How to Build Business With Current Customers With Email Advertising

Email marketing has a response rate approximately five times the response rate of typical direct mail campaigns and 25 times the rate of Internet banner advertisements, according to the email marketing organization Constant Contact. With an email advertising and marketing campaign, you can engage, inform and educate your current customers in a personalized way, which hardly any other form of advertising allows.

• 1

  Subscribe to an email marketing autoresponder service. Select an email marketing package based on the number of subscribers the vendor allows you to have, how many email messages it allows you to send per month and any "extras" (e.g., email templates) offered.

• 2

  Advertise your free newsletter to current customers. Place the URL of the Web page that contains the autoresponder box on customer receipts and announcements throughout your business. Tell customers to sign up for free news, advice and/or "extras" for customer appreciation.

• 3

  Customize the welcome email, which is the first email customers receive when signing up to your email newsletter. Thank the customer for signing up. Customize a second introductory email message that gets sent to the customer after the welcome email. Write a short preview of the kinds of topics you'll be covering in your email newsletter and write about the benefits the customer will receive, such as discounts, high-value information and special coupons.

• 4

  Type out a series of emails that contain the content you plan to deliver to customers. Type emails that each contain a different message for the purpose of building trust and your relationship with customers. Focus on a specific topic with each message. For example, share your expertise concerning some issue that can help educate customers. Tell your customers about an important problem or dilemma that one of your specialized products or services can solve. Or tell an engaging story of success that can motivate your customers. Give your customers a clear "call to action" that directs them to take some action, such as clicking on a link to your website, to a video you've made or to a free, downloadable e-book.

• 5

  Type a series of "promotional" emails designed to stimulate interest in a product or service you have to offer. Tell customers how the product or service can benefit them. Place a link in the email message to a coupon, special discount or one-time-offer the customer can use.

• 6

  Type email messages for the purpose of getting your customers to interact with you. Set up an online survey so you can get feedback from customers, and include the link to this survey in the email message. Tell customers to hit the "Reply" button and give you their opinion on some topic, issue or submit a question that you'll answer in your next email message to subscribers.

• 7

  Log into your email marketing account to manage your subscribers and email marketing list. View the performance of the emails you send. Look for the number of subscribers you have on your list and compare this to the number of people that click links or follow the "call to action" you present in your email messages. Take note of the type of links that subscribers click on, how many people click on the links and which links get very little response at all. Take this information and use it to tweak future email advertising messages to your customers.