Are you using email marketing to maximize your database and increase conversion rates?
Many companies have underutilized their client databases. Either they just gather information and do nothing with it OR they send communication to their database but are not getting any response or reactions back. This does not mean that email marketing is irrelevant, but rather you’re using the channel incorrectly.
In fact, being rather cost-friendly and effective, email marketing remains at the core of marketing strategies. Through these years, email marketing has evolved to respond to the ever changing consumer behavior. In 2023, however, email marketing will play an important role in encouraging better sales conversions.
How can businesses and marketers harness email marketing in 2023?
The simple answer is to nurture your leads by making meaningful connections and getting a conversation going. But how are you going to do this when consumers are overloaded with content as they swipe through ads within seconds and auto-delete spam-like emails? Let us break down how you can start and keep that conversation going.
Step 1: Break the ice and spark the conversation.
Imagine how you interact with someone at a party. You don’t ask “Yes or No” questions.
You keep the conversation going by being truly interested in the other person and asking probing questions. This strategy in email marketing is not new, back in 2017 the concept around a 9-word email started to circulate. As the name suggests, you just send an email with just 9 words to prompt a conversation. Example: “How many hours have you spent creating content this month?” and the subject bearing the customer’s name. This strategy works because it is personal, while asking a question that you already have a solution to.
Step 2: Refrain from going straight for a call to action and offering your product or service.
Maintain the conversation and keep it personalized. Engage the client and lead them to probe further into what you will be offering. Similar to a face to face transaction, a lead will be more inclined to purchase from someone who took the time to understand their pain points and what they are looking for before offering any product/service. Be this person online. Instead of pushing sales, push education and understanding.
Step 3: Ask a sorting question.
An example of a sorting question is “Is X more important to you or Y?”. This question will help further understand your lead and segment them for more customized responses. This may feel painful as it could take days before they respond. Keeping the conversation going for days might seem like it is not going anywhere. Remember, sales cycles have lengthened. According to a study, consumers are taking up to 18 months to make a purchasing decision. However, if you stay relevant and resourceful, they might be one of the 15% that buys within the first 90 days.
Step 4: Ascend.
Finally, after getting all the information from your client, you can now lead them to your call to action such as booking an exploratory call, going to your showroom, or attending an event where they can further get more information about your product/service. By this time, the probability of converting to sales is significantly higher. Remember, you can’t have a CTA unless you’ve done the previous steps.
Are you harnessing the power of email marketing in your business? 2023 is the year that email marketing will become even more important in encouraging better sales conversions. We can help you get started with a strategy that will work for your company and target audience. Let us know how we can help!
