How to Build Your Brand Through Email Marketing
Are you the kind of person who leaves thousands of your emails unread? Then you may not already agree with the power of email marketing (and your desk is probably chaos). Alternatively, you might think that email marketing is a dinosaur in this digital age.
The truth of it is: email marketing is very much alive.
It is an incredible and effective tool to gain and retain customers. But did you know it can also help build and reinforce your brand? Let’s break it down.
Why Use Email Marketing?
- There are far more email accounts than social accounts in the world
- Email marketing actually has the biggest ROI (Return on Investment) of any digital marketing at $38 for every $1 spent
- A whopping number of us check our emails daily (often multiple times)
- Email advertising is more likely to be opened than social media advertising is to be interacted with
- Social media is more powerful when it works alongside email marketing
- It enables you to stay on your subscriber’s radar
- Generating revenue from emails requires fewer clicks
- You can utilise an existing email contact list
- You can tailor your messages to your clients
As you can see there are plenty of reasons to use email to build your brand, but the big question is how?
“Whatever you decide on, keep it consistent.”
Identify Your Goals
For every email, you should have a clear objective in mind. Ask yourself what you’re trying to achieve and stick to that one goal. This will inform which type of campaign you create. It might be a newsletter, offer, announcement, or invitation. No matter what it is, make sure it’s relevant and includes a call to action.
Keep Good Timing
The ideal send frequency can vary depending on your campaign and audience, but once or twice a month is generally a good gauge. Being bombarded with emails or being too aggressive is a major turn-off for users. Sending emails only when you have something to offer demonstrates that your brand is one of value and worth clicking on. Whatever you decide on, keep it consistent.
Consider the Copy
Think: targeted, brief and enticing. Implement the clever use of subject lines, headlines, and sub-headers so the reader can understand the message from a 5-second speed read during their one-eyed morning commute email trawl. The copy is the difference between a click or an unsubscribe, so it needs to be tight. When it comes to tone of voice: consistency is key.
An Eye for Design
The email should be attractive and user-friendly. Utilise fonts, colours, negative space, and your branding to elevate the offer and solidify your brand style. Your emails should be totally synonymous with your brand design. Have we mentioned yet the importance of consistency? We definitely have, because we live it. And you should, too.
“How you communicate with your audience should be an evolving conversation that you’re smart about.”
Get Close and Personal
But certainly not creepy. Use familial language, first names, warm greetings, and tailor the emails to your clients to increase your rapport. Avoid sounding like an advertising robot in order to position your brand as one to be not only trusted, but liked.
Use the Data
Monitor the analytics around your audience’s behaviour. Track these results, and use them to improve on your brand. How you communicate with your audience should be an evolving conversation that you’re smart about.
Competition is fierce in the sea of email marketing. Equipped with the right tools, your brand can sail out of the unread inbox and into the regularly checked.
