Part of any company’s marketing strategy should include email marketing. But how many businesses, especially in the landscaping industry, do it? To make it easier for anyone looking to start or refine their email marketing, Paula Warman has some tips on using emails to gain more customers
Best practice for email campaigns
1. Always have a goal in mind – Before running any email marketing campaign know why you are doing it. What do you need or want to gain from sending these emails out? For example is it to close quotes that are open, to get more referrals, gain testimonials or to upsell a service such as cleaning or maintenance.
2. Focus on the value you are offering – For every email campaign you should be focusing on the value you are giving the recipients – even if it appears you are not giving or adding value. For example, if you are chasing open quotes with a view to close, you need to focus on adding your value by indicating your limited availability, and so add an expiry date to that particular quote. Or, if you are sending information such as blogs or news, then it needs to offer quality information that is relevant to the readers, such as garden ideas for a small garden or how to add value to a home with a new driveway, which leads the customer back to you as being the solution.
3. Track your success – Tracking success is made easier using an email management or CRM system such as Mail Chimp or Active Campaign or similar. These platforms allow you to track open rate, people who have unsubscribed and much more. If you are sending emails out manually via outlook or Gmail then you will only be able to track responses.
4. Show your personality – Don’t be afraid to show your personality in the emails. Writing the emails that are more personable will help increase the chance of connecting with the reader. Remember you are the face of your business and so fashion your emails so that people buy into you as well as your company.
Email marketing mistakes to avoid
1. Don’t be spammy – So that your emails don’t come across as ‘spammy’ you need to be focused to your goal for sending them. If the goal is unclear and/or you are not adding any value of note, then don’t send the email. Also be aware of how often you are sending the emails out – for example a daily email would be too much for any campaign.
2. Don’t steer away from your brand – Always think about what message you want to communicate to your clients and think about whether it stays in line with your mission and values? Check that all emails follow your branding guidelines, so the recipients know just by the look of the email that it is you and will open it.
3. Don’t assume anything – Remember that you are the one who has expertise and knowledge in the landscaping and design industry, so don’t assume that the reader will always know what you are talking about. Use appropriate language and terms that a reader will understand and connect with. For example, don’t assume that a reader will understand industry specific regulations or acronyms that you’d use everyday.
4. Don’t forget the unsubscribes – If someone unsubscribes from your mailing list or asks to be taken off your database then make sure you remember to do so. In this climate and the focus on GDPR compliance you need to be aware of your duties. For more information on this, visit www.ico.org.uk.