Email just turned 40 this year. After many reports of the tool’s demise it’s still just as effective at driving sales as it’s ever been. Follow the principles of email marketing and you’ll be good to go. The fundamentals of email marketing are more important today than they’ve ever been.
Permission to Email: Success with email marketing begins and ends with permission. If you’re not an invited guest in someone’s email inbox then you won’t get positive results. Simple. But, if just as in real life you come by with something useful, and you’re invited, you’ll always be welcome.
What to Say in Your Emails: Do you really have something to say to your audience, or are you just emailing because it’s another box to check on your marketing checklist? Are you using email marketing hoping one day you’ll get results? You may no longer be relevant to your audience. You have to understand them, know what their struggles are and help them achieve their goals.
To do this: Ask them what they’re struggling with. If you really want response, sweeten the deal and offer them something in exchange for them sharing what they want. Yes, it really is that important. Being relevant equals sales. Period.
How Often to Send: If you have something important to say, and it solves an immediate problem for your audience, you’ll always have a welcome place in the inbox, no matter how often you email them. I get some emails every day and I love it. Those emails are critical to me providing results for my clients. I depend on them. Do people depend on your emails? If not, it’s time to reconsider what you’re sending.
Consider these three things as you develop your email marketing campaigns and watch your results soar.
Keep in mind that people sometimes put unimportant rules around email. There are also people who try to make you believe email is no longer effective at all. If you follow the rules I’ve set up abo
ve, you’ll be absolutely fine with email marketing and enjoy solid results for years to come.
Here’s how I know: I ran Constant Contact’s development efforts in Florida for more than six years, teaching 20,000 small business owners the power of email marketing. Many of the people who put the principles into practice still achieve results from email marketing to this day.
