When people think “online marketing” or even “content marketing,” they typically think of two things — blogs and social media.
Pay-per-click advertising and SEO are probably on their minds as well. And of course there’s always the trendy new social platform of the day — whether it’s a six-second video or the latest way for you to tell people what kind of sandwich you’re having for lunch today.
And then there’s email.
So old-fashioned! So yesterday! There’s nothing sexy about email!
Unless, that is, you happen to find “making a lot of money and enjoying your business” to be sexy.
(We do.)
In that case … email is sexy as all get-out. Here’s why.
Email is intimate
When we go out onto social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, we’re more or less in public. These are social spaces, after all — spots where people congregate.
Email, on the other hand, is where we connect one-on-one.
Messages on social channels can be like trying to shout your message to your prospects from across a crowded street. But a really good email program is like whispering in their ear.
Email is universal
Not everyone likes email. Plenty of people dislike email, especially on Friday at 3:30 when they’re trying to get out of the office.
But virtually all employed people use email.
They know how it works. They check it every day, often every hour. And they don’t forget to look at it for weeks at a time, the way they can with social platforms or blogs.
Email, for a lot of prospects, is the communication path of least resistance. It’s the easy way to get a message in front of your audience and be reasonably sure they’ll see it.
Email converts
This is the biggie.
You should certainly feel free to experiment with making offers from your blog or website, and from social connection outposts.
And when you do, you’ll find what virtually everyone else does — email destroys other channels when it comes time to convert an interested prospect into a happy customer.
Too many content marketers are smart about how to get attention online — but they’re clueless about turning attention into business. Email has consistently proven itself as the tool that will get you there. Which is why the Direct Marketing Association, year after year, recommends it as the highest ROI marketing you can do — online or off.
So if it’s so effective, how come everyone isn’t great at it?
Most commercial email is, frankly, pretty awful. It’s spammy, it’s heavy handed, and it’s boring.
We don’t want that for your content marketing program.
So your homework for today is to mosey over to your free content library and download the ebook on Email Marketing: How to Push Send and Grow Your Business.
Good email content deepens your relationship with your audience through effective subject line writing (getting your messages opened), your distinctive voice (getting those messages read), and delivering quality content your prospect needs and shares with others (inspiring referrals and word-of-mouth).
The ebook will show you how to:
- Get more subscribers for your email list (always the #1 question!)
- Use the three key elements of great subject lines
- Create the kind of content readers will continue to open (and read, and share)
- Create an email program that works for mobile readers
- Use a strategic email content strategy to build trust, rapport, and sales for your business
What’s the right time to put an email content program in place?
The very best time to create your email content is before you write a single word of blog content.
That sounds like an exaggeration, but it’s that important. You don’t want to go through all the work of growing an audience if you have no way to capture their attention and harness it for your business goals.
So what to do if you already have some content marketing in place, but haven’t done much yet with email?
Your homework: Before you leave your desk, go grab the ebook and schedule some time to read it. (It’s a quick read.)
Then identify your next step in building your email program, whether it’s choosing the best provider or fleshing out some content for your first email autoresponder.
Bonus homework: Look through your own email in-box this week. What commercial messages spur your interest? What kinds of subject headers get you to click through? Pay attention to what makes you feel good about a business … and what leaves you cold.
Email may be old-fashioned, but it’s also a fantastic tool to build rapport and increase your profits.
Watch your in-box, because in the next lesson, we’re going to talk about how you can use your email marketing as a customer-friendly “content net” that keeps prospects coming back for more.
– The Copyblogger Team