While your ultimate goal may be to build a brand AND increase sales, which do you think is more important in an email campaign? For years in brick and mortar retail, it was essential to build a brand the people would recognize and instantly trust. Commonsense told us that if people trust you, they will buy from you. But does this hold true for online marketing?
Does Branding Online Even Matter?
As more and more people become comfortable buying products online, is creating and nurturing a brand really that important? After all, if a customer buys from you and has a good experience (receiving an email, placing an order and receiving the product), why wouldn't they buy from you again? Is it the brand you've created and/or marketing or the convenience of ordering online that attracts customers to return again and again?
If You Want to Create a Brand
When sending high volume email to those on your subscriber list, you need to keep in mind your objectives. Building a brand takes time and may or may not result in high sales. On the other hand, branding can lead to long-term customers and repeat business for many years.
If you choose to create a brand, you must be consistent in your marketing efforts. You must promote products that cater to those on your subscriber list and you must provide ongoing quality information subscribers can use in their lives in the form of short newsletters, articles and sales messages. You should also create a business logo, use the same "From" name, and create an opening or closing line that subscribers will instantly relate to your business.
If You Don't...
You don't necessarily need to create a brand to run a successful online business. If you send quality information consistently to those on your mailing list and promote goods and services they want, you should have no trouble making sales. You will, however, miss the opportunity to connect with subscribers - this could result in higher opt-out requests (mostly from subscribers who purchased what they wanted and now see no reason to stay on your list).
So What's the Difference?
You may be wondering what the differences are between creating a brand and going for straight sales. The differences are subtle and mostly come down to how much time you want to spend building a loyal customer base. For example, branding may require you to create email templates that match your business (may include business name, logo, slogan, pictures, etc.). You may also have to send multiple messages each week that contain both sales and informational content.
If going for straight sales, you may offer deeper discounts in messages that aren't formed using templates. The main difference in the connection level you want to have with subscribers.