Charm Your Way In – Email Marketing Proves the Personal Touch Still Has Its Charms
Shop Keepers and attendants used to know our name, our preferences; even our business and we found security in catching up briefly as we completed our purchases. Those friendly exchanges benefited both parties, as our tastes and needs were noticed service became tailored to us personally. In the age of box stores, national chains and self-check out lines, online may be the new place to shop today where everybody knows your name.
Email Marketing is the most successful way of taking advantage of this opportunity to develop personal relationships with customers. Direct electronic communications from a business to its customer, email marketing includes newsletters, promotional announcements, event invitations, coupons and special offers. The saving grace of email marketing is the mutual interest of you and the customer.
Email marketing is not Spam. Customers must choose to receive communications from your business, and businesses are required to provide a double opt-in method of subscription so only those folks who want to hear from you, do. Well mannered businesses also offer an unsubscribe option with every communication, never wanting to overstay their welcome.
The friendly shopkeeper knows the art of timing- your customers should feel taken care of but never hassled. Good email marketing is part of a long range campaign with deliberately scheduled communications to customers at respectable intervals. Newsletters should be prompt and can be monthly, but allow people the option of a quarterly distribution. Sale or important business announcements should be occasional and relevant not just to the event but to the customer. (Dog owners do not want coupons for cat food.)
Statistics show 86% of customers choose to receive emails from businesses they use. With an average return on investment of around $ 45.00 on the dollar for businesses, email marketing is proving a highly effective, low cost profit generator.
Easy to establish, create and distribute to a range of customers regularly, and simple to maintain over a long period of time, email campaigns are essential to quality personal service today. Easy to track so businesses can adjust quickly to suit customer tastes and trends, email marketing allows you to develop a personal understanding of you customers’ interests and speak to them directly. With the added benefit of allowing the customer to participate at their leisure.
The 21st century market is revealing certain truths about the business-customer relationship. People want to feel attended to when spending money. Even Wal-Mart learned the art of neighborhood groceries with warm lighting and wooden shelves. We humans like a friendly familiarity to our lives, even the consumer side.
Email marketing lets you do 21st century business the old fashioned way:
Communicating directly with your customers about what interests them
Presenting your business identity as a reliable, charming storefront always there just when needed
Bringing the customer into the business regularly by letting them actively participate in their relationship with you
And most importantly, tracking your customers’ habits and interests, so you are always offering better service.
Take a moment to develop the personal service your business provides in the future. Email marketing is the best way to maintain quality relationships with customers and establish new ones. Your marketing agent can show you simple ways to start communicating with your customers through email and bring your business charm to the inbox.
