As we approach summer and the sun has come out at last, it's easier to be more positive about the business climate. I certainly sense a renewed vigour and optimism in the small business community.
Many of us are taking the time to look at the future instead of just focusing on the here and now - literally in survival mode. I'm constantly asked about the real value of email marketing. There are so many pluses and minuses on how to successfully use email and which technology to use that I've put together a guide on successful emailing which is my gift to you.
Where email marketing scores well for a small business is:
1) It's very cheap to send emails.
2) The software available is fantastic to measure and track all activity the email generates.
Indeed you can track and measure who opened the email, when and what they clicked on both within the email, what articles they read and who went onto the website.
The most sophisticated Software now allows you to link with your google analytics so for the first time you can see what specific effect your email campaign has had in driving people to the site and what they did when they were there.
3) It's instant - You can agree the content and send it out immediately (Beware - this can be a really bad thing too if a campaign is ill thought out!)
4) The best email solutions now ask you to check the email against a spam filter so you stand the best (although not guaranteed) chance of getting your email to the recipient.
Where email falls down is that:
1) The content rather than the software is sub-standard. Uninvited, boring and irrelevant content which does not interest or add value to the reader is purely spam!
2) Email marketing is unfortunately badly abused which means that most people don't take notice of emails from a sender they don't know.
3) It is therefore hard to build trust or credibility with one email - your one chance before they unsubscribe!
4) It can be easy to misinterpret a message through just words.
5) Most businesses don't have an ethical data capture strategy within their business. They ignore all the customers and prospects who really want to hear from them and simply use out-of-date database that they have managed to get from somewhere.
How you can get your copy of the Golden Rules to Email Marketing
Personally, I see email marketing as a gift to small businesses. We can seriously punch above our weight and present our best image directly to our customer, but we need to think seriously about what we say, how we say it and when we send it.
I have developed some golden rules that I get all my clients to follow that help you achieve results through your email marketing. If you would like to receive a PDF of the Golden Rules to Email Marketing, simply click here and drop me a line with your details. No catches - just my gift to you on a lovely summers day.
Until then...Happy emailing
Best wishes
Nicki
www.hayburymarketing.com
www.nickibury.com
www.easyemailer.co.uk
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