There are many reasons why email marketing should be an integral part of your business. There are also a number of ways to use email to communicate with your clients and market to them. Here are several types of emails you can send to communicate with clients:
- Newsletters highlighting what’s new with your business on a regular schedule
- Periodic “Special Announcement” emails when you have something unique or time-sensitive to promote or share
- “Thank You” emails at the completion of a project
- “Feedback” emails a few weeks after the completion of a project
- “Confirmation” emails for all form interactions on your website
- “Following Up” emails to all new contacts you make at events, conferences, etc.
- “Following Up” emails at regular intervals to all prospects you spoke with or submitted a proposal for work
- “Welcome” emails to all new subscribers to your list(s)
Communicate Via Transaction Emails
If you’re selling physical and/or digital products online, there are several ways to use email. These types of email are generally called transactional emails.
- “Order Completion” emails sent after the order has been placed and processed
- “Your Order Has Shipped” emails sent when the item has been shipped
- “Feedback” emails sent a few weeks after product delivery
- “Status” emails that let customers know the expected ship date of purchased items that have to be built or made
If you think a bit more about the many different emails you can send, you might be thinking that many of these aren’t “marketing” emails. On the face of it, you’re correct. However, there is nothing stopping you from adding copy highlighting upcoming promotions, sharing a list of recent articles you wrote, or offering a link to a free download. Beyond this, you should also ask the recipient to share their experience on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social media platforms.
Communicate With Your Email Signature Block
Another email you should use for marketing is the email you send every day to clients, prospects and business associates. It amazes me how many emails I get where the sender doesn’t include their contact information, where they work, a link to their website(s) and their social media account(s). You should always be telling people what you do, where you work and how to reach you.
You can even take this a step further and provide a call to action in your signature block. Maybe ask people to visit a particular page to get a free download.
If you’re thinking “I’m just emailing John, we work together all the time on projects,” guess what? John may forward your email to another associate to get their opinion. If your email doesn’t include any background information about you, they will be left wondering who you are and what you do.
Or how about this one… You’re on your way to meet Becky and get caught in traffic. You want to call her and tell her you’ll be late. If you’re like me, you don’t instinctively add every prospect to your address book immediately. Instead, you look at a recent email you received from Becky. The problem is that she didn’t include any contact information. All you can do is send an email letting her know you’ll be late.
Always Focus on Marketing
You should always be marketing. Email is a fantastic tool for this! Use every opportunity you have to promote your products and services. Being consistent, thorough and repetitive is critical; you never know when that next message is the one that lands a big project.