Don’t abandon relationship building
Posted by Nic Winters on April 20th, 2009
With today’s economy bearing down on marketing budgets around the country, many marketers are turning to email marketing to maximize the ROI for their marketing buck.
As marketers begin to feel more heat on their email marketing strategies, it is easy to begin considering weeding out email campaigns that don’t directly generate sales. However, in this economy it is even more important than in the past to continue building relationships with your customers/subscribers. Even if your monthly newsletter only provides information and doesn’t include sales opportunities, this doesn’t mean you should begin cutting out these campaigns to save marketing dollars.
Don’t fall into the trap of sending only “sales blasts” that don’t offer up any incentives for your readers to continue opening your future emails. Instead be persistent in strengthening your relationships by offering relevant information that your subscribers can continue to expect when they see your email arrive in their inbox.
If you come across opposition in sending out these emails that don’t immediately lead to profits, consider incorporating an ad banner in a side column of your email newsletter that promotes your products/services without overpowering your relevant messaging. Another option to consider is selling ad space within your newsletters to bring in additional revenue. See my blog post from earlier this year on this topic for ideas on how to optimize your emails with relevant ad banners.
Take a step back and realize that this is a key time to stay at the top of your customers’ minds. They may not be ready to purchase today, but continue to build your relationship… and you could be the first thought that comes to mind when they are ready to purchase in the near future.
Has your company had success in growing relationships through email that eventually generated sales? We would love to hear your story!
I admire the time and effort you put into your blog. I wish I had the same drive