fbpx

Email Marketing and Email Campaigns – Do they Work?

I am sure you have read about this marketing tactic. You probably have had it suggested to you by some marketing consultant (yes that may have even been me 🙂 ).

Set up a form on your website and collect all those visitors email addresses – then emailsimply email them your product information, a great offer – and let the cash roll in.

Hey – I admit I have suggested to a great many clients and prospects to use email marketing – but I have never been so glib to suggest that it will be easy – or that the cash will roll in.

Unfortunately too many believe that it is that easy.

So they set it up on their website – and wait . . and wait . . and wait.

And not much happens.

“This email marketing just doesn’t work” is their response after that.

Is it really the email marketing not working – or something else.

Let me put it this way – If I was to tell you how great snowboarding is – how super fast my boys go down the mountain, over cliffs and jumps, and even down the boarder cross track. Then you went out to Sport Chek and bought boots and a snowboard and went to the top of Lake Louise Mountain to a double black diamond run and started down . . . well – you would not be waiting. A lot may happen. I am sure the similar result – you would say “this snowboarding just doesn’t work.”

I am sure many of you understand that the best way to learn to snowboard would take lessons, or have an experienced snowboarder show you how. In addition, they would guide you down the mountain on some easy green runs until you had some experience.

You would have a plan – a strategy – to make your snowboarding adventure a success.

The same thing is needed for successful email marketing – to run successful email campaigns. You need a plan – a good e-marketing strategy.

Even having a plan does not guarantee success. Two mistakes I often see are pushing too hard – or not targeting your audience with the right offer.

The first – is when you create some type of offer – and then start spreading the news all over – Facebook posts, telling people in person, LinkedIn messages or groups, press releases, etc. The problem is that you have not built up a relationship with people first. Email marketing is a cornerstone to inbound marketing. Inbound marketing is built on relationships and trust. Unless I know you, and trust you, and have experience with you providing me great information or offers – why would I give you my email address. Even if you have a great sales page for that offer – it will probably end in disappointment once I get the offer and review it.

The second mistake is when you do not target your offer correctly. You may have properly built up a relationship and trust with your prospects. Now you put up your email form and create a great offer.

You create something so amazing – so spectacular. Your visitors grab it in droves.

This would be like your local restaurant that serves excellent value meat and potato meals (ok – clubhouse and fries I mean) every day – suddenly offering free Blizzards to get email addresses. All kinds of people would grab that offer. Then when you send them an offer for a veal cutlet and rice pilaf – hmmm you wonder why they are not buying.

email-marketingYour offer needs to be good enough that people will give you their email address – but it also has to align with your target market and you product offer. It must move them towards a purchase.

In our restaurant example – rather than giving them a free blizzard – they could have given them a sample appetizer off their menu – even to make it interesting – make the appetizer special in some creative way. It still is in line with their day to day meals, and will give their prospects a sample of the good taste they will enjoy if they come in for a meal.

An effective email marketing campaign starts with building relationships, sharing information, sharing yourself – being authentic. It is about bringing the right people to your website and honestly showing them what you offer. Then it involves capturing their email with an offer in line with the products or services you provide on a day-to-day basis – yes sweeten the offer in some way – make it special – but not outside your target.

Then when you send out emails to those prospects, keep sharing information along with high quality offers about how you can help your prospects.

That will allow you to have a successful email marketing campaign.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap