Email Engagement: Keep Your Customers Coming Back
One of the strongest tools to use in executing your marketing roadmap is email engagement with your customers.Yes, you read that correctly: Email.
At Tomato Fish, we use email marketing as one of the four basic elements that make up the foundational ecosystem of a successful sales and marketing foundation. (Here’s a brief overview of exactly how a marketing roadmap is created.)
Email works in Tandem with CRM, Brand, and Online Presence
Your customers have signed up to receive your emails, so you know they have an interest in your product or service. Now, all you need to do is find out more details about those interests as you execute your marketing roadmap.
Because email is a great way to get data on how engaged your readers are, it makes sense for SMBs to engage with their customers with foundational tools in addition to email, such as:
Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Email is fairly inexpensive to execute, yet you can glean a great deal of data that can be put into your CRM. The data you get can be refined for content and call to action (CTA) changes if needed. You can then use your CRM data to segment your email audiences for even more personalized email content.
Brand Identity. Your emails can also reflect and enhance your brand. This is your chance to tell your story and reflect the values that differentiate you from the competition. From images and graphics to the content itself, you will need to stick to your brand and let the readers know more about you.
Online presence. Use your email to send readers to your website — the hub of your online presence. Your website is the front door to your sales and marketing, andnce you’re able to direct your email audience to your site, you can find out what they are most interested in, or where they interact the most.
Email is Relevant and Personal
Yes, there are some people who feel like email has lost its edge with all the competing communication platforms…but the research says otherwise!
Email is a far more efficient way of communicating with your customers and has been shown to have an ROI of $44 for every $1 you spend on email marketing. It’s hard to pass up the return on an investment like that.
Unlike social media, where your posts may or may not be seen by customers, an email goes directly to their inbox, which can quickly turn interested prospects into active customers. For those customers who already know you, you may find them engaging more actively when they have heard from you.
Once you’re in that inbox, it’s up to you to persuade your audience that your emails are worth the read. According to Campaign Monitor, it’s important to make sure your emails do the following:
- Tell a story. Use content and incorporate your “why” to tell a dynamic narrative. This will help connect with your audience on a personal level and keep them interested in seeing your future emails.
- Use bold language. Have a strong subject line that will intrigue your customers and cause them to open the email.
- Use cohesive branding. A polished, professional design that is pleasing and easy to navigate (both mobile and desktop users) is key for repeat visitors. d
- Offer personalized content. There’s more to personalization than just using a name. Your audience wants and expects content that they care about, which is why it’s crucial to tailor your messages to a segmented audience.
Customer Retention is Worth a Lot to Your Business
As a small- or medium-sized business, you know that getting new leads in the pipeline is vital. But statistics continually show that retaining your current customer pays off. In fact, acquiring a new customer can cost five times more than keeping an existing customer. So, keeping your current customers connected to your business is vital.
There are many different ways you can stay in touch with your current customers, such as offering a discount on a future purchase, reminding them of an upcoming service date, or even asking them for a review to post on your Google My Business or your own website.
Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start or where to go next. We’ve got some resources that might help you, especially if you want to know how strong your marketing foundation really is. If you’re interested, take our quick, free quiz — it will give you instant results to show you how well you are doing in each of four areas: CRM, Brand Identity, Online Presence, and Email Marketing.
Tomato Fish Is An Indianapolis Consulting Company Focused On Helping Small And Midsize Businesses Make Good Strategic Planning Decisions.
