Any local business today must consider the best of online marketing tools and techniques that are currently available through advanced technologies. A new startup or small business enterprise can develop quickly to be a market leader in its industry when it applies the right marketing tools of today; one of which is email marketing with the advent of the Internet.
Connectivity
It is crucial to adopt current marketing strategies for sustaining any business in the market today. Email marketing is a very powerful marketing tool that even small businesses can take on effortlessly without incurring any cost. However, spamming customers’ email address is not the way to get the desired attention for business unless it is negative reactions.
An email marketing strategy can be creative and cost effective. Emails are great channels of contact or communication between business enterprise and customers or potential leads. Modern consumers with Internet facilities would probably have an email account where they may receive a myriad of mails every day. Some of these mails may be from personal circle of influence while other mails may be sent from business opportunists.
It is necessary to keep in touch with the customers or potential leads of a business periodically even if they have not been making purchases for some time. When the small business makes an effort to keep contact with their customers, a good vibe about the business enterprise is secured. A simple personalized email says a lot about the business enterprise. A good business client relationship is forged that would open doors of business opportunities over time. The customer database can continue to expand as more leads are added.
Viable option
Little costs are incurred when the small business takes on email marketing; especially personalized mails. Every small local business must look beyond its immediate shores for customers. Mass mailing does not work well with the mails usually trashed automatically by smart system application software installed. The customers do not even get to view the email which gets labeled as ‘spam’ and trashed. The customers may not even know that they have received an email from the business company.
Email marketing must be applied with careful thought on its content and layout to make a positive impression on the recipients. Minimal investments are required to connect with prospects and customers with the latest exciting offers by the local business. The small local business needs to consider displaying the content of their emails to their customers carefully to make a good impact upon reading the email to compel a buy action. Interesting choice of words in the email would attract the attention of the reader while stirring up an interest to know more about the content’s offerings.
It is easy to respond to an email promotion with a click on the reply option. More creative response modes can be accommodated in a reply email.
Building up your customer database
Email marketing can help build up the customer database of any small local business. Anyone walking into the store can be added into the business company’s database after securing permission to get their contact information such as email address. The customers can also submit their other circle of influence’s contact mails in exchange for some freebies at the store.
This would open up the door of opportunity to stay in contact with the customers and potential leads using a personalized email. Product or service promotions can be sent over periodically as mails from a friend and not a merchant.
Informative emails
Customers and prospects who receive personalized emails from a small local business would feel that they are receiving updates from a friend, which they would gladly open and read. The contents may be entirely informative without any sales pitch. However, there may be a link to the local business website for further information or to view the related products or services located at a strategic spot in the email.
There may not even be a need to include a ‘Response’ button as consumers can click on the web link or Reply button for a self-initiated response. Consumers or potential leads like these informative emails with a personalized touch have the mail addressing them by name. It is like receiving an email from a friend or acquaintance and not a merchant trying to push for a sale.
Informative emails’ contents would pertain to up-to-date and interesting information that would be relevant to the recipient. They may be prompted to seek more information from the local business marketer with a phone call or email reply.
Personal touch
A personalized email in today’s Internet marketing is very beneficial to the local business. There is a personal touch with a special ring when the customers read the mail with their name on it. Their name could be in the subject line or email content body or both to give a further emphasis of customer priority.
There is a ‘feel good’ factor when an email is received with a personal address. Many consumers today tend to be flitting with a ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’ without the recipient’s name. This format makes it too casual even for acquaintances; how much more with the business entity.
Format
The format of a personalized email contributes to stir up the consumers’ good impression of the business entity. The email should have attractive images and well formed text that conveys the desired marketing information accurately without beating around the bush.
The email should be kept simple and short that it can be read in under a minute. If it really needs to be longer, the customer’s name should be listed in various spots to regain the attention of the reader.
Conversational
Another great advantage of using a personalized email as a form of cost effective marketing tool is that it can be formatted as conversational rather than business which is rather dry and formal. Questions can be asked with or without answers included to make the reader more curious about the mail offering.
These simple pointers on personalized email marketing can be a big boost to grow a local business quickly.
