An excellent way to start a relationship with our clients is using email marketing strategies, which allow us to personalize, automate and optimize the messages we send. However, when using this type of strategy it is very important to take into account not only the content of the message, but also the design and other elements that significantly influence its effectiveness.
If used well, email marketing remains an effective tool for most businesses: 8 guidelines to develop a perfect email marketing strategy.
Despite the growing predominance of Social Media, email marketing remains one of the most effective marketing tools for the store as well as for most businesses. It is in fact an excellent channel to keep in touch with customers, but how can it be used to increase sales? Here is a brief guide to find out how to do it.
We assume that each of your clients has at least one e-mail address. An e-mail account is, in general, like a diamond: forever. People can change house and physical address, can change phone number but, in principle, once it has an e-mail address continues to use it for life. It is therefore the most reliable contact system there is.
And it is the best way to create and maintain a relationship with the customer, because, if used in the right way, can help you in many aspects useful for your business …
Here are 8 tips to create a perfect email marketing strategy. The important thing, however, is to have a clear understanding of the marketing objectives that you want to achieve. At that point, you can start thinking about these key points …
What should be the perception of your business by customers? Serious and set, informal, authoritarian, captivating?
Emails allow you to set a tone that your customers can immediately recognize and identify. Pay close attention to this crucial aspect.
People are careful about how and where they spend their money, and they need security and reliability. Each of us receives dozens of emails every day, but how many are read or even just open? You cannot allow your emails to end up in the spam folder, being first of all well aware of respecting privacy and not underestimating legal obligations …
You must know the public you are addressing to, and be sure to send only and exclusively communications that may interest you. It may be useful to segment your mailing list, subdividing it into smaller and more targeted lists. In this way your newsletters will be more targeted and, therefore, more effective.
Email marketing is more effective if it is combined with other communication media, such as a regularly updated website – perhaps with a blog section – and your social media channels.
By coordinating the different platforms and using promotion systems (Facebook Ads, Google Ads …) you can increase the effectiveness of your email marketing.
Emails can be tracked and monitored, you can easily see if and when they are received and opened. Using tools like Google Analytics or Facebook Analytics you can understand how your customers react to your emails, what actions they perform and with which time. All this information will help you to detail and further optimize your strategy.
It is essential to understand which emails work and which do not. Here are the metrics you need to use to understand it …
Asking your customers to give you their feedback will make them feel more involved and will help you optimize your marketing strategy.
What are the audiences from which you get the best results? Which object of the email and which Call To Action were most successful? What are the times of the day and the days of the week when the public is more responsive? Change your strategy based on the answers to these questions to increase conversions of your business.
Once your strategy is defined and optimized, it’s time to take care of the practical details.
If you limit yourself to sending emails without thinking carefully about their content, you risk your audience ignoring them or canceling them without even opening them. Make sure you do not neglect any of these rules to send quality emails …
Your emails must include the exact name of each individual recipient. Any email marketing software allows you to do this. This will help you reassure your customers that it is a communication dedicated specifically to them and will show that you are also attentive to small but important details.
Keep a sort of ranking of the most loyal and profitable customers for your business, and reward them with personalized offers or by presenting exclusively some new products to test their reaction.
Customize your communication based on demographics and the habits of your target audience. Age, gender, lifestyle, interests are all very important aspects to consider. To profile your audience even more effectively, you can use RFM analysis (Recency, Frequency, Monetary), a statistical technique that predicts segmentation of your audience, which allows you to associate a score to customers based on three parameters:
The best customers are of course those with higher RFM scores.
The object is the bait by which the user will decide whether or not to open your email. It should not exceed 60 characters and should contain some keywords such as “yours”, “for you”, “exclusive”, “extra”, “limited time”, just to mention some of the most used. Almost all DEM clients allow you to test the effectiveness of your email subject using A / B test and providing you with the percentages of open emails sent.
Always check that the contents are written in correct Italian and do not contain typos. The form, in a communication based on reading, is as important as the substance. Avoid the slang forms and the excess of technicalities, use short sentences that go straight to the point.
Do not use a language too “marketing” and not be too insistent in requesting a CTA, many people can find it repelling. Prefer softer formulas to push an action, for example using instead of a BUY NOW button! A softer formula like Discover more.
You can use the calendar to find some strategic dates, days or periods particularly relevant for your promotional communications. Christmas, Valentine’s Day, the periods of traditional seasonal sales or Black Friday are absolutely unmissable moments for any type of commercial activity. But many retailers also schedule their emails on certain fixed dates, like the 11th of each month, when customers have just received their salaries and may be more likely to make purchases.
By now everyone receives and regularly consult e-mails from a mobile device.
You must always be sure that the layout of your emails is perfectly responsive and adaptable to any type of screen, and that they are any landing page and optin-page to which refer your Call To Action. The tracking information obtained from Google or Facebook Analytics, and the statistical reports obtained from your Email Marketing Client (MailUp, MailChimp, etc.) will give you a complete overview of the devices used by your customers.
DEM activity should be considered as a regular and constant activity, and not something that can be done occasionally. Here are some ways to use Direct Email Marketing successfully …
If set up and managed in the right way, email marketing will help you convert visits into orders, retain customers and gain new ones, using an easy-to-manage tool and, usually for small and medium-sized businesses, free.
Probably, for a lot of start-ups (and not only) the issue of increasing the number of paying customers is relevant at all times. Want to learn the secret of how to turn users who rated your trial version to those who regularly pay? According to the marketing experts with the help of push marketing everything is very simple, and the whole secret lies in one word – “COMMUNICATION”. And this communication should be properly organized. How exactly?
It’s not enough just to have a well-made site with video lessons and an extensive knowledge base. Of course, this is useful, however, you should also find an approach to your users so that they feel that you are the same person as they are.
Now we will only talk about the main points, but let this phrase become your guiding light: “People want to buy from those to whom they trust.” Push marketing is the best way to build trust with new users is to communicate with them via email, SMS and using push notifications.
Here I have collected 7 push marketing hacks that will help turn trial users into paying customers …
Did you know that 66% of companies that use the free trial model of push marketing and have a conversion rate below 25%. Why? Users fall into the Bermuda Triangle in the SaaS area. They register for the free version and then completely disappear – often this is because the company representatives do not support communication with them.
The first three days are the most difficult. If you motivate the user to actively use your application for three days, then it will be 4 times more likely to perform the targeted action.
Fortunately, sales professionals and customer support do not need to spend all their time to reach each user. Only competently using the push marketing tools of communication with the user based on their behavior and psychology, as well as the correct text, you can build a strong relationship with the client automatically.
Let’s look at 7 push marketing ways to attract paying customers with e-mails, push notifications and text messages …
Did you know that about 75% of users expect that after registration they will receive a welcome letter? They are not only interested in your product, but also give permission for you to share information with them.
When a user registers for a trial version, automatically send him a welcome letter. It is important that it is sent within an hour after registration. 90% of potential customers cool down after 60 minutes. New users can try your service in a hurry and forget about it. Sending a letter of welcome will help build a stronger relationship with them.
Try to make the greeting e-mail look like it was sent by a real person. Use the address to which the user can subsequently respond. Tell us how often you will send letters. Be sure to let us know what the benefits of your service are. Offer the user help if he has any problems (this is a kind of call to action). Perhaps some potential customers will decide to answer this letter – in that case, be sure to continue with them a dialogue.
A welcome letter like this will help attract and motivate a larger number of users to perform the targeted action …
Hi [username],
I noticed that you registered with our service, and just wanted to thank for it.
Also I would like to help you get started. Is there something that you are not sure about or have not fully understood?
I’m always here to help you, here are links to several useful videos that will help you understand where to start.
Write anytime! I’m always happy to help!
– A.H. from ahsagar.com
Keep Reading: 5 Free Email Marketing Tools To Create Perfect Newsletters
Send messages to attract inactive users. For example, 2 days after registration, send a useful reference book or a list of tips on how to start working with your service.
Most users do not work with your application, because they do not know how to do this.
A letter built using this scheme will help to involve inactive users in the process of working with your service …
Hi, [username],
Here are a few ways to use our application to help you save money:
You can also attract the attention of inactive users by a letter with the topic “We miss you”. For example, if a user does not show activity for two days after registration, remind him/her what he/she is missing and what he/she can get from your application if he/she returns.
Hi, [username],
Where did you go? We added a few new features, which you have not yet had the opportunity to try. They can really help you in reducing the carbon footprint.
We added:
Just click here, sign in, and you will be able to use all these functions in a few seconds.
E-mail does not need to tell you how beautiful your application is. Your task is to motivate the user to use the service again. It is a vital part of push marketing to remind them why they registered, and how your application can help them. Make sure that your letter, designed to return the user, has a clear call to action. It should be something that will please the client and will motivate them to return.
Good examples of calls to action for a letter, whose goal is to re-engage a client:
Do not need to offer to extend the trial period to each user. Those customers who are inactive by the end of the trial period can hardly be persuaded by offering them more time.
Renewal of the trial period is relevant for the segment of users who actively work with your application every day during the trial, but stop using the service as soon as the trial period ends.
Here is an example of a letter that can be sent to active users, offering them to extend the trial period of push marketing …
Hi, [username],
I noticed that your trial period is over, but you had the opportunity to enjoy our app for quite some time.
Do you want to use the trial version for a few more days? We are happy to give you this opportunity. Just let us know.
Also you can send such users a letter with a request for feedback (along with a proposal to extend the trial period). Pay attention to the feedback left – this information can help in increasing the conversion.
Keep Reading: How To Apply Emotional Intelligence In Marketing Strategy
You may feel that there is no point in writing to SMS users when you can chat with them by mail.
However, here are two reasons to do this …
Instead of emails, send SMS to inactive users or to those who have completed the trial period. Ask them to leave feedback so that you can answer their questions and suggest resources that can help them.
When you ask for feedback, be extremely brief and polite. Here is an example of SMS push marketing that you can use …
Thank you for using [tariff name]. We would really appreciate your feedback.
Hi, [username], can you give a couple of seconds and leave feedback about [tariff name]?
You have the opportunity to speak out! What do you think about [service name]?
How can I help you use the [tariff name] more effectively?
If you turn a user into a paying customer, you do not have to give it up if it fails to make a payment. Difficulties in paying happen more often than you think. In fact, 11-14% of operations simply do not pass (!).
The customer may have entered the wrong credit card number. And, maybe, problems with your site. And, maybe, the whole matter is that the user used the wrong browser?
Whatever it is, send the user automatic SMS, if his/her payment has not passed. Offer to personally help the customer complete the purchase. You can also send him/her a link with an alternative payment method.
Here are some examples that you can use …
Hi [username], it looks like there are some problems on the payment page. Maybe I should call and help you with this?
Hi [username], I noticed that you have a payment problem. Help is needed?
Hi [user name], do you have a payment page? If not, let me know, and I will gladly help finish the operation.
Hi [username], it seems that there are some problems on the payment page. Here is a link to an alternative payment option.
This is the final step. Do what you want to turn the user into a paying customer, especially if you know that he wants it.
Keep Reading: Top 10 Tips For Marketing A Small Business
The speed of response to push notifications is three times faster than e-mail marketing. If you want to receive answers quickly, use push notifications. Here are two ideas for increasing the conversion with this method of messaging.
Sometimes users come to a page with tariffs, but they will not upgrade from a trial version to a paid one. If this happens to your service, you need to do something.
For example, offer such users a special discount …
We offer you a 25% discount on [tariff name] within the next two hours. Time is limited (you can even take advantage of the time counter, but unobtrusively)!
Think about becoming our client? The time has come! We give you a code with a 20% discount [code number].
Thanks for the work! Pay for the use of our service now and get a 25% discount on the promo code [code number].
You do not need to wait until the trial version is over, so that the client starts paying. An active user who likes to use your application will turn into a paying customer faster if offered the appropriate incentive. Remember that users who actively work with your application for 3 days, 4 times more likely to make the necessary targeted action. Use this push marketing feature to turn active users into paying customers as quickly as possible.
The incentive that you can offer depends on what motivates your users.
It can be a discount or an upgrade to a premium version of the service at a lower price. Or free provision of expensive consultation with an expert who can help the client effectively develop the business.
Try sending a push notification like this to motivate users to become paying customers as early as possible …
You have the opportunity to save [the amount] on our application! Switch to a more advanced tariff with a 10% discount right now.
Do you like our application? Upgrade and enjoy more features!
Want to access all the features? Upgrade and get 1 month free!
Regardless of what you choose for push marketing, remember that people like to feel special. Having started communicating with them as early as possible, and doing this as often as possible, you will make them feel part of your team, which will help to avoid the outflow of customers.
So, what will be the first push marketing method e-mail, SMS or push notification that you send to users? Have you already used push marketing to turn as many trial users as possible into paying customers?
The email marketing is still one of the main tools and more concrete used in the world of online marketing. Creating newsletters and distributing them periodically is one of the best ways to acquire new customers, increase sales of a store, and generally build stable relationships with our customers.
It is therefore vital to create newsletters that are graphically pleasing, usable and optimized for mobile devices. All the statistics are now clear that mobile users are becoming more and more numerous, so mobile optimization have to be taken seriously.
Among the many useful tools that are found on the net, some are paid and cost even while others are free and often very valuable. In this article, I will introduce you 5 free tools that can prove to be very useful for the design of your newsletters. The illustrated services are ideal for those who do not have a high budget available and do not have in-depth knowledge of HTML / CSS.
You may also like to read: Content Marketing: Why it’s important for your business?
Beefree is a very powerful free online editor. This tool can help you create newsletters that are highly impacted and optimized for your mobile. You can choose from a variety of pre-configured templates (Simple, Promo, Newsletter, E-commerce) and move them through an intuitive interface with drag-and-drop, creating a few simple steps of your email without needing any knowledge of HTML. Once you’ve created your email, you can also export it to the site and then upload it to your favorite newsletter submission program.
You may also like to read: How To Promote Your Local Business
Unlike the previous tool, Foundation for Emails is a CSS framework that helps you create HTML emails that can be viewed on any device / client optimally. In this case, however, they are demanding minimal HTML / CSS skills, but once confident, this tool can be extremely useful and flexible. From the site, you can download the framework with pre-packaged CSS and HTML templates that can be easily adapted to any need. The documentation is also quite comprehensive and allows you to understand every aspect of the framework.
You may also like to read: 10 Tips For Local Business Marketing
Almost everyone knows MailChimp, which is first and foremost platform for sending newsletters. That’s why I did not want to put it in this list, because it’s not really free. But since it offers free newsletter subscriptions up to 2000 subscribers and has a number of amazing tools, I cannot help but mention it. Among the various tools, the one in this article is the tool that allows you to create newsletters without having the slightest knowledge of programming languages. MailChimp offers pre-configured and responsive newsletter templates, these can be edited directly online with simple drag-and-drop and inserting your own images.
You may also like to read: 9 Ways to increase the rating of your business in local search
Paletton lets you choose the most suitable colors for your email. Through a palette of colors, you can try different solutions among the suggested ones: monochrome, adjacent colors, triad colors or free style of 2, 3, 4 colors. You can also see a live preview of the most colorful color combinations. Finally, once you have defined the color palette, you can download it in several formats, including: textual color list, PNG graphic format, ACO format for direct import in Photoshop, GPL format for Gimp, etc.
You may also like to read: Local SEO: 7 Tips To Improve Your Local Positioning
Among the tools to create successful newsletters, you cannot miss a tool that can help you reduce the weight of your images. Having images with a high weight, (sometimes even several hundred kilo-grams) can greatly hurt us: email will load too slowly and the user will use precious gang on their mobile device. TinyPNG can help you drastically reduce the weight of JPG or PNG images. It also manages to do better than a Photoshop “Save For Web”, I’ve tried it and it really impressed me. It is also extremely easy to use: it uploads the image online and expects the compression to take place almost instantly.
You may also like to read: The use of display advertising in the local marketing
As mentioned earlier, many email marketing tools are found on the web, and I wanted to focus on some useful tools for the realization of newsletters. This list of 5 free tools is not exhaustive, I am aware that there are so many others that are not mentioned, which I might find in another article.
If you like, you can propose yourself some tools you use to design your emails and which is worth to count among your favorites.
If this article has been helpful to you in some way please share it so that it can also help other users on the Internet.
You can comment on the article in the box below, I always try to answer everybody. Even if you have useful tips as an in-depth article on this article, you are always welcome.