Throughout the years, the Internet has become a huge part of our daily lives. As a matter of fact, it has become one of the main channels for sharing information as well as communication. The Internet has, without a doubt, surpassed even the other mediums used for these purposes. Because of this, it is only natural for businesses to eventually utilize the power of the internet to grow and develop.
A lot of businesses have decided to replace their old methods of marketing and promotion with varying types of online marketing. Others have just simply added online marketing with their previous methods.
There are different kinds of online marketing. Some create social networks to promote their business. Others use SEO or search engine optimization to have their website show up in search engines.
There are also businesses that use email marketing. This type of online marketing has been long-standing and great support for businesses that are trying to generate sales. In fact, it has many benefits and roles in a sales funnel or sales process of a business.
However, there are some people who are hesitant in using email marketing. This is because they believe that it is an old school method that is now dead. But statistics say otherwise, and supports that the approach is still very much alive.
According to research, email marketing has been found to be an effective marketing method compared to other digital channels. The same research also found that the majority of people view it favorably with 53.4% of the respondents rating it as excellent or good.
Further, another piece of research suggests that email is the most preferred approach for consumers to get promotions and updates from businesses. This report also shows that 99% of consumers check their email daily.
Roles of Email Marketing on Your Sales Funnel
People who own a business should have a clear insight into how they will attract and build customers and sell products. Most people create a sales funnel to help them illustrate the path that their potential client goes through towards becoming a customer.
Before customers do make any actual purchases, they go through the different steps in the sales funnel. The following steps in generating sales for any product or service are usually presented in the shape of a funnel, narrowing towards the Purchase and Post Sale steps.
This can assist business owners in analyzing their business as well as identifying the areas which require improvements.
Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools for every marketing and sales team. As a matter of fact, it plays a helpful role in the sales funnel of every business. Email marketers should consider these steps and tailor the email content to succeed in guiding the prospect to actual purchase. When it is utilized correctly, it can turn potential clients into customers and even loyal customers.
1) Provides Brand Awareness
Email marketing is often used to introduce the business, brand, products or services to a potential client. Of course, for new potential clients, you wouldn’t want to bombard them with sales talk immediately. Through email marketing, businesses can build their potential client’s trust before they proceed to the next move.
This is crucial since an email may break or make the business. Remember that first impressions last. One wrong move and the potential client may unsubscribe to the business’ emails.
Furthermore, an email will filter the targeted audience. This is important since businesses would only need to bring in their targeted audience to their sales funnel. As strangers or potential clients receive the email, they learn whether the brand or product fits for them. A marketing email may also let potential clients become aware of a solution to their problems and needs. This can potentially lure them to make a purchase afterward. An email marketer can consider sending content such as infographics, informative videos, and articles, or tips and tricks.
2) Cultivates the interests of the customers
The email marketer will follow-up the introductory mail to turn brand awareness into a deeper interest with the product or service. This can be done by providing access to in-depth articles, white papers, webinars. As a deeper discussion of the product or service will need longer attention span, the marketer may include in the email links to which the prospective customer may be able to return to later.
Cross-linking, or the provision of backlinks, forward/next or back/previous buttons, is a good technique to help the reader navigate through the sections of the emailed items. This will also help the prospect retain an interest in the discussion of the product or service. Clarity, brevity, and eye-candy should be the key features of the email materials that will generate, maintain, and retain the prospective customer’s interest.
3) Nurtures the need or desire of the product or service
After the prospect’s interest in the product or service is developed, he is ready to consider what uses and benefits he may gain from it. Is the product or service the right one for his needs? The email marketer should now provide testimonials, case studies, and demonstrations that will help his prospects have an intensive understanding of the features and benefits of the product or service.
Emailed materials may include how others have gained from the product or service, in what areas were the benefits mainly observed, and how they have been put to use. Inasmuch as there is no such thing as ‘one-size fits all’, this will be an opportunity to discuss the versatility of the product or service and how possible some customization may be made.
4) Helps customers evaluate a brand or product from competitors
A business can utilize their email marketing in assisting potential customers to evaluate their brand, services, or products. Datasheets, comparative tables, and FAQs in the email will help prospects select the best product or service from among the many competitors. Send out content on why a person should buy your product or service. Provide facts on why your product or service is much better than the other companies. Once a potential customer gets presented with the information needed to help them decide whether they should buy a particular company’s service or product, they may then be steered in making a purchase.
5) Lures customers into making a purchase
After the introduction of the brand, product, or service, consideration of its necessity or desire, and evaluation among its competitors, a customer can then be lured into making a purchase. Email marketers can send out contents such as promotional offers, discounts, coupons or rebates, and free trials. This will help the prospect in deciding to actually use and purchase the product or service. Email marketing has the role of turning a person from being a potential client into a customer.
6) Build customer loyalty and satisfaction
After-sales service should be provided to encourage repeat sales, cross sales and upsells. Gaining a customer isn’t the only goal of a business. It also aims in building a customer base. And a customer base won’t really increase if each one you earn, doesn’t come back after the initial purchase. Email marketing can be used to build the satisfaction of a customer after they made a purchase. This can be done by sending out special discounts for their next purchase. Another method to increase post sales can be done by sending exclusive content to those who have made a purchase.
Author Bio
Patrick Bailey is a professional writer mainly in the fields of mental health, addiction, and living in recovery. He attempts to stay on top of the latest news in the addiction and the mental health world and enjoy writing about these topics to break the stigma associated with them. Patrick is currently a writer for Mountain Springs Recovery as well as on his own blog.
