Email marketing can make you sales if you have built a relationship with your list, provided valuable engaging content and sent emails with enticing headlines, and a seductive call to action.
Any advertising campaign takes effort and investment, so of course you want to know if it is going to be profitable and worth your time.
It’s easy to see how an excellent email marketing campaign could raise awareness of your business, but the real question from someone who is considering an investment in this form of marketing is – will email marketing make me any sales?
Email marketing has one of the highest return on investment, and accounts for approximately 23% of sales. That makes it one of the most effective marketing methods, which – when executed correctly – will absolutely result in increased sales.
Here are some reasons why your company needs email marketing to help you make sales:
People Don’t Spend as Much Time on Your Website as You Think They Do
While a good website is absolutely imperative to support sales, the truth is that most people do not spend a great deal of time browsing a website.
That doesn’t mean that your website isn’t important – it is. You still need to have all that information ready and accessible if a customer goes looking.
But instead of waiting for customers to visit the website and simply hoping they notice the features you have introduced, there’s a way to invite customers directly so that they are able to visit the areas of your website that are designed to support sales.
Of course, that method is through email marketing.
A customer could be a loyal follower of your brand, but without an email informing them that you have new stock or that you’re having a sale, it’s absolutely hit and miss whether they find out in time to make a purchase.
The same goes for new locations that your business might open up, or services your business offers that your customers might not know about.
You can also include things like customer reviews – of course, you probably have a testimonial section on your website, but instead of waiting for customers to get there on their own you can send them through directly through a link in an email.
If you have spent the time to create a great website, make the most of it with a great email marketing campaign.
Your Social Media Campaign is Probably Missing Most Customers
Once again, social media is an extremely important marketing tool. Many customers will turn to a Facebook page for reviews, or ask for customer support through Twitter. It’s an easy way to connect with customers, and you could get some free publicity if your content is shared.
Social media sites are increasingly making it difficult for small businesses to reach their customers. The algorithm change introduced in 2018 was supposed to help keep the news feeds of Facebook subscribers limited only to the kinds of posts they prefer to see.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t gone well for businesses. Even if a customer genuinely wants to see posts relating to that business, they are unlikely to have them come up on their feed.
One company found that less than 2% of their customers saw their posts, and their customer engagement dropped off by 58%.
Without paid advertisement (which can be extremely expensive), there is no guarantee that customers will see your business’s posts – in fact, it’s almost guaranteed that your posts will not be seen by the majority of your Facebook followers.
That’s where email marketing can help.
By reminding customers of the social media presence of a business, emails help support social media pages.
An easy way to link to Instagram included in an email, for example, will greatly increase the chances that a customer will click through and follow your page instead of having to go and find it themselves.
Sending an email about a promotional code going out to followers of one of your social media accounts could be another way to directly link customers to your social media campaigns.
This additional backup supports the effort that you are putting into other marketing channels, helps customers feel more connected, and helps to drive sales.
There’s No Point Having a Sale If No One Comes
Sales, events and promotions are great ways to get customers to spend money. It makes your business look good, customers feel like they are getting a good deal and it could even help you to clear some slow-moving stock.
But how useful is a sale if your customers don’t know about it?
Of course, there are plenty of other advertising channels that might generate some sales leads.
The genius of email marketing, though, is that if you have their email address it’s because at some time the customer has expressed an interest in your company.
These people are already interested. If you’re offering discounts, they are likely to become even more interested.
Most other types of marketing either cast a wide net, hoping to catch someone who might potentially buy something, or they attempt to let relevant people know but run the risk of being filtered out through algorithms.
There are other advertising options that offer targeted ads, but they can be extremely pricey – and are quite likely to be ignored anyway.
An email puts your business directly into the hands of people who are likely to be interested in what you have to say. Whether they click through or not, every email’s subject line reminds them about your business.
Then, when you offer something special that might entice them, you are much more likely to see that marketing option converted to sales.
Emails Can Directly Encourage Sales
If customers are browsing your site or put items into their cart but don’t purchase anything, how do you follow up on their obvious interest in order to convince them to buy?
Email marketing gives your business the power of direct contact with that person. Of course, the customer may choose not to open the email, but at least your business has had the opportunity to follow up on their interest in order to potentially convert it into sales.
There are a number of techniques that can encourage the customer to open that email – you might offer a discount if they finish the check-out process, or offer free shipping.
But even without added incentives, email marketing can put desirable items back in front of the customer. They decided not to complete the purchase initially, but they may not make the same decision if they get another opportunity.
Getting Personal
Email marketing can generate sales. It is a powerful tool on its own, but it can also be used to support other essential forms of marketing.
While sending an email is very low cost, it can be a powerful tool, targeting customers who are already interested enough to give you their details and who can therefore potentially be persuaded to spend money with your business.
Email marketing gives customers an easy, visually pleasing way to connect with your business, and it lands right in their inbox wherever they are at the time. It provides links that are much easier for a customer to follow then if they had to search and get there on their own.
And it can be personalized, so that customers get the maximum benefit and companies have the maximum impact.
Email marketing is inexpensive and you are bound to increase your sales. All you have to worry about is having something great to put in front of your customers.