Don’t Buy E-mail Lists

If they didn’t sign up for your e-mail list, then they aren’t a qualified customer. Buying their e-mail won’t make them buy your product. Don’t take shortcuts, collect your e-mail list the honest way.

Collect and Segment Your List by Customer Location

Are your customers walk-ins or Web shoppers? Locals and Web shoppers can be given different deals and coupons.

Invitations to local events shouldn’t go to Web shoppers who don’t live near your store. It frustrates them when you offer deals they can’t use. If I signed up for your e-mail list online, send me online offers only. Don’t frustrate your shoppers. The easiest way to sort by location: ask them to enter their Post code when they sign up.

Customers are Just as Important as Buyers

Ask every customer if they’d like updates on sales and specials. This is a great way to get them to come back and buy. Ask what motivated them to come to your business. Offer 10 percent off the next service/ item they were looking at and they’re much more likely to come back.

Design Pages for Specific E-mail Campaigns

Bring the e-mail marketing campaign you’ve spent time carefully crafting onto your Web site. If your e-mail marketing ad says “40 percent off today only,” then make sure that message is reinforced when they land on your site, add the message to every page.

Design a landing page specifically for those e-mail marketing shoppers.

Don’t Push

If they bounce, that’s fine. Not everyone is in a shopping mood every time they receive an e-mail from you. Try not to push with follow-ups on the same promotion.

Also, make it easy to unsubscribe, and take it one step further. Occasionally go through your list and look for users who bounce every time you e-mail them. Send them an e-mail stating you’ve seen they’ve bounced a lot, and you don’t want to bother them if they aren’t interested. You’ll lose some, but your concern may be the tactic that gets them on board with you.

Use Your List

Don’t collect them and forget them. It takes a lot of work to get a great e-mail marketing list together, so use it when you get it dialed in. Don’t overuse it, once a month or so is great. Too much more is bothersome, unless you have the business that supports sending out new offers frequently.

Your visitors, shoppers, and buyers are a great resource. They can be your brand evangelists, your community bullhorn, and a great way to ensure continued ROI for your online and brick and mortar business. Take care of them by keeping them up to date on what’s happening with your business, and they’ll take care of you by becoming good friends, great customers, and excellent marketers.