Business / Internet / Mobile / News

Smarter outsourcing for small businesses

Web marketers often have their first interaction with clients and customers that they may never meet face to face. Thanks to the increased customer base the web can deliver, your next customer may come from anywhere. Delivering the same level of customer service can be paramount to a longstanding customer relationship, and this can be tricky to do remotely. Should email marketing be the first contact that you have with a new client, the last contact or something in the middle?

Beginning-Campaign Email Tips

Email marketing may be your first point of contact with customers, so it’s always important to have a strong email campaign. Think about the strengths of your unique campaign. If you’re trying to promote outreach or awareness, a personal letter might work well–but only if it’s well written and interesting, as Social Media Explorer notes. If you’re trying to generate buzz, sell your product or gain a following, keep your content short and sweet by telling your customers how to get what they want.

Mid-Campaign Email Etiquette

Just because the initial buzz is gone doesn’t mean you should stop checking in with customers over email. Especially when things are slow, taking the time to say thank you can net a major ROI down the road. You can write a targeted thank you note, or a short-and-sweet “Thanks, you’re awesome,” message with a coupon or discount offer available only to loyal customers. Not only is this good behavior, it also helps cultivate brand loyalty. Other ways you can say thank you include doing good in the community, then letting your customers know how you give back.

Taking the time to thank customers is just one way of making those extra connections that can help turn one-shot shoppers into fans — and fans who will promote your product. Whether you’re dropping a coupon code or letting your customers know all about the charitable donations your employees made in their community, it sends a message that you care about them. This can help lodge your products or services in the customer’s mind, where they’ll be more likely to choose you again or promote you to friends.


Email Marketing
Strategies

There are other ways to get and hold that buzz. If you maintain a company blog, point your users to that blog at the end of every email, and give yourself and your colleagues a shout-out on Twitter, Facebook and other social marketing platforms. Keep that content interesting so your customers stay engaged. Let them know about new products, offer useful tips, and be funny. Along with refreshing content, keep your design refreshed — and refreshing! — by creating new Web marketing templates. Offer sneak peeks of new products in development, and give customers a chance to weigh in on little things. Little steps like these help brand your message, and create totally engaging content that doesn’t read like marketing. When you start connecting to the customer through email, you help close that gap between you and your user base, turning users and one-time customers into fans. You may never meet these fans face to face, but you’ve made an impression and turned brand perception into recall.

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