To a lot of people, the term “email marketing” automatically conjures images of an email intent on one thing - selling. In actual fact, there are a number of types of email communications you can use, some of which are not directly sales related but can certainly contribute to your bottom line in other ways.
Often called postcard emails, these are simple, brief announcements you might want to make informing customers of a special offer, a popular new product or quick fire sale. These types of emails are typically restricted to a single call-to-action and should be easy for the recipient to scan in a few seconds. Here are 2 quick examples of a quick announcement in action.
The primary purpose of an email newsletter is to build upon the relationship you have with your customers. Of course, this might (and should) indirectly result in an increase in sales, but the focus should be on providing relevant, useful content your subscribers might be interested in.
Often the content isn’t directly related to your products either. For example, an online grocer might send a monthly newsletter featuring a few recipes, a story on the benefits of organic produce and a column with exercising tips. To get the creative ideas flowing, here are two quick examples of great looking email newsletters and there are plenty more in our gallery.
A catalog based email is fairly self explanatory, being an electronic version of a print brochure listing particular products, with the primary goal to encourage customers to purchase.
If you have a list of media contacts that have given you permission to contact them, email press releases can be a great way to send targeted, personalized press releases and attract valuable news coverage.
One size does not fit all
When considering which types of email to promote with it’s important to remember that you don’t need to take a one-size-fits-all approach. Some companies will be much more suited to email newsletters than one-off announcements, while the reverse might apply to others.
The best thing about email is that it’s so measurable. Try a newsletter for a month or two and then look at the results. Mix up the the topics you cover to see which garners the most interest. Try a different layout for each issue. As long as you stick to the objectives and expectations feel free to use your creativity to find what works best. Once you gain some response keep A/B version testing with limited list segmentation and continually develop a more effective response control package.
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