US retailers miss opportunities left and right to connect with customers. According to a recent study from ExactTarget, 79% of companies neglect to personalize emails after online purchases. Even more staggering, more than 25% of online stores forsake the welcome email to new subscribers, and 78% of online retailers never send cart abandonment emails. Ouch!
Don’t let your business make the same email marketing strategy blunders. We’ll show you pitfalls to avoid in your digital dealings with potential customers, and how to make better email connections with them along the way:
Don’t:
- Miss signage opportunities: Promoting your company’s newsletter through the website and social media outlets (don’t forget about Google+ and Pinterest!) is essential to any successful marketing strategy. Make sure to specify their subscription entitles them to exclusivity of some kind, whether it’s promotions or online events.
- Oversaturate: Low email frequency may mean fewer responses, but it also results in higher click-through rates. The moral: only send what your market can handle, and make that contact count by sending email marketing content catered to their interests.
- Spam: According to the study, after email opt-in, 20% of all emails were delivered to a Gmail spam folder in the first 30 days. Remind your prospects to flag your emails as important so they don’t miss promotions coming their way.
- Wait to make first contact: Send a warm welcome email within three days of opt-ins—currently only 28% of companies include such a note as part of their marketing strategy!
Do:
- Be easy on the eyes: Marketing emails to subscribers should be short, easy to navigate, beautiful to look at, and elicit simple actions.
- Make a community: Show prospects that your newsletter is more than a sales pitch. It’s about keeping them in the loop about the goings-on and the innovations you’re making–your marketing strategy should focus on long-term engagement as much as short-term sales.
- Link to social media: More than ever, buyers interact with retailers on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest. Capture their interest by promoting contests they can enter via social media outlets—it’s an opportunity to see what catches their eye.
What are some effective email marketing strategies you’ve discovered?
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