If you keep up with current business and marketing news like I do, I’m sure you’ve seen a lot of articles about the death of email marketing. I’m here to tell you that email isn’t dead. But, email marketing is a lot different than it was ten years ago.
You can’t just send a prospect a bunch of automated emails and expect a reply. Most people’s inboxes are flooded with promotional emails. I’m sure you have a long list of unopened “spammy” emails in your inbox right now. I know I do.
So, how do you get people to open your emails? Is it all about the subject line? Or, is it the special deal you’re offering? In my opinion, you need to reflect on WHY you’re sending emails to prospects. What are your emails accomplishing? Are they being effective?
Know Where They Work
If you follow my blog, you’ve heard me talk about catching fish in a busy stream. One of the easiest ways to convert leads into clients is to know where those leads are hanging out and market in those spaces. Are they more active on social media? Or do they prefer analog content like radio? The same goes for email.
Ask yourself, who is more likely to open an email from you? A fellow business owner or an average consumer? In my experience, cold emailing tends to be more effective in the B2B space, rather than B2C.
While mass media tactics can work for consumers, cold emailing typically doesn’t. You can’t just blast someone’s email inbox and expect a response. You have to put in the work.
Make It Personal, Build the Relationship
You had to know that I would mention building relationships at some point, right? Yes, if done right, you can establish new relationships just from an email series. But you can’t just send an automated sequence.
Have you ever been talking about a certain product to a friend, and then you see an ad for the same product on your Facebook feed? Nowadays, advertising is much more personalized. Consumers don’t want to hear a spammy, generic sales pitch. They want a personalized experience that will actually solve their problem.
When emailing your prospects, start with addressing their problems. Maybe they need a new website or need help running ads for their product. Whatever it is — find a way to empathize with them. Keep it casual and listen to what they say.
In my experience, most prospects are more afraid of change than the problem they’re currently dealing with. That’s where you come in. Using their email responses, you can then help them find the perfect solution. A prospect is much more likely to respond to an email if they’re talking to a real person.
It’s more work, I know. But I can tell you from experience that it’s worth it. I’ve made all kinds of business deals, big and small, just from a simple email conversation.
Quality Over Quantity
Overall, blasting email inboxes with deals and spammy sales pitches is like throwing your time and resources away. Instead of creating email sequences that no one will open, take that time to really get to know your prospects. What can you do to help them? How can you put them at ease?
Ideally, you’ll send fewer emails. But, they’ll be much more meaningful for both you and your prospect.
When formulating your next content strategy, I challenge you to rethink your email marketing tactics. Consider switching off that automated outreach sequence and try something more personal. Who knows? It might just be the start of a great relationship.
I hope these tips help your email marketing tactics become more effective. Let me know what you think in the comments below and contact me with any questions about entrepreneurship. Here’s to your success!