Marketing your company during good times is hard enough. But marketing your company during an economic downturn is downright unfair. So what’s a marketer with one hand tied behind their back to do?
One powerful and cost-effective strategy that has been generating consistent results for our clients recently is strategic email marketing. Email marketing should be a part of all marketing campaigns. When done right, it can generate huge ROI percentages within a reasonable budget. The following are just some of the strategies we implement when developing email campaigns for our clients:
- Get to the point. You have only two to three seconds to catch their attention. Always provide relevant information that your target wants, and avoid the “fluff.”
- Keep it short. We recommend no more than 15 to 20 percent of the copy you would include in a traditional printed direct-mail letter.
- Be conversational. Your email should be an extension of your brand. If your brand is formal, write in a formal style. If your brand is casual, make it casual.
- Use bullets and lists. Emails are unique in that the reader expects the info fast. Instead of long sentences, try bullets or lists to convey your points. This is a vehicle for “sound bites.”
- Choose your topics carefully. Always make the information timely and culturally relevant to your target.
- Use proven layout strategies. Typically, email readers like to scan first and then go back and read. So make sure that you break up your copy with bullet points, illustrations, photos or graphs. And make sure to have plenty of white space.
- It’s not about you. Be sure to spend less time selling your products/services and more time providing useful information to your readers. We have found that the more useful your information, the more response you will generate.
If you haven’t done so already, consider adding a strategic email campaign to your arsenal of marketing weapons. It can be a very powerful and cost-efficient strategy that generates impressive returns.
