In a world dominated by social media, it is common to hear statements like “Email is dead.” The truth is just the opposite, email is still on the rise and an email marketing strategy can bring a huge amount of value to your business when used strategically as part of your integrated marketing plan.
With email, the control is placed back into the hands of the brand. While there are best practices, there is no character limit, no set template that you have to use and no algorithm keeping your audience from viewing your message.
You are given a blank canvas on which to share your brand story, drive sales, and even invite your audience to share insights. Using your email list you can request personalized feedback on things like your existing products and packaging or how and when they use your products. You can even solicit feedback about new product concepts.
It doesn’t matter whether you are starting with a large list of emails or just a few people. Remember that each person on your email list is someone who could buy your product and become a brand advocate for you to their family and friends. If you haven’t already added email to your integrated marketing strategy, you can take ownership of your audience and build relationships on a deeper level to connect with them beyond what is possible through social media alone. Together, email and social media are a powerful combination!
Think of social media as a cool apartment you are renting, whereas your email list is a house that you own. There are benefits to both, but you don’t have as much control over social media because you don’t own that real estate. The rules can, and do, change at a moment’s notice. While building an email list can take time and effort, it represents an opportunity to provide real value to your subscribers as you build a relationship with them over time.
Take a listen as Katie and Anna talk about how and why email can help build your food or beverage brand, and grab your free download How to Get Started With Email Marketing from Anna at Sonnenberg Media.
In This Episode:
- Why email is an important part of your integrated marketing strategy
- Why email is the perfect place to share your brand’s story
- How email can be used to drive sales both online and in brick and mortar stores
- How to use email to solicit customer feedback
- How feedback helps your customers feel invested in your brand
- Why email gives you more ownership over your audience than social media
- How often you should email
- How to balance the types of content in your emails
- Why you should link ecommerce with your email marketing service
- Ways to use automated emails
Quotes:
“It doesn’t matter how big your email list is, every email you send has the power to tell your customers and your subscribers more about your brand.” — @SonnenbergMedia
“Email is your space as a brand to communicate exactly what you want customers to know and how you want them to think about you.” — @SonnenbergMedia
“You can get a ton of value from email marketing, you just have to start the conversation.” — @SonnenbergMedia
“When you’re sending messages that matter, customers are going to like and trust your brand more.” — @SonnenbergMedia
Resources:
