Email Marketing Tips

Making Email Marketing work for you

Some Email Marketing Tips you might not have thought of.

Email Marketing. It’s been around for a long time. So naturally, our accounts have been filling up with newsletters, updates, links and gifs from all of the various subscriptions we have signed up for at some point in our lives. So here is some food for thought. In and amongst our personal emails, there will most likely be promotional material being sent from yours and other companies. Nothing new there.

But what might not have crossed your mind is that even if say, 5 companies send 2 emails a month to their list of email subscribers. That is 10 promotional emails for one person to sieve through. Every month. That’s 120 marketing emails a year. Although we may be more selective about giving our email out nowadays, lets be honest, the majority of us probably have more subscriptions than that.

This puts you in a position where you really need to design your emails as if they are a whole separate marketing campaign. To put it bluntly, DON’T harass your email recipients. But DO personalize everything (and I mean everything) about your email.

It’s time to go undercover…

You are probably already doing this, but just in case you’re not. Here is one of the most basic things you should really aim to understand before sending out any emails at all. Who you are sending them to.

Are they busy people?

What is their lifestyle like?

Do they have kids?

Are they checking emails at work/ on their phones/ at home when they want to relax?

….And once you have asked yourself these questions you can combine the answers so that you know when the best time to reach these people is going to be.

And *side note* always have a reason to contact them. If it helps, segregate your audience into categories. Then only send relevant content to each category. That way, they are going to be happy enough to keep you on their subscribe list. Because that’s the whole point really isn’t it?

Miss Confidentiality

OK, so you’ve got the basics down. You set up your categories and designed the emails for each one. Just press send, and we’re all good right? Well…not quite. As easy as it is to CC all of the email addresses into one email with the content, click send and bam, all done. But here’s the thing with mass email distribution. Everyone can see everyone else’s details.

Here’s why that’s a problem. Not only is does it look unprofessional and it is sharing the privacy of your potential customers, but it could actually be a turn-off for customers. To avoid them hitting that un-subscribe button, personalise every email and send them individually, IF it could be interesting for the person receiving it.

Should I be doing Interruption Marketing?

Interruption Marketing

Is Interruption Marketing annoying or successful? For anyone in marketing or you business owners out there, this could be something of a grey area for you. And rightly so! It’s a risky marketing technique and the last thing you want to do is make your customers run a mile in the other direction.

If you aren’t sure exactly what Interruption Marketing is, here are some examples:

• Cold Calls
• Pop-ups on websites
• Email campaigns
• TV/ Radio/ Newspaper Adverts
• Adverts on the bus!

The problem with Interruption Marketing

Interruption Marketing could reel the customer back in right at the last minute if what you offer them is a discount or beneficial to them in some way. So why wouldn’t we as customers love Interruption Marketing?

Because everyone is doing it.

Businesses are over-saturating customers with constant promotions. So much so that consumers are just blocking it all out. Regardless of how good the promotion is. No matter if you offer them a free trip away or the biggest discount possible.

The problem with not doing Interruption Marketing

There just isn’t that many other options out there. While everyone else in the business world is reaching out to customers, you are just sitting back waiting for them to come. The truth is that they wont.

Perhaps minimize the frequency of contact with your customers but make it focused, personable and relevant to their needs and wants is the way forward.

Its all about the quality of your service when they do interact as well as how likeable and attentive you are when they get there.

If you feel locked out of Social Media, Blogging…

If you feel locked out of Social Media, Blogging is the key…pt.1

Social Media is the end of the world as we know it…

Are you struggling to make social media work for your business? Have you tried all of the recommendations and just can’t see that any of it is actually a productive way to spend your time? Well, actually social media is much harder than it seems!
For whatever reason, you haven’t quite connected with your target market online. No need to fret. There is a solution. Blogging. I know what you are thinking; it’s a waste of time, I don’t have anything to say etc. But hear me out…

It is no secret that Inbound marketing is a popular approach used by businesses. You want to be found by your target market, and so you need to have content for them to find. Now, there are a number of reasons why you could be struggling to connect with your audience. This isn’t necessarily your fault – it could emanate from either you or them.

What is the difference between article writing and blogging?

You may already be writing or sharing articles on your social media. Which is great. Keep those! But lately, blogging and articles have become something of a grey area.

You really want a variety of ingredients to build up the content on your social media pages. Essentially, all of the veg is the stuff surrounding your business. The conversation starters. The content that doesn’t talk about what you do, but the things you and your audience share a common interest in. Not the most important, but rich with vitamins.

Examples of this are the articles you write or shared from other people, current affairs, motivational quotes, national days or chats with your audience. It is all good stuff. All of these things could be of value to your target market, even if they aren’t always about your business. This value is reflected on you.

Too much however can (like vitamins) become a waste. Your company is lost in content that is irrelevant to you, and your audience loses interest. This explains why it is so hard to convince your kids to eat their veg…

If you feel locked out of Social Media, Blogging…

If you feel locked out of Social Media, Blogging is the key…pt.2

The secret ingredient

This is where the secret ingredient comes in. The core attraction of the meal (business). The meat. The PERSONALITY. The biggest difference between an article and a blog is the personality. You express it through the tone of your writing. It makes you human.

This is what people relate to.

You are a business, and of course that is the main purpose of blogging and your social media campaigns. But naturally, we feel more willing to do something if we like the company and feel we can trust in them.

And fortunately for us, you don’t have to be a big company to do this. Every business has a personality.

If you feel locked out of Social Media, Blogging…

If you feel locked out of Social Media, Blogging is the key…pt.3

The ROI of blogging

How do you work out if blogging is working for you then? Well…it will start off a slow process. You need to build momentum and keep people coming back.

You need to work out what it is you are aiming to achieve through your blog. You are investing time into it. A popular desirable outcome is something like increasing reach or interactivity online. You can monitor views, clicks and where they are coming from on your social media business pages. But the return you will see will not only be quantitative.

You will build a reputation as well as loyal relationships with your customers. You are present by regularly updating personable content. Not forgetting, that the more you are reading and writing about your topic area, the wiser your employees become in your field. You will use this when communicating with leads online as well as existing customers when delivering a product or service (giving you an expert and trustworthy appearance).

The benefits can be difficult to measure. Unfortunately, your potential leads can often see your content, go away and come back a few times before they convert to a customer of yours. You wont be exposed to that whole process.

Blog! Blog! Blog! It will get you and your employees knowing your brand like the back of your hand. Naturally, it will become engrained in the delivery to your customers and company culture too…

6 reasons why you should offer online coupons on…

6 reasons why you should offer online coupons on social media

Word on the street is we are all pretty savvy when it comes to finding a bargain. And I’m sure you’ve come across an online coupon before…But have you considered using one for your business? Apparently, consumers these days are quite the detectives…doing a lot of research before they purchase a product to see what is the best offer. If you offer a discount, this really could be the deal-breaker for securing customers.

If you aren’t offering this type of promotion, here are a few reasons why it could benefit your business:

– They are easy to track! Especially if you use different codes per social media platform – that way you can see where your customers are coming from. Not to mention you also get feedback that you can use in the future to target your markets. Win-win!

– Online coupons are convenient for consumers to share and don’t require too much effort. This also opens up the potential for conversations to start about your products/ services.

– Reduced costs on printing and distribution – Who doesn’t love that?

– You’ll be showing your appreciation to existing customers. Saying thank you for staying loyal by rewarding them with a coupon will reassure them that they are important to you, and keep them coming back. It’s easier to keep existing customers than get new ones! Don’t forget about them, they are important.

– Coupons attract new customers! Social media is called social for a reason. Increase your reach by using Facebook and Twitter to promote the coupon so that your customer’s best friend’s cousin’s acquaintance and their dog knows about it. You can even appear on coupon websites to reach people who otherwise might not have come across your offer.

– Your social media pages can get more views! Think Return on Investment. As part of your discount campaign, a call to action might be necessary to get the deal, e.g. ‘like’ the Facebook page for a discount… Guess who is winning the popularity contest? That’s right, it’s you!

So all in all, offering a coupon can truly add value to your business to customer relationship. And the data you will collect is invaluable for your future campaigns. So what’s stopping you? Go and plan your coupon!

How to increase your leads through online marketing

How to increase your leads through online marketing

What is a lead?

To put it simply, people who don’t only visit your site or social media page but get in contact with you about your products or request information about your services are considered leads, even a ‘like’ on your Facebook page can be considered a lead.

Total Gridlock! Generating traffic

If you wanted to buy a novel that your friend recommended, would you go straight to the local bookstore that you can’t remember the name of? Or would you look at the prices that Amazon has to offer?

Well it is the same for your business. If you aren’t a well-known brand, the chances are that people are not specifically searching for your name when they are looking for a specific product.

This is where search engines become your best friend. If you incorporate key words into your site that your audience is likely to search for, you increase your chances of being discovered. It is more likely that visitors find you through suggestions or come across you online by coincidence.

Facebook and Twitter are powerful tools for finding new leads. Start conversations with people regularly through your social media. It is a brilliant channel to get noticed as well as to direct visitors to you website. That’s where all the good stuff is, right?

Try to make sure that your online branding and design is consistent across all of your social media and website. Let people know that you are present and up to date, add links to your social media pages on your website and visa-versa. In order to get leads you need to generate traffic.

How to actually get people there

Generating traffic isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Whether or not you are successful often comes down to the quality of your content. You could build an amazing strategy to get more people to your site, but if the content isn’t great when they get there or specifically what they are looking for, you won’t increase your leads.

There are methods that you can apply. Focusing too much on attracting traffic rather than targeted traffic could attract too many of the wrong people to your website, such as those who aren’t interested in what you offer. Here is a reminder of the different channels you can use.

Social Media

Social Media is important because the potential ‘footfall’ is endless!

Content

Don’t just be present on Social Media though. The CONTENT is vital. If you are taking part in conversations online, use these to learn about the questions people are asking. Then add content to your site to cover these topics. It’s highly probable that this is what people are searching for so make sure your site has that information ready to share. If you don’t others will.

Other people will pick up on these conversations through you or even other company pages. Or even through other people that took part in the chat with you, sharing their experience.

Do you know what that means?

It means, the potential for being found increases through discussions, social media, referrals, links and this isn’t limited to just your own content.

You are leaving a ‘virtual trail’ so to speak.

Email Marketing

If you are creating articles, getting involved in a big event or offering an exciting deal…send this to relevant groups who might be interested.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

This is a technique that is becoming more popular because a user who is looking for something in particular will research it and their options before choosing the one that is best for them.

Blog Articles

Share your blog on your social media. Although the visitor is being sent away from the original post, they are being redirected to your website. Hopefully, they will navigate to other blog articles or around your site.

This is why it is so important that your website is of high quality. Once you have got people to the website, you have done the hard part. You don’t want them to travel all that way to be disappointed once they arrive at (hopefully) the ‘final destination’ aka your website.

Guerrilla Marketing

Guerrilla Marketing for Small Businesses

Go beyond thinking outside the box…

All you need is your imagination…and some fairy dust. Guerrilla marketing is by no means a new thing. But fortunately for us, the idea was designed for small businesses with low budgets. Guerrilla Marketing is a low cost, high-fun way to communicate with your audience. You can go wild and make it unique. It is usually in the public eye and excites and astounds you, leaving a lasting impression beyond the experience. Just stop what you are doing for 1 minute. Think about any unique marketing you have seen that really stood out to you.

You got one?

Good. Even though you were put on the spot you probably came up with at least one. Say you saw a flashmob campaign for children’s ballet dance classes and I say to you one day “uh I wish I knew where to find a ballet studio, my daughter really wants to start!” you would almost immediately remember that quirky campaign you saw and recommend it to me as a possibility. Do you see what I am getting at? But if you saw another company do basically the same campaign, you may be slightly amused at most – but it won’t be quite so effective, because your experience wasn’t thrilling or new. This is why your campaign should be truly innovative and personable to your business. Guerrilla marketing thrives on new experiences for its target audience.

What is it you want to say?

Cut yourself some slack when doing this. It takes time to come up with a message for your campaign and how you are going to get this message across. I know I know, some small businesses don’t make annual marketing plans with a main goal to achieve. Make your concept strong. Be visible. Your aim is to stop people in their tracks and (gently) force them to pay attention. And in today’s society, who hasn’t got their phone at the ready to grab a quick snap of their Costa coffee cup, a cute selfie…or hey maybe even your campaign?

You know how scary film trailers make you jump…

Some of the most successful campaigns evoke emotion in their audience the same way. If it ties in with your message, then shock is a strong and memorable emotion that works wonders. We remember things that we personally have been a part of. If they responded emotionally or maybe even physically – then well done, you have done your job. If you manage to do this, you have pretty much engraved a positive, memorable experience with your brand in people’s minds. If you change the way they think, the positive association becomes even stronger! (Usually – as long as you don’t offend anyone…)

Incentives – Would you like fries with that?

“So what’s in it for me?” Even if it isn’t directly related to your business, a delighter or incentive really takes your campaign to the next level. If you give them ‘evidence’ to take home with them, they are going to be exposed to that same piece of marketing on more than one occasion. Or you can do it more than once to attract maximum exposure! Result! So make it fun while you are at it. Business cards with a twist…a keychain…FOOD! If it’s free, we love it all.

If you want the audience to do something, this is where you put the incentive. Provide them with a reason for adding this extra task to their day.

1-2-3! Easy as G-U-E-(rrilla marketing) – Make it fun!

Lets make this step as simple as possible. Don’t make your campaign a chore for people. If it is too much effort, with no reward, no one will be interested! Make it fun. Make it easy. Keep it short and sweet.

Some Simple Marketing Techniques

Some Simple Marketing Techniques

Marketing your business doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, clever is okay though. Here are some techniques you might consider using to help grow any type of business.

We are always looking for something new, the next thing…

There’s only one thing that peaks peoples interest more than NEW stuff, and we’ll get to that shortly. First, let’s talk about NEW. Even if you hear talk about how things used to work better or last longer, the truth is, new still attracts attention.

By adding something new to your product line, or through your website, social media, a special offer possibly, you are creating an opportunity to attract sales. It doesn’t need to be big or complicated, it should however be of value.

It could be as simple as tips and tricks to get the best from your products, this would help existing customers, whilst better explaining the benefits to potential customers.

Now we talk about the other thing, FREE..!

FREE doesn’t necessarily mean give away, or cost you money for no return. Think about FREE as part of your marketing budget, by including FREE in your marketing spend you can measure the results. You might be surprised just how often FREE gives you the best return.

Okay enough of the block capitals. Free samples at the supermarket, free drinks and canopies at a sales seminar or even sharing your expertise either live or through your website, these are all examples of free stuff that can be used to attract new customers.

Free samples create an instant want for that product, an impulse to buy, whilst hospitality can be used to add a perceived warmth to your business. By helping people with your expertise you are creating trust that will expose them to your marketing again and again when they are looking for information.

Why should customers make space in their lives for your product?

What will customers achieve by having your product in their life? As suppliers of a service or product we often forget that it’s not necessary for people to know how things are done or how clever something is, they’re only really interested in the end result and how it will benefit or improve their life.

The mobile phone is a classic example of this, very few people want to know how the technology works, all they really care about is what it looks like, is it the latest model, can they text friends, post on Facebook, follow on Twitter and (nearly forgot) call someone..!

For those that love acronyms – USP

What is your USP, what separates you from the competition..? There are very few markets where you will be the only action in town, so what do you do better than the rest..? Faster delivery, better price, amazing results or incredible support, these are all USPs, in your market there maybe others.

Look at selling your product as the beginning of a relationship that you hope will last many years and many iterations of your product or products. Focus on what is important to the customer whilst building a model that provides your business with growth.

Never rest on your laurels or past glory – Any England sports team take note…

Remember where we started with this little journey, NEW. Things move on and although you might not always be ahead of the curve you should plan for change. In our business sector smartphone apps and mobile internet access have been on a surge in the last few years.

To keep up with this change we planned and developed responsive web systems that work across a full range of devices. This meant our customers were ahead of the game when Google announced changes to their mobile search results. Another part of this change was making partnerships with trusted providers we can turn to when a requirement beyond our scope lands on the desk.

What can you do to stay current?

Change will always happen even if your customer base is of a specific demographic. As potential customers enter your sights they will bring with them the attitude they have lived with up to this point and this will almost certainly be different to that of the generation before. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, however this is where trends become an important part of your business planning, website analytics and emerging business strategies can help as indicators of how your emerging customer base react to a variety of marketing techniques.