EDITORIALFEATURE
Avoid These 3 Common Barriers to
Email Marketing Success
By Craig Klein, SalesNexus.com CEO
T
he buzz in marketing circles is increasing about how email marketing has
made a huge comeback. Many advocates of social media predicted the
demise of emails as a marketing channel
because of the bulging volume of emails
received today. Since the buyers are in total control of the marketplace, the truth is
the exact opposite.
pany is so weary and wary of it. You have
reason to think your sales leads will hate
getting an automated email marketing
campaign. To rise above, your emails must
be more than merely promotional. They
must be informative and offer intrinsic
value that is useful to your prospect and
independent of your company, service, or
product.
“Spammy”, promotional emails are rejected by your sales leads. Informative,
engaging, and entertaining emails are welcomed. The key to profiting in the email
marketing world is about sZeeing the
recipient’s needs. Ask yourself what your
ideal customer wants to know about your
product or service before they connect
with your company. Deliver that information to sales leads via email campaigns and
you are golden – literally.
The Fear Factor
Why aren’t more companies getting
their email programs going? Here are
three common reasons:
1. They are afraid of being considered spam.
2. They are afraid of the task of writing and don’t know how to find
someone cost-effective to do it
for them.
3. They are so focused on sales that
their emails are all promotional
and send potential prospects
running away.
If the content creation is not something
you want to tackle alone, a professional writer can do it for you. The task of
finding and managing a writer’s work has
never been faster, easier, or more cost effective. The internet connects writers all over
the world with clients of every type. Increased competition among wri-ters has
made their services more affordable.
Overcome these common obstacles
and get started creating your email marketing campaign today. Let’s address the
obstacles listed above one at a time:
The Spam Factor
This year, a whopping 84% of all email traffic will be spam. No wonder your com-
Writing effective email marketing articles
is a specialized skill set. There are clearly
defined techniques which should be effective for anybody. To master the writing is
easy. Master your fear and abandon your
preconceptions about what you can or
cannot do. When you clearly look at what
is in your skill set, you will know the next
step. Find the time to determine your
best way to create your email content.
The Sales Factor
Your emails should identify and address a
prospect’s specific needs or pains. These
will be the same pain points your product
or service ultimately addresses.
If you provide industrial sprinkler systems, your article may focus on three
ways water damage can destroy a building,
or the five hidden costs of poorly irrigated or outdated sprinkler systems. If your
company provides personal therapeutic
massage, you may want to offer articles on
the four hidden costs of physical pain and
discomfort in the workplace, or the five
risks of irreversible damage due to certain
chronic conditions.
Don’t include your own product or
service in the article, a promotional red
flag. At any given time, only 3% of the
public is interested in buying a particular
product or service. People always want
something for free and information has
never been a more widely traded or more
valued commodity. Give your sales leads
valuable information that will win their
trust. Build your credibility as an industry
expert. When their need is sufficiently excited by the information you sent, they will
turn to you to fulfill those needs.
Email Marketing Takes Time
Once you launch your email marketing
campaign you must stick with it. You have
made a commitment and you should honor it with time, patience, and diligence. An
email campaign has several steps including
qualifying a prospect and emails to address
frequently asked questions (FAQs). Be
prepared to see your campaign through
every step.
In the old days, you pushed your advertising out to the public hoping that
someone would respond. Today, we use
email marketing at a much lower cost to
pull the sales lead toward what we offer
using a marketing automation within our
CRM software. Research shows that it is a
very good investment. Isn’t it time to get
started?
Craig Klein is the founder and CEO of SalesNexus.
com. SalesNexus is the leading provider of CRM,
Email Marketing, and Lead Generation Solutions to
business-2-business sales teams.
[ APRIL 2014 ] www.SBTMagazine.net 11