In a recent report from Content Marketing Institute “87% of B2B marketers say email is one of their top free organic distribution channels.” Effective email marketing can only be so if you have an email database to market to. And your recipients are taking the time to open and read your emails. Not just sending you straight to the trash can.
So how do I build the perfect email database?
It’s about providing value to your perfect target customer. These people have signed up to receive your emails which means they want information from you and are more likely to become paying customers.
This doesn’t give you the license to send them 25 emails a day shoving your products down their digital throats. You’ll find yourself with complaints, unsubscribes and potentially blacklisted.
Thou shalt not spam! Treat others how you like to be treated.
Our inboxes are sacred spaces. And if someone is encroaching on your space and filling it with useless garbage, you know you’re going to scroll straight to the footer looking for that unsub link. But if you take the time to think about how you like your inbox to be treated, and in turn treat your recipients with the same level of respect, you’ll build a high-quality email list of people who are interested in what you’re sending them.
Personally, the emails I like to receive show me that this person or company cares about having me on their email list. They take the time to create carefully curated, interesting and informative content that gives me something to do or something for me to learn. That’s a valuable email!
If you do that, I can promise you’ll never be left unread.
If you build it (trust), they will come.
Once you’ve built a valuable email database you can open the lines of communication. Don’t think of it just as a one-way street. These people are there for you to ask questions, gain feedback on ideas, and even test your new products or website.
It’s not always about beautifully designed marketing pieces, some of the best results I’ve had have been simply from asking personalised questions to gain further insights into my subscribers’ business. By showing an interest in others you can build valuable relationships that can be mutually beneficial.
Increase conversion rates with segmentation
There is nothing more valuable than receiving an email where the content has been tailored specifically to you. Email segmentation gives you the ability to craft unique emails relevant to each customer’s specific needs. HubSpot found “Marketers who use segmented campaigns note as much as a 760% increase in revenue.” There are endless ways to segment your email database nowadays to get right down to the nitty gritty and deliver far superior content.
As an example, one of my clients works with people in the farming industry. They not only segment their database into Country, Region, etc. They delve further into types of farmers, types of crops, types of soil, types of machinery, the list goes on. This means they can send one email to farmers who grow wheat in Western Australia. And another to those who own a vineyard in the Hunter Valley.
As you can see segmentation shows you’ve taken the time to understand the problems your target audiences face and that you care about solving them. Building this kind of rapport with your customer base means they are far more likely to buy from you as well as respect what you have to say.
Not enough info? Use social media to enrich your data
While you’re in the business of software and technology, social media platforms like LinkedIn are in the business of data. They have teams of people dedicated to collecting and enriching data. They will have far more information on your clients than you have. By using these platforms and uploading your list to them you can far better understand your audience. Then market to them accordingly.
Your email database is a valuable business asset.
People pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for email lists. If you’ve spent the time building a database of customers who have bought from you in the past and are likely to buy from you again in the future, the value of your business increases tenfold.
The message here is simple. Building a quality email database is vital to the growth of your business. Sure, you can post and advertise on social media, but email will always remain a more trusted way to communicate. It makes people feel like they’re part of a private conversation and so will be more inclined to respond or ask questions. And that helps you build loyal and trusting relationships – priceless!
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With the above in mind, there’s no better time to take a look at how your current Marketing efforts are going. And discover any areas for improvement.
I’ve created a Tech Success Scorecard. It’s designed to identify your strengths and weaknesses to outline where your focus needs to be to fast-track your growth in 2022.
Your final score will be based on your answers to 23 yes/no questions around Brand Awareness, Marketing effectiveness and Conversion.
Then based on your score, we will provide practical steps for you to take to start smashing your goals.
So, how do you score? Click the image to find out!
