Email Marketing
Email marketing is often the most cost effective marketing platform that companies have.Automating follow up and auto response emails can increase marketing efficiency and engagement. I have listed below some methods that can be used to strengthen the automated email segment of your marketing strategy.
1. Use Email Automation To Engage Users
Your growing website traffic, and the engagement that comes with a solid content strategy, will lead to more interactions with your website visitors. You will not be able to effectively keep up with email engagement without email automation software. Zapier has a pretty complete list of tools with slightly different strengths and purposes. I personally use Campaign Monitor, but for most small firms Mail Chimp and Constant Contact are affordable options. For a more sophisticated approach, Infusion Soft offers some great tools.
2. Segment Your List By Area of Interest
Keeping automated email “on topic” for the reason that the client contacted you in the first place is a huge boost to the level of client engagement. Email response is not as effective when it becomes a “one size fits all” strategy. For Example, for our firm, the following segments would appeal to different customers.• Digital Marketing• Website Development and Design• Market Research• Branding• Design and Creative• PackagingEach of these segments should have its own opt-in opportunity and ebook. (I know, we are still developing ours. Do as I say, not as I do).After the ebook on Branding is sent, or a blog post on the subject triggers an email opt-in, a follow up email asking for feedback on the effectiveness of the ebook for that user’s needs might include an invitation to get more information by sending them to a blog post on that subject or a link to an ebook on Branding.The key is to keep that user engaged, and the old method of following up on the same topic becomes one dimensional and eventually, boring.
3. Blogs Should Bring Traffic, and Email Opt In
Email signup tools can convert blog readers to email subscribers. Once readers sign up to receive your blog content, use email automation to identify which blog post topics get the most interest from individual subscribers and create and send them more content on that subject. A welcome email to new blog subscribers that asks them to give their preferred topics of interest could be valuable in pairing that blog user with topics that will increase sales and help their company to grow.
4. Say Thanks
If someone purchases a product or service from you, or just asks for your ebook, you should use email automation to thank that customer and open a dialogue on how they like the product (reviews) or how else you may serve them (upsells). Everyone wants to be thanks for their business, and doing so can be the first step in extending your business engagement beyond the first transaction.ConclusionWhile most email automation tools are designed to be used by end users, many require template designs and set ups that require a more experienced approach. Email automation can be the best marketing investment that your firm makes.