Small businesses can use email to drive sales, but competing for customer time and getting past spam requires five basic strategies.
1 Marketers must assume that customers will open an email on a mobile device, According to CMSwire.com. This wasn't always true. Just seven years ago or so, customers probably first viewed email from their computer email using a service like Outlook. But all that has changed. Today it is essential that emails be optimized for mobile viewing.
2 Email is a more intimate form of communication than pay-per-click advertising since prospects have already expressed interest in a product or service. Marketers should treat email as a way to forge new connections with prospects, offering special access to information or unique deals.
3 Subject lines must be lively. Don't overpromise. Don't create click bait that leads to a phony result. Instead, create calls to action to engage the audience. Email newsletters are part of this. The worst possible subject line for an email newsletter is November Newsletter. Tell people why they should open the email.
4 Take note of open rates over time and use the information to plan your campaign.
5 Compare open and click rates to the campaign objectives. Open and click rates for emails intended to generate sales will be different from those intended to reinforce brand identity. Be sure to segment your email list to identify those prospects who are interested in a sale.
