Clients and prospects are always asking us about the pros and cons of email marketing.
Much of the time this medium receives negative press because of all the Viagra spam emails we all get (or is it just my wife trying to tell me something?). So I thought it might be useful to explain how, on the contrary, intelligent email marketing can be extremely lucrative and - done properly - works a treat.
This is because effective email marketing offers businesses a range of advantages from highly tangible revenue increases to softer benefits such as improved brand perceptions.
I risk labouring the point: email marketing has to be part of an overall web strategy to achieve maximum effect.
Different companies have different requirements, which is why everything we do is bespoke to that individual client. Following the discovery process, campaigns will normally fall in to one or more of the following categories:
You want to drive sales and build revenue?
- Effective email communication can help to maximise customer lifetime value.
- Communicating the right information at the right time will help drive sales.
- Email can help you acquire new customers (provided lists are used with care).
- Create opportunities for cross-selling and up-selling.
- Drive traffic to website (more importantly, the right kind of traffic).
You want to make your marketing budget go further?
- The right messages at the right time will help you retain customers - retention is significantly cheaper than acquisition.
- Email is much cheaper than traditional direct marketing.
You want to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty?
- Relevant and tailored information will score you points with consumers.
- A happier customer is less likely to defect to a rival.
- Build an emotional connection with your audience.
- Email affords excellent opportunities to remind customers of the benefits of your proposition and the value they are getting.
- Companies can exploit data (e.g. CRM and web analytics) to identify and meet customer needs.
You are looking to improving customer intelligence.
- Learn from customer feedback.
- Email is a highly measurable channel.
- Integration with web analytics software can help this process.
You are looking to boost brand awareness and credibility.
- Effective integration of messaging and ‘creative’ into broader marketing strategies is essential for successful businesses.
- A holistic customer experience and brand experience will enhance perceptions of your company and improve recall.
- Build relationships by engaging users in an efficient and entertaining way.
- There is an opportunity to exploit rich media to engage more effectively with customers, provided it is non-intrusive.
If you fall in to one or more of the categories listed above then you are in the right place because we are seasoned pros at this kind of stuff.
Forget email-shots and start thinking well crafted electronic campaigns.
We can have you up and running within 7 days and we can even generate email marketing lists for you!
