Which Is Best—Email or SMS?
Part 2: Why and How to Include Emails in Your Digital Marketing Campaigns
Objective: Leveraging emails to create interest in your products and services, as well as your brand.
In Part 1 of this two-part series on email and SMS marketing campaigns, we covered the benefits of using SMS in your digital marketing strategy. Here, we delve into how and when to use emails in your marketing campaigns.
The high click-through rate and sense of urgency associated with SMS does beg the question. If SMS is so effective, why send emails at all? Great point. While SMS does draw people to your website, there are definitely times when 160 characters just won’t communicate what you need to say.
That’s why you need to add emails to your digital marketing strategy. The key is knowing how and when to send those emails effectively. Implementing these five simple email strategies will create further interest in your products and services, as well as your brand.
Email Tip #1: Use the subject line to your advantage.
Unlike SMS, email offers you a unique opportunity to “tease” customers to click on your message to learn more. Marketing experts call this strategy the “curiosity gap,” and it’s a great way to generate interest in your upcoming workshops or sales.
Look no further than the subject line to help you implement this simple trick. Consider these two email subject lines:
Save $10 on your Next Purchase
Spring Savings You Won’t Believe!
Which subject line generates a sense of mystery? The second, of course. You can even continue the teaser in the promotion code description in the email message: “Mystery Spring savings! Try this code on your next purchase to see how much you’ll save!”
The main idea here is to give your customers a reason to click through to your website—and eventually walk through your door.
Email Tip #2: Leverage emails to strengthen your brand “voice.”
A brand voice is the unique combination of personality, phrases, and images that define your business. It’s what distinguishes you from the competition and helps you stand out in the marketplace.
But let’s face it, developing a brand voice can be tough to do in 160 characters or less, whereas email messages lend themselves perfectly to this opportunity. Note: If you’re looking for help in developing email templates that convey the unique look and feel of your brand, our marketing experts at Fort Wayne Marketing would be happy to help! Just give us a call.
Email Tip #3: Include high-quality images for best effect.
They say a picture speaks a thousand words, and that is especially true for your business. Whether you’re working in retail or offering essential services to the community, one of your best marketing tools is high-quality images that convey all the love, laughter, or product satisfaction you can muster. The only problem is, you can’t send those images in a text.
Enter email marketing. Your website, of course, offers tons of ideas and inspiration, but you can use those same images in your emails, too. Showing customers how others are using your products or services could offer all the motivation they need to sign up for services or purchase something new.
Email Tip #4: Use storytelling to your advantage.
Everyone loves a good story. Stories have a way of working past the logical parts of our brains, and they can help you create deeper connections with your customers. When you use storytelling in your marketing strategies, you’re developing new bonds and strengthening your customers’ loyalty, which in turn increases their engagement with your brand.
Again, that’s pretty tough to communicate within the urgency of a text. Instead, take advantage of an email campaign. Consider highlighting a recent success story or offering a client case study via email, giving you the chance to showcase real-world examples of how your business or non-profit is making the world a better place.
Email Tip #5: Clear the clutter.
With all that extra space in an email versus a text, you might be tempted to load your message with multiple photos, workshop announcements, and calendar invites—all in the same message. Don’t.
Think of your email messages as ping-pong balls. If someone has a bucket of ping pong balls and throws them at you all at once, the chances of you catching any are pretty slim. But if they aim carefully and toss one ball directly to you, your chances of catching it rise significantly. It’s the same with communication. Send one message per email, and you’ll get much better…and targeted…results.
Ready to get started connecting with customers? Give us a call. We’ll help you develop a communication strategy that includes a combination of emails and texts. We’d be happy to discuss—and implement—a campaign that drives more traffic to your website…and your door!