If you haven’t been a business owner for long, let me tell you a little secret: email is important. Rather than viewing it as a burden that must be dealt with, think of it as a tool that you can use to automate your business processes and boost sales.
No, these tips won’t relieve you of the tasks of reading, responding, and sorting through your email, but they can turn your email into a source of revenue generation and customer service. Even better, the tips below can be put to use via most ecommerce and enterprise level email packages. Take a closer look at these six tips that you can use ramp up the power of your email
Remind Customers of Abandoned Shopping Carts
More than two-thirds of online shopping carts are abandoned. This happens for a variety of reasons. Some customers simply get cold feet at the last minute. Others are distracted. You can’t get back all of your customers who have left mid-purchase, but you can get some of them back.
Use email to remind customers that they have purchased that are waiting for them. If one reminder doesn’t work, send a second that contains an incentive for them to finish converting.
Automate Subscription Acknowledgement
Use an automated email management system such as iContact Pro to send a personalized acknowledgement and thanks to people who subscribe to your email newsletters. This will give them confirmation that their subscription has gone through, and will be your opportunity to make direct personal contact.
Request Feedback And Reviews
“If you’re unhappy with our service, tell us. If you’re happy with your service, please tell everybody.” Signs with this phrase on them used to be very popular in retail establishments. Today, you can use email to reach out in the same way. Customers who are unhappy can be encouraged to engage with you, while happy customers can be invited to provide reviews on popular consumer websites.
Send Personalized Messages
Have you ever noticed that in the few weeks before your birthday, you start getting coupons and special offers in your inbox? These usually begin with a personalized happy birthday greeting and then offer a discount or freebie. Why do businesses bother with this? Simply put, it works. Personalization and the offer of something free is a great way to take a customer relationship to the next level.
Deliver Content Without Website Traffic
Too many businesses make the mistake of assuming that everybody wants to consume content on their website, social media platforms, or CMS. That’s just not the case. Many would rather open an email newsletter and simply read what you have to say without going through the extra steps, while some don’t open email links as a security precaution.
Send Sales Receipts With a Bonus
One of the best times to get a customer into the sales funnel is after they’ve just finished a transaction. Think about it. They’ve just given the greatest indication of trust that they can. They’ve provided you with their personal information and their credit card number. You know that acknowledgment that you send after someone places an order? Almost everybody opens those. So, why not add a new offer or invitation to the usual receipt number and tracking information?
Don’t be a passive email user. Instead, leverage your email and use it to its maximum potential. There are so many ways that you can use your email software to move customers down the sales funnel, automate tasks, and increase customer satisfaction. These tips are just the beginning.