In an age where social media is the king cat, if you’re ignoring using email as part of your marketing strategy you may be leaving valuable business opportunities on the table. It’s a cost effective, relatively simple way to create a deeper connection with potential clients while building the all-important KNOW-LIKE-TRUST factor.
You don’t have to have a big list. In fact, the quality of your subscribers is far more important than the quantity. Having a list of thousands of subscribers may make you feel good - like a big following on social media – but if you can’t convert them to paying clients you've got a fan club not a business. Especially now, in the wake of the pandemic, clients are looking to us for inspiration and education - and email fits that bill nicely.
A highly targeted e-mail list can be one of the best investments you can make in your business. It may be a little more effort than sharing an IG or Twitter post, but it also gives you a way to forge a more complex relationship with your client.
Our top 5 reasons on how email marketing can boost your business:
1. It’s basically free and you own it. Unlike social media, you always own your list. You aren’t at the mercy of owners of your account.
2. It positions you as the expert. Brand You is unlike anybody else in esthetics. Email helps you showcase your expertise in your particular field to perfect advantage.
3. Conversions. Studies show that email conversion is higher than social media. One statistic: people who purchase products marketed through e-mail typically spend 138% more than those who don’t get email offers.
Here’s a powerful example: You have a service priced at $50. You have a subscriber list of 100. You send an email offer to your list and 10 people take advantage of it. That comes to $500 for one email campaign.
4. Users. Email has almost three times as many user accounts as Facebook and Twitter combined.
5. Cost. Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective ways to communicate with potential clients and has a very high ROI (return on investment). User statistics showed 60% purchase products as the result of an email promotion compared to about 13% for social media promotions.
That said – here are some do’s and don’ts for your email marketing.
DO: Personalize Your Emails. Everybody likes hearing their name. And you create a more positive connection when the email is addressed to the person by name.
DO: Give them quality content. Show them your expertise, Keep your topics simple and understandable and gently lead them towards what you are offering. Always give them a clear path to taking action on what you are offering.
DO: Test your emails before sending. Send yourself a test to make sure your links are working and the format looks attractive and easy to read.
DO: Use images. A picture is worth a thousand words. (Be sure the photos are sized correctly and you’re using royalty free images).
DO: Make sure your email is optimized for tablets, laptops, desktops and mobile devices. Most of us use our phones to check emails.
DO: Include all contact information. (including social media links), phone, links to booking software, website address, etc. Make it easy for clients to connect.
And a few don’ts. . .
DON’T: Overwhelm with too many links – it slows deliverability.
DON’T: Focus strictly on promoting an offer without giving content value. Blatant advertising without any quality content will only serve to get you unsubscribed.
DON’T: Spam. Avoid any subject lines that could be interpreted as spam. Take time to write creative subject lines that intrigue the reader and make them want to open your email. Don’t get too salesy. You want to give them a preview of what’s to come and awaken their curiosity.
DON’T: Forget to check analytics. This is the number of opens, unsubscribes, emails that were undeliverable, and click throughs (to the links you provided in the content). Not only does this help to keep your list clean (you don’t want to pay for subscribers that aren’t interested in what you have to offer or email addresses that are no longer valid) but lets you see how well your content is working.
DON’T: Overdo. Always treat your list with respect, don’t overload their inboxes with too many emails and deliver the highest quality content you can deliver.
It won’t take much time for you to create brand YOU awareness in your subscriber’s minds and turn them into loyal, happy, returning clients.