We all love getting emails, right?
It’s like getting a letter in the mail – we get all excited whenever we see a piece of paper with our name on it, even if it’s a bill or a Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes that we’ll never win or a letter asking for donations from your alma mater (stop it Mississippi State).
That same feeling happens when we get email. Well, more or less. You see, while we hate spammy email and delete it with extreme prejudice, we love getting emails that are actually useful and give us engaging, insightful information we want and need.
And these emails can actually spur us to making a buying decision either today or down the road – a fact which a savvy business owner understands and appreciates.
But how do you create an email marketing campaign that people will actually, you know, like? How do we create a system that only sends people marketing emails when they need them? And how do we do this in a cost-effective manner that doesn’t take up all our time?
Since you asked so politely, the answer is simple: automated email marketing (also known as “drip marketing” or lead nurturing.)
Teaching Robots How to Send Email
Imagine this scenario.
You’re a business owner looking for Widgetocalypse v2.0, the pièce de résistance of widgets and gadgets for your industry. It claims to do a million wonderful things your business simply can’t do without. You want to buy it at first glance. But, you’re smart. (It’s why you’re a business owner.)
You need more information. You want to learn more about Widgetocalypse before you just spend your hard-earned dollars on it. So, you sign up for an email newsletter on the manufacturer’s website. Lo and behold, you get an email from the maker about Widgetocalypse. It’s a nice email, nothing too pushy (take notes, Mississippi State), that explains the product and what it does. It also allows you to go to the online store and put in an order for the product.
“Nice info,” you say, “but I’m not convinced.” You ignore the email.
Two weeks later, you get another email. It’s similar to the first email, but instead of a link to buy the product, it offers something else: a link to download a white paper on the product. You like to read, and a white paper sounds like it can better explain what Widgetocalypse does. But, you don’t quite have time and you decide to ignore that email, too.
Then, a couple of weeks later, you get a third email. This email has something glorious – a video. “Ooh,” you say, “I love videos. I did the ice bucket challenge and everything.” So you click on it – and are amazed by the slick production you see in front of you. You go to the website and immediately buy the product so you can obtain all the great benefits Widgetocalypse has to offer.
Whether you know it or not, you were just a victim of automated email marketing.
Automated email marketing is teaching robots how to email. You take a series of emails that gradually and steadily give the user more and more information based on what decisions they make. If they ignore the first email or don’t respond to it or click on the link, they get another email. Maybe this email offers interesting stats and facts. Maybe it has a white paper. Maybe it has a video. Either way, it gives your user the option of something to do, some action to take.
If they don’t take that action, they get another email some time later. And another, and another – all with more options. This is all up until a point, of course; if they ignore a long string of emails, chances are they’re just not that interested. (It’s just like in high school, with Katherine and – you know, I’ll stop. Bringing up bad memories.)
The process is automated. You only invest time in creating the emails and loading them into the system. Then, you click a button and voila – the system takes over and sends emails out one at a time like a merciless Terminator.
Does Automated Email Marketing Really Work?
That’s the $64,000 question. Does automated email marketing really work? Wouldn’t it just annoy your customers?
For starters, you probably have their email address because they want to receive information from you. They gave it to you willingly. We all value information that is helpful and engaging and tells us something we didn’t already know – especially when we volunteer for it.
That people want this information is why automated email marketing works. You give them exactly what they need, when they need it, so they can make an informed decision. You stay top-of-mind so that when they do decide to buy, they’re more likely to buy from you. And you give them material that builds authority and brand recognition.
Plus, you do all of this through a powerful legion of robots that exist only to email.
Yes, automated email marketing really does work. It helps generate billions in revenue for companies all across the globe each year. It does this by taking a lead – someone who is interested in what you have to offer – and bringing them along until they are ready to make a decision.
Of course, it doesn’t work if you don’t do it. But you already knew that.
Set New Revenue Goals with Automated Email Marketing
Success feels great. Many times it has a rich, luxurious smell, the smell of freshly-printed money. It’s even better when you have success without really doing anything beyond creating a few emails and putting the robots to work.
This year, strongly consider adding automated email marketing to your list of marketing tactics. You can generate more qualified leads for your business and turn them into actual, paying customers. They get what they need, you get more money – everyone wins. (Not you, Mississippi State.)
Want to get started or learn more? Talk to us and we’ll be glad to help you get your campaign started like we have for many of our clients. But hurry – those email robots don’t wait around for anyone.
