Not long ago I met the daughter of a local restaurant owner. She was starting to get her feet wet with social media marketing for the restaurant. She had done some work with the current email list, however, she was disappointed with the results of using the list. After talking with her for a few minutes, I quickly identified a few areas that needed improvement.
No matter the size of the business, from a restaurant to high value luxury car sales, most businesses are missing out on potential sales when it comes to email marketing. People expect to see emails in their inboxes and will read them, if they are interested.
Here are some mistakes to watch out for with email marketing:
you have to ask. How much money are you spending on advertising to drive people to your store, call you on the phone, or drive them to your website?
Email marketing is the most cost-effective way to stay in touch with your current and potential customers. You need to ask them for their emails. With the current proliferation of email, many will be reluctant to give you their email unless you offer them something of value in return (more on this later).
Hear your customers as you serve them and keep an eye out for an open door. My husband and I recently visited several RV showrooms looking for a travel trailer. Only one vendor out of all the places we have visited asked me for our email address. He discovered that we were willing to purchase a used unit if it met our needs. He asked if he could email me when they got a trade. Hooked! Of course I didn’t care. It was something he was looking for and I didn’t have to look far.
you need to be consistent. Back to my discussion with the restaurant. They had a list of names, however, they only emailed every two weeks or so, and then sent information about a sale. His open rate was almost nil. We developed a plan where she emailed two to three times a week.
Once a week I was to mention the specials for that week, a free dessert, drink, appetizer, etc. The other times were sending favorite recipes. It even hosts a contest where customers can submit their favorite recipe. She promises her dad, the chef, that she will try the recipe and if it passes inspection, it will be served for a week at the restaurant with a sign on the table giving credit to the creator. They have customers rate the recipe and once a month they make a dish and submit the recipe of the month. Their email open rates have increased multiple times because people want to get the recipe of the week and follow the winners.
Be creative. Ask your customers what they would like to know about in your email communications. What can you do that is fun and interesting?
You must have a reason why someone would be willing to give you their email address.. Simply asking for the email at the end of the sales process is not enough. If you simply say “Do you want to join our email list?” the standard answer will be “no”. In the case of the RV vendor, he explained to me that they divide their email addresses into the type of unit someone is looking for and would only receive an email for “toy haulers” that matched our needs.
Think about what goes through the customer’s mind when you ask them for an email. “Why do you want my email?” “What is for me?” “Are you going to send me a bunch of junk mail?” Tell them specifically what they can expect if they join your list. “Would you like to join our weekly recipe email where we send you recipes voted the best by our customers?” “Would you like to be part of our discount club?”
When it comes to your website, you need a subscription that anyone who visits your site can see. You need to show them how they can sign up to be a part of your list. And you need to show them a reason to become part of your list. Don’t hide the fact that you have something of value to offer your visitors.
In conclusion, summarize the reason you joined your email in 1-2 sentences and be consistent when requesting the email. Once you have their address, treasure it like gold. Always send valuable and relevant information. People will start searching for your emails and you will build an ongoing relationship with your customers.