We've all been there at some point – peacefully enjoying a morning coffee, catching up on email and social media before the day begins, when annoyance sets in. How many times did you swipe left to delete irrelevant emails? How many times did you scroll hurriedly past an irritating ad?
It's no secret that email marketing, search engine marketing (SEM), and paid social ads are some of the best tactics for increasing website traffic, building customer relationships, and driving sales. But there are many ways a company can go wrong and inadvertently damage its reputation, and waste resources. With all the marketing trends, buzzwords, and bad advice, it can be challenging to know where to start and easy to start off on the wrong foot. Here are a few do's and don'ts for building quality email lists and more!
Don't buy email lists
From low-quality leads to ruining the brand reputation and having your domain blacklisted, there are many reasons to avoid purchasing email lists. Great email engagement and conversion rates are often associated with consumer desire. When consumers willingly provide contact information by subscribing to a blog or mailing list, they express a desire to hear from you, which correlates to higher open rates and positive brand perception. However, when companies buy email lists, the customer has expressed no interest, which often relates to lower open rates and a negative brand impression. Here is an article from Forbes and Optinmonster for more insight.
Do take time to nurture and attract
Building any customer base takes time, effort, and strategic planning. Before you start hammering away, trying to gather emails, here are a few things you should have in place:
A solid website: Seriously, a website is the cornerstone of all marketing efforts. It is the face of your company, the google endpoint, and where customers go to 'learn more' about your products and services. If your website is due for a makeover, the Return On Investment (ROI) for email marketing and search engine marketing (SEM) will be relatively low. Even a simple yet meaningful one-to-three-page site with a compelling brand story is better than an outdated site with stale content and a poor user interface.
Subscription paths and methods: Subscribing should always be easy for customers. Make the registration process simple by creating a dedicated landing page, a link to subscribe on your blog page, and subtle prompts throughout your website. Include a subscribe call to action (CTA) on social media posts and online profiles. Weave the subscribe URL in all relevant digital content and presentations.
Do evaluate the benefits of Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
If your website and subscription paths are in order, doing paid SEM may be a smart strategic step towards boosting email subscriptions and website traffic. SEM is a form of internet marketing that promotes website visibility in search engine results, typically through paid advertising.
Don't over-communicate or send irrelevant content
Once you have a solid email list and have built the supporting infrastructure to enable continued growth - don't blow it. It can be easy to push email hard to boost sales, but annoying an audience can have the opposite effect.
Do use modern marketing techniques to 'keep it real'
Instead, if doing a blanket send to your entire list, look at ways to leverage data to talk to customers in relevant ways. Good email marketing strategies leverage audience segmentation, target marketing, and journey marketing to help alleviate the one-size-fits-all approach consumers dislike. These techniques work to provide timely relevant information while nurturing the customer relationship throughout the purchasing lifecycle.
Want to increase customer engagement? WSD is here to help! Contact us to learn more about our excellent marketing services. Subscribe to our blog and receive thought-provoking content designed to help you manage your online presence.
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