Best Practices For Arizona Email Marketing

Building An Automated Prospecting and Conversion System

Communication is the key to any good automated prospecting, retention and referral program. An Arizona email marketing campaign, used in the right way, is a low cost alternative to print mail and can be extremely effective in increasing sales.

Buying an Arizona Email Marketing List

When most businesses think of Arizona email marketing they think of buying a list of email addresses and blasting out communications that hopefully send prospects back to their website. This is similar to print mailing where you are targeting large numbers of people and hoping for a 1-2% response. While there is some merit to this method, the money will always be in the quality of the list. There are ways of finding targeted lists of people who have agreed to be emailed – industry trade shows, community groups, business organizations, chamber groups, etc. Paying to use these types of organization lists are much more effective and keep your business out of trouble with spamming laws (CAN-SPAM Act).

Creating Your Own Arizona Email Marketing List

The most effective Arizona email list is one your company builds itself. This is known as opt in email marketing where your Arizona PPC advertising sends prospects through “opt-in” web pages. Opt-in pages, also called “squeeze pages”, act as a filtering and sorting system for your marketing campaigns.

An opt-in web page is a simple page that captures a Suspect or Prospect first name and email address in exchange for valuable

information (a video, a promo code, a special report). When someone enters their contact information, it should be added (with the right system, this can be automatic) to your contact list under “Suspect” or “Prospect” depending on the advertisement they are responding to.

Following the opt-in, a series of “autoresponders” are sent via email. Autoresponders are emails that get the Suspect or Prospect to take further action.

Here is a diagram illustrating this process:

Email Marketing System

Email Marketing System

Writing Effective Emails

The key to an effective email marketing campaign is to deliver value in every communication and have a single goal in mind – read a newsletter, click on a link, watch a video, purchase something, etc.

Longer sales cycles and higher prices demand even more time to build trust. Trust-based selling is the key to automating your sales process and converting prospects without picking up the phone.

Trust during these initial phases of a relationship can be gained in a very simple way:

  • Use multiple serial (one after another) contacts – drip emails, ebooks, special reports, webinars, videos, audio interviews – that are informational in nature and designed to pull the prospect closer to the sale.
  • Provide testimonials and social proof – people will be more likely to say yes to your request if you give them evidence that other people like them have been saying yes to it.

By providing information, you position your company as a trusted advisor, not a sales organization. This is very powerful ‘positioning’. It keeps your prospect coming back to your company for advice and pulls the market towards your product or service.

Relevant information works as a form of ‘reciprocity’. When you provide something of value, people naturally feel a strong pressure to do something in return.

What do I say in the emails?

The goal of the email drip campaign is to build a burning desire for what you are selling and further develop the trust of the prospect.

  • The emails should be personalized – this means using the prospects name at least 3 times in each email.
  • The content of the emails should be education based and bring some form of value to the reader – Example: break up the 10 features and benefits of your product or service into 10 pieces (1 per email).
  • Integrate testimonials into each email that give compelling social proof.
  • Include 3 links in your message that drive the reader to your sales page.
  • Once someone buys or contacts you, take them off the Prospect list.

 

How often should I send an email?

For retention and referral campaigns where you are sending a newsletter, the frequency should be no more than twice per month unless there is a promotional need for contact.

For opt in email campaigns that are set on an autoresponder best practice is one email every day for ten days. People are most interested the day they first made contact. You have the best chance of getting a sale when a prospect’s interest is peaked.

After the first 10 emails, reduce the frequency but never quit:

  • After the first 10, then every other day for 2 weeks (7 more emails)
  • Then once per week for 4 weeks (4 more emails)
  • Then once per month for 12 months (12 more emails)
  • Special promotions are separate and are done ad-hoc

If someone doesn’t buy, why keep running the drip campaign after 10 days?

In addition to trust, timing is always a factor in making purchase decisions. Statistically, there will be more prospects that don’t buy.  If you aren’t continuously communicating with your prospects, you are leaving money on the table. Maintain the relationships you spent money to acquire and it will pay dividends forever.

Running An Arizona Email Marketing Campaign

Halo Effects provides Arizona email marketing services including building an Opt In email campaign, setting up an autoresponder, building squeeze pages, writing effective direct response emails and building customer stick strategies that generate referrals. Learn more about Arizona email marketing by requesting a free online website assessment.