How are your marketing strategies working together? Or perhaps the better question is – what marketing strategies are you using in conjunction with each other? I always recommend that my clients select two to three different strategies to utilize in concert with each other over a period of 6-12 months and then measuring which one is giving you the most return for your time and money.
One strategy that I strongly believe in is Email Marketing – when it’s done well, it’s a terrific way to keep your company’s brand front of mind. And, it’s an effective tool that compliments your social marketing strategies as well.
While some may think that email marketing is not effective since we’re inundated with emails these days, Brian Solis, Principal of FutureWorks suggests that, “Email is technically the largest, untapped social network in the world”. And I would have to agree.
You should also consider these statistics from Michelle Crossley’s Article on Email Marketing Statistics
- Epsilon “Branding Survey“ (Feb 2009) found that 50% are more likely to buy products from companies who send them email, whether their purchases are online or at a place of business.
- The same survey revealed that 67% of subscribers purchased products offline as a direct result of receiving an email from a retail company and 40% experienced positive impact on their likelihood to make a future purchase a company upon receiving an email.
- Close to 84% of respondents said that they like receiving email from companies with whom they register. Even if they don’t always read the message, it’s good to know the information or offer will be there when they are ready to make a purchase. This response rate is up significantly from 69% in the 2005 study.
- The Email Experience Council statistics reveal that over 49% of people who are happy with their recent purchase from your company will open future e-mails seven times faster than those who have not made a purchase in over three months.
- According to the research firm Hurwitz & Associates, 46% of small businesses use email marketing; and 36% plan to start using it in the next 12 months.
One key factor to consider is making sure that you’re speaking in a language your target audience can understand, one that is relevant to their generational mindset and reaches their ears. Jennifer Neeley Lindsay – Crimson Consulting gave a presentation on how each generation has unique wants and needs. She discussed social tactics to trigger effective responses from the Greatest Generation, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials. This is a great presentation and will give you some fantastic insights as to how different generations can hear your message most effectively.
StrongMail says “42% of executives reported a lift in email campaign performance after integrating social and email”. Email marketing is an affordable tool to implement for businesses, and it can help generate revenue and improve ROI.
My favorite email marketing tool is Constant Contact. Not only do they give you a free 60 day trial, their customer service is terrific! Just this week, I spent some time on the phone with them to resolve a perceived spamming issue for one of my clients. They were easy to work with and we were able to get things cleared up quickly. I’ve been using them for almost 5 years and have never had an issue with their service. You can also use Constant Contact to create online surveys as well to learn more about what your target audience really is looking to get from you and your company.
You can double the bang for your buck too when you combine your Email marketing and Social Media campaigns in a cohesive way to help you attract your ideal clients by increasing brand awareness, creating customer engagement with current customers and prospective clients alike. By utilizing these in conjunction with each other, you create a circular flow of information from your email marketing campaign to your social media sites and visa versa. This cross-linking helps to raise brand awareness while providing valuable information, which is the key component. It’s a way of soft selling your brand without loudly tooting your own horn.
Remember – ALL marketing efforts are about building rapport and relationships with your clients and potential customers. The more valuable information and conversations you can have with them (virtual or otherwise through different mediums such as email marketing or social media marketing) the stronger those relationships will become.
And when the critical moment comes that potential client needs some assistance in way that utilizes your type of goods or services, hopefully the positive relationship you’ve built with them over time will have your brand be front of mind, and your phone will be ringing!
I can hear it now – gotta go!
To your success!
Michele
Thanks to Ana at SocialAna.com for all the great information and stats she found that helped write this article!
