“Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold.” Your customers and contacts are your “gold,” the life blood of your business. Your easiest sale is to a repeat customer who already knows and trusts you. Are you regularly remarketing to them? If not, you’re squandering the “life blood” of your business.
Omnichannel marketing is now the norm. You need to reach your customers through all channels where they are, namely on their phones (an average of 3 hours a day) and computers through your website, direct email and text marketing, social media marketing, and direct online “sales funnels” focused on conversions to leads or sales. If you’re sitting in your store waiting for watch battery and repair customers to walk in, you’re missing the main action.
Your contact list, including email addresses and cell phone numbers for texting, is the life blood of your business. Five tips to “go for the gold” thru email marketing.
- Grow your email contact list and re-market to them regularly. Do you have an email list of your customers and contacts (potential customers)? If not, you need to create one, constantly expand it and remarket to them regularly through engaging, captivating posts and special offers (not spam). You can manage your campaigns by programs such as iContact or MailChimp. The “conversion” or closing rate on a brand new lead generated from a “sales funnel” or pitch is 1-3%. But when remarketed to regularly, the close rate rises to around 50% over a six month period. Slow and steady wins the game.
- Collect new email leads through sales funnels or pitches. Collect emails from all your customers and visitors to your store (with their permission). You can also create special offers through sales funnels from Facebook ads to generate leads. Offer something of value, like a discount coupon code, or free webinar or informational PDF (“How to clean your jewelry”, “How to create beautiful new jewelry you’ll love from your treasured pieces you no longer wear”) that customers will receive by providing their email address. Be sure you get their permission to “opt in” to receive email messages so they’re not spammed.
- Increase Deliverability. Be sure your email messages are not marked as spam, or worse, not even delivered. Check with your email program for tips to increase your deliverability rate. Avoid using ALL CAPS in the title, the word “free” (overused by spammers), and extravagant unsupported claims such as “Get rich quick.” Provide value up front – interesting, entertaining content your recipients will enjoy and look forward to, not mark as spam. You should aim for a minimum of 5% opening rate to avoid having your emails throttled or suppressed.
- Maximize Opening Rate. To increase opening rate, a catchy interesting headline is key. Best is between 5-10 words (not too short, not too long). And make it something intriguing, that makes you want to know more. “I Know What I DON’T Want for Christmas…” Also, who the email is from is important. Make it personal “mia@thejewelersmarketer.com” rather than “info@ABCCorporation.com”. And the first few phrases, that may appear on previews, are central. Don’t waste it on “Hello and greetings.” Get to the point. “Beautiful new styles just in time for Mother’s Day.”
- Amplify Click Through Rate (CTR). This is the payoff. You want your email recipients to click through to your website or landing page with an offer, a direct conversion to sales. But you should not start with your sales pitch upfront. Always add value first – something interesting or informative (“Sapphires have traditionally been coveted by royalty” along with beautiful images). It’s a give and take. Present something of value, then make an offer – for a sale, or a discount coupon, then another presentation, and another offer. Your sales pitch should be made at least 3 times in the copy for maximum results. (Readers skip around).
Following these 5 simple tips will dramatically increase your potential for success. By focusing on your best customers and regularly providing value to them, helping them satisfy their needs and desires, you’re nourishing the life blood of your business. Just remember to “Go for the Gold.”
