Introduction
Getting people to buy goods and services is tough. With so much out there to choose from, intense competition both online and off, fickle and picky customers, and economic ups and downs, selling has turned into a complex game of who's-buying-what-at-which-time. And even though advances in advertising such as email marketing continue to prove popular when it comes to turning a profit, how you approach people is very different from your approach five or ten years ago.
Once a upon a time, all you needed to do was send a few messages each week enticing people to visit your store or website. You may have included a few tips, advice, or discounts to get people to try your products and services. Then you sat back and waited for the people to come - which they did.
But as the years went by, did you start to notice that you needed to do more - include more quality content, host a pod cast or webinar, create an email series or eCourse to get people to even look at what you had to offer? This happened because people become better shoppers. Armed with the Internet, people can now research, review, preview, and sample goods and services before buying them. Comparison shopping has turned into an event in and of itself.
This means that you have to do even more to get people to make a purchase. But there is hope. Even though customer's needs and attitudes towards sales may have changed, the psychology remains the same - show the customer something of value and they will buy from you. What's changed is how you go about showing this value - especially when it comes to email marketing.
Throughout this guide, you will learn how to lead customer's through the sales process. Some people will eagerly follow; others will take a little more coaxing. Some will make it to the end; others will drift off mid-way through. But if you can stabilize sales and maintain steady profits, you will be (remain) successful.
First Sales Message
Today's email campaigns are very similar to traditional courtships. First, you meet and spend some time getting to know each other - what you like, what you don't like, what you need, what you don't need, etc. Then you move on to spending more time together to see if there's a real future. If you move too quickly, you may scare the other person away. Move too slow and they may leave you out of boredom or for another suitor.
Sending your first sales message too soon or too late usually spoils the rest of the relationship. Even though you may be eager to move into the next phase and get people to make a purchase, if you don't allow them time to get to know you and your business, they will flee.
Send your first sales message after:
- Subscriber completes an email series or eCourse (usually five to seven days)
- Subscriber receives three or four email messages containing informational content
- Subscriber requests sales information from you
- Subscriber receives free special report or eBook from you
Depending on your marketing campaign, you should send the first sales message after subscribers receive something of value from you. Never send a sales message immediately after the welcome message as this indicates that you're only goal is to make a sale.
An email series, eCourse, informational content, special report, or an eBook show that you're serious about taking care of subscriber wants and needs. Make sure this content is of the very best quality - similar to going out on a first date - you want to look your best. Once you've shown what you have to offer, then you can start sending sales messages. Be careful and don't send too many sales messages at once. After the first message, continue to showcase your value by sending more quality content.
Product Suggestions
In some cases, providing quality content may be enough to spark subscriber interest and make a few sales. Depending on the market, those who sign up may be ready to buy and just need a little reassurance that you're a legitimate business owner. Other people may need more time. Continue to pursue subscribers using quality content and by making periodic product/service suggestions.
You can do this in a few ways. Send an email message that contains a short list of your best selling products/services along with a link to your website or wait until people visit your site and then send suggestions based on the types of products/services they looked at.
Suggesting products/services creates a more personalized shopping experience. For many people, this is necessary for them to become comfortable in making a purchase. Others find it a convenient and fun way to shop. When sending product suggestions, try not to be pushy - instead gently suggest a few items along with links to product pages on your site.
Discounts/Special Offers
Now it's time to send out a discount or special offer (free shipping or discount off future purchase). By this point, you should understand more about subscribers and vice versa. Hopefully, they've taken the time to visit your business location or website. If not, sending a discount may prompt them to do so. When sending a discount or other offer:
- Place a time limit (one week, two days, etc.) to get people to make a decision quickly
- Clearly state offer (specific percentage off, free shipping when spending over a certain amount)
- List products/services that are eligible
- List any other information subscribers need to know
At this point, you've built up a certain level of trust in the relationship. Don't spoil it by failing to explain how your discount/special offer works. Once subscribers find out they've been duped (even if that wasn't your intent), they may opt-out of your mailing list and run away forever.
The number of discounts/special offers you send depends on how successful previous offers were and how much you can afford to lose by providing discounts. Some companies send discount offers everyday knowing that the volume of sales will make up for the loss they take in discounting products and services. You need to determine the threshold for profit/loss when it comes to discounting items.
Also, send too many special offers and they won't be special anymore. It's like sending flowers to your significant other every day - it just becomes common and predictable after awhile. Companies that send daily discounts run the risk of people deleting the messages without reading them because they take for granted that another will be there tomorrow. You need to gauge how often to send special offers and stick to a schedule that brings in the most business.
Additional Information
By now, you should have built a pretty good relationship with subscribers. You should see an increase in sales (or at least sales that remain stable). Now it's time to start offering more advanced or difficult-to-find information that will be of some real value to subscribers.
This is to keep subscribers from becoming bored and complacent. You may need to create a webinar, interview an expert, conduct research and write a case study, or publish a whitepaper about a topic within your niche market. This type of information may make the difference between buying from you once and buying from you again and again.
For the most part, once a customer finds a business they're happy with, they won't research other businesses unless something drastic happens (bad content, increase in prices; decrease in product/service quality). If you can get a subscriber to follow you through the sales process from beginning to end, you will probably have that customer for a very long time. This means steady profits, referrals, and an audience that listens to what you have to say because you've proven your worth.
Maxmail HQ
Maxmail HQ is a premier email marketing service you can use throughout your entire email marketing campaign. From sending unique content to autoresponders encouraging subscribers to visit your website, this service provides all the tools necessary to create, manage, and build an email campaign. Features include:
Ability to customize list fields for segmentation purposes
- Email templates for easy design
- Design features such as Drag & Drop editing
- Ability to import and save images and other files
- Integration with social media
- Ability to create and send autoresponder messages
- Advanced list cleaning
- Organize and manage multiple lists at the same time
- Adjust send frequency as needed
Maxmail HQ takes the guess work out of creating and managing an email campaign. Armed with the knowledge you gained from this guide in conjunction with the features Maxmail HQ has to offer, you can start promoting your business online in no time!
For more information, check out these instructional Maxmail HQ videos:
Maxmail HQ: Customer Engagement
Maxmail HQ: The Power of Customer Satisfaction
Maxmail HQ: SMS for Instant Gratification
Maxmail HQ: ROI Driven Marketing
Maxmail HQ: Easy Mail Marketing, Social Media, SMS and Surveys
Maxmail HQ: High Volume Email Marketing