Some experts overcomplicate email marketing until it feels like rocket science. But the truth is: the tools and tips available these days make it far more accessible.
To simplify this strategy that’s older than the internet, we’ve boiled things down into the 4 Es of email marketing – and no, none of them are “Email.”
The essence of email marketing may be simple, but don’t get confused. An effective email marketing strategy still takes time and effort using skills in copywriting, design and web development.
If your agency is short on the time or resources it takes to roll out an email marketing campaign, we’re the white label digital marketing agency that can solve all that.
Now, without further ado, here’s the 4 Es of email marketing:
Engage
So, you’ve put in the hard yards and convinced an interested website visitor to sign up to your email list. Congratulations – some don’t even make it this far.
In fact, average email opt-in rates range in the single-digit percentile, depending on your industry. This means that for each subscriber you earn, there’s likely more than 9 other visitors who didn’t subscribe.
This makes it all the more important to nurture the ones who do sign up.
From the get-go, your big “Welcome” email should engage the reader and assure them this was the right choice.
A spammy looking email with poor copy or design isn’t a good first impression and that 1 in 10 win could soon become an unsubscribed loss.
Consider including a quick survey in your subscription box to understand what this new visitor is seeking from your business. This way, you can tailor those first emails to their needs and show you care about their interests.
Subsequent engagement emails can include things like newsletters, how-tos, or new product launches. Basically, anything that adds value to this person’s life.
But engagement emails are only the first piece of the puzzle and most subscribers will happily accept the free value-adding content without a second-thought. That’s why the campaign must push on.
Earn
If your subscriber still hasn’t become a customer after several friendly welcome emails, don’t be afraid to become a little more suggestive – if only subtly.
Sometimes, you’ll have to earn your sales the hard way with more specific content to remind the customer why they subscribed in the first place.
If they left something in their shopping cart, this is the perfect time to remind them to complete the purchase. Hand them a small discount to incentivise the action and portray the email like you’re doing them a favour.
If all goes well, they will convert from prospect to purchase and they can continue through the marketing funnel and into your net of loyal customers.
We wouldn’t suggest pushing a prospect with more than a handful of these suggestive sales pitches. Instead, take the loss and don’t risk annoying them with over-salesy content that could drive them away for good.
By ceasing contact for a while, there is a chance that they will fall back into the marketing funnel elsewhere like social media and you can continue on with the journey.
Elbow
But back to those who buy…
Once someone lands in that net at the end of your marketing funnel, it’s super important to hang onto them for as long as possible.
Customer retention can significantly boost your return on investment compared to acquiring new customers, and email marketing can pay a big part in that process.
Bain & Company finds that “a 5% increase in customer retention produces more than a 25% increase in profit.”
Considering this, use email marketing to give loyal customers a friendly elbow and remind them about their favourite brand – that’s you!
These retention emails should be the most personal of the lot as you make them feel like a true friend of the company.
They also function to learn if this customer wants to be re-engaged or if they’re best left alone for good. They may have changed emails, or don’t sit within your target audience anymore. An unresponsive subscriber can skew your data analytics, so use this as a test of their true loyalty.
These emails could provide the customer tips on how to get the most out of their purchase or maybe some accessories to go with it. Simply remind them of your value and wait for them to make the next move.
Entice
You’ve engaged, earned, and elbowed. You’ve gained subscribers and inevitably lost a few along the way. Some subscribers will make multiple purchases in their time as a valuable customer and some will be happy with the one.
But sprinkled within all of this, as well as being a final resort, are those uber-promotional emails that are clearly telling you to buy-buy-buy!
Designed to entice your subscriber with an annual sale or an exclusive deal, these bold emails have one purpose in mind when they slide into someone’s inbox – sales.
If the fish aren’t biting, throw some bigger bait in! Subject lines with “up to 50% off” are bound to increase your open rate as a last gasp resort to unresponsive subscribers.
Find out what the biggest pain point is with your subscribers and attempt to alleviate it in the subject line. “Free shipping,” “next-day delivery,” or “new in stock” may just be the ticket to reinvigorating old customers.
The trick is not to send these too often as too many “SALE” pitches can seem disingenuous and pushy.
Contact Us!
If this all seems a bit much, or your agency doesn’t have the capacity to manage effective email marketing campaigns, consider partnering with Agency Stack.
We’re a white label digital marketing agency packed with a team of copywriters, designers, ad specialists, account managers, and SEO experts. Together, they can compile the email strategies that will see your clients converting subscribers like crazy.
Contact us today to discuss how we can complement your agency.