Professionals in many visual industries are doing a lot of their marketing on social media. And although social media can be an incredibly powerful tool, it should not be the only strategy you use to market your business. Email marketing will be one of your top lead-generating marketing strategies — here is why:
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Newsletters are just as visual as social media
You can send emails to segmented audiences, based on their interests
You can’t send emails without a sign-up — which means you know your audience is interested in what you have to say
You don’t own social media
You can offer specials
Let’s look into each of these further:
Newsletters are just as visual as social media
Social media is a great medium for your clients or potential clients because it’s visual and you can attract them where they already are. But email marketing is just as visual, and you have better control over how many photos and what photos you can show.
According to Business Insider, 98.4 percent of Americans with email check their email at least once a day. Keeping in mind that you do not want to chase your prospective clients, email is another great way to be where they are looking.
You can send emails to segmented audiences, based on their interests
When your audiences sign up for your email list, you can ask them qualifying questions. This can include things like:
- Destinations of interest (for travel)
- Size of home/number of rooms/budget (for homes)
- Favorite food (for restaurants)
You can also create different sign-ups, so you don’t have to ask qualifying questions. For instance, you can have a sign-up form on your shovel page and a separate sign-up on your hammer page (as a very generic example). While I wouldn’t recommend this, this is a great way to know who is interested in certain ideas.
You can’t send emails without a sign-up — which means you know your audience is interested in what you have to say
Although email has always been a strict medium, in terms of security, it has become even more in recent years. With privacy issues being brought to light on many different online mediums (Facebook, etc.), all online platforms must be very strict with their rules. Your company needs to follow these same rules in order to keep the privacy of your customers’ information.
However, the upside of this means that you will not be adding anyone to your email list that did not request being added. When sending an email, you know your audience was at least interested enough to request that you send them this information. This is an incredibly powerful idea, and it means you should be sending relevant messages to the person who believed you would be able to help them with their travel plans.
You don’t own social media
One day, Facebook or Instagram or YouTube or any of the other social media platforms may fold — and where will that leave you and all the investment you put into those platforms?
You own your email list, and therefore you will be able to market to them until they decide to leave your email list.
Plus, signing up for an email shows a higher level of commitment than hitting “like” on a Facebook page. When someone new signs up for your email newsletter, you know they are interested in your product and they want to hear more.
You can offer specials
Everyone loves deals, and we generally are given specials by our suppliers to promote to our clients. What better way to promote these specials than by finding your way into the email box of someone already interested in that destination?
By using your segmentation, you can send specific promotions to people who are looking to utilize your services to the destination they are looking to go to. This will help give them the extra nudge they need to pick up the phone and book your services.
There are so many ways to promote your business, and email may be just one of your tactics. But using email marketing will help your customers know who you are and what you can offer them.