The Power of Connection in Email Marketing
I originally planned for this to be one post with many points, but I soon realized that I had too much to say to make it one post. So, this will be the first in a series of posts on email marketing, and if SEO is queen, then email marketing is king.
Many companies don’t utilize email marketing in the best way. Some send you a ton of meaningless emails that get ignored constantly. You know those emails! Then other companies send you so few emails that you completely forget about them when you’re in need of their products or services.
So where is the balance? How many emails should you send? What is the black-and-white answer to the almighty email questions?
Short answer… there is no magic number of emails to send or the length they should be. You have to adapt to your customer's needs.
There are some best practices, sure, but there is no cookie-cutter approach to email marketing. If there was, everyone would be killing the email game, and let's be honest, there aren’t a ton of companies that are killing it with their emails.
As I said before, today's customer is wiser and more aware of old-school marketing tactics. Being a manipulative dick with your marketing will no longer give your company the long-lasting results you want. If you're reading my blog, then you are probably looking for a way to not be a dick and have some ethical copy that is still effective at getting you to your goals.
I got you! The first key to stepping into email marketing excellence is to make a real connection!
Getting To Know You
If your website is your first date with your customers, then email marketing is the consistent text messages between dates that keep them thinking about you.
It is a way for you to deepen your relationship with them in SO many ways. You can use email marketing to get to know your customers better with data or surveys.
What are they opening? What emails get the best click-through? What do the surveys say about your service or products?
Email marketing helps you get to know your customers on so many levels. Social media can be great for this as well, but surveys can give your information on how to better serve them than social media can.
What’s In It For Them?
It can also be a great way to provide consistent value to your customers. Many companies ask, ask, ask, then give a coupon (that isn’t that exclusive) and ask some more. That is a great way to get people to opt-out of your email list!
But when you are constantly providing value to your customers, when you finally ask them to purchase something, they are more likely to say yes. This works for two reasons, you have already proved to them that you are awesome. And all that value you provide makes your customer connect your company to good feelings, not bad.
The company that asks and bombards its customers creates a feeling of annoyance and pressure. When was the last time you went on a date with an annoying and pressuring person, and that person got a second date?
Are You Giving Them the Warm ‘n Fuzzies?
Email marketing keeps your customers thinking about you. Your emails are like a cozy blanket that keeps them warm to the thought of you.
People remember how you made them feel more than what you said. If they think of you and get the warm and fuzzies, then you are already ahead of the game. Copy is highly emotional.
This will also create more loyalty. When there are 500 companies that sell lipstick, but 1 makes you feel like a goddess after every email, guess which one is going to be your favorite.
If you think about the emails you open, what do they have in common? What do they make you feel? Do you read their emails and feel more confident, smarter, special… Now, what are you making your customers feel when they read your emails?
Connection is Key
Have you noticed that more companies are being more inclusive in their representation? After Rihana made a splash with her Fenty empire, all of her competitors started hiring models of all types. Other than the fact that it is the right choice and something that should have been done for a hot damn minute by now… why did this work so well for Queen RiRi?
Because when people see themselves in your messaging, whether in your copy or your models, they feel good, more seen, and more connected to your brand.
If you have an ideal customer or a common demographic, are you speaking to them? Are you showing them that you get them… That you see them… That you got them covered?
Your email marketing is prime real estate for this!!! Don’t miss out on this opportunity by not emailing your customers regularly or by being that annoying twerp in their inbox.
Figure out who is gravitating towards your company and what hole you fill in their lives. How do your products or services help them? Be specific about their lives and talk about that in your copy.
Don’t just throw a bunch of nonsense into an email and send it off just to tick that box on your to-do list. Really think about them and empathize with who and where they are in life. If you have the solution to their problem, show them!
When you make a connection and develop a deep relationship with your customers based on mutual respect, empathy, and compassion, you will never have to “sell” them on anything. All you have to do is send them an invite to your awesomeness party, and they will show up because you have always shown up for them.
It becomes a match made in heaven.
If you have no idea how to do this, I have some things coming that will be super helpful, so keep an eye out for that. If you can’t wait for my excellence to come around, book a call with me, and I’ll come to you… well, via video call, at least.
We can chat about your current email marketing, and I can either give you some tips to improve it, or we can talk about how I can help you reach your goals.
Either way, let’s get you making real connections with your customers and growing your business.