Even though the ultimate goal of email marketing campaigns is to sell goods and services, building solid relationships with subscribers has many perks. In addition to receiving repeat business, subscribers will turn to you when they need information about a specific area within the niche/industry/market you cater to. This puts you in the unique position of being an 'expert.' But how do you know when it's time to sell and time to just inform?
Inform and Educate
Informing and educating subscribers should take place immediately. Whether you publish a weekly newsletter or send two or three informational mass email messages each month, providing quality content upfront is essential to build a long-lasting relationship with subscribers. It is only after proving your value can you then realistically expect people to spend money on your goods and services.
When developing an email campaign, mark the first three to five messages as informational only. Give it at least two weeks before sending a sales message. This allows new subscribers to get comfortable receiving messages from you.
Selling to Subscribers
After the first three to five informational messages, send a sales messages that provides information about the types of goods and services you sell. This message should be a 'soft sell,' which means you introduce the product, list features and benefits, and include a link to your website where subscribers can place an order. Don't include a special offer or discount just yet. Get subscribers interested first.
Mixing it Up
Continue in this pattern (three to five informational messages and then one sales message) to see how subscribers respond. Your second sales message can be a 'hard sell,' which means you up the ante a little and offer a free gift or discount on a purchase. As you continue this pattern, make your sales messages a little more difficult to resist. For example, place a time limit on when subscribers can receive a discount or free gift. Mention that you only provide these special opportunities a few times during the year.
A Delicate Balance
Test your campaign frequently by sending more or less informational and sales email content to see how subscribers react. You may receive feedback that you're sending too many sales messages and not enough informational ones. Or your offers may not be enough to encourage additional sales. Unfortunately, you can only learn by doing - each list is different so testing is necessary to determine optimum information vs. sales balance.