-out option is as easy to navigate on your website as was the option to sign up.
- Do not try underhanded tactics to solicit sign-ups as this will create frustrated customers who will not open your emails.
Cart Abandonment
Cart abandonment refers to instances where customers did not make purchases despite putting items in their baskets. Almost 90% of all online sales were abandoned in March 2020. While there may be other reasons for this alarming statistic, it is noteworthy nevertheless.
Trick #7. Regularly reach out to customers
This tip means you need to encourage them to complete their purchases.
Tips:
- Do not wait until the final moment to inform customers of shipping costs as high shipping costs are the ultimate deal-breaker.
- If customers signal they are leaving the page without having made the purchase, prompt them with a pop-up window.
- Do not force every user of your website to sign up before being allowed to make purchases.
- Keep check-out safe by prominently displaying SSL certificates and other noticeable security features.
Your Website
Perhaps the most overlooked element in website marketing is the actual website.
It is estimated that in 2020, 125 trillion emails will be sent. At present, there is a 50% chance that a smartphone will be used to visit your website and access your email marketing. With smartphone ownership expected to climb to nearly four billion in 2021, the odds will grow in favor of smartphones.
Trick #8. Have a responsive website
Having invested in search engine optimization, for example, to improve website rankings and visibility, it would be counterproductive if customers were to quickly leave your site because of poor formatting.
Tips:
- Use mobile-friendly themes, such as available at yourwebsite.
- Invest in SEO tools.
Conclusion
Email marketing remains relevant in today’s social media-centric world. Follow these tips and tricks to capitalize on every available opportunity.
