“I don’t want to annoy people.” “It’s so corporate!” “Too pushy.”
Sound like something you’ve said about why you’re not emailing your customers? Push these myths out of your mind, because they’re just not true.
When visitors come into your tasting room, you get to have a personal conversation with each guest.
How can you keep having a conversation after they leave? Email marketing.
Email marketing is not only one of the most effective ways to get customers onto your website – it’s also low-cost. And, you don’t have to annoy people, or be informal or pushy, to do it.
When you build a relationship with your customers over time through email marketing, your subscribers will enjoy receiving your emails. Rather than thinking of email marketing as a pushy ploy, consider it a tool that you can use to engage subscribers who’ve chosen to hear from you.
Not all email marketing is the same. In fact, there are as many approaches to email marketing as there are companies embracing (and exploiting) email marketing as an effective strategy for growth.
As you begin to craft an email marketing strategy that works for your business, consider these Golden Rules. You just might find that you love email marketing after all.
Golden Rule #1: Be consistent
Email marketing is not just sending your clients an out-of-the-blue email telling them to “Buy this now!” It’s not just emailing your subscribers on Cyber Monday or any time you feel your sales are slacking.
Email marketing is a commitment to consistency. It’s trust-building.
Part of developing customer loyalty is staying in touch on a regular basis, so you’re fresh on your customers’ minds – and so that, frankly, they’re not annoyed when they hear from you. When your subscribers can expect to receive your emails on a consistent basis, you build trust.
Email newsletters offer your customers the chance to get to know your brand. Sending out regular email campaigns helps your audience become more familiar with your brand over time. Plus, using the same email template over and over with your unique branding, helps establish a visual reminder of who you are.
Golden Rule #2: Share valuable content
When marketing feels pushy or salesly, it’s often because of one reason: It is.
That doesn’t mean marketing at its core is a pushy endeavor.
Marketing is an opportunity to connect and share your product with your customers. It’s what gets your unique wine into glasses around the world, so wine drinkers can enjoy it.
When sending out email campaigns to your subscribers, you can offer value to your subscribers by sharing content. This removes the element of shame or awkwardness that so many businesses feel when they start email marketing.
A video that shows how beautiful your vineyards are. A wine sweetness chart. A recipe with a perfect pairing. These are all pieces of valuable content that you can share with your subscribers that makes them feel more connected to your brand and more excited to receive your emails.
Share how you’re different from other wineries. What can you show that sets you apart from other nearby wineries?
Many wineries show grapes, but I want to challenge you to show a special process or person that your competitors can’t.
Golden Rule #3: It’s all about your subscriber
When in doubt, remember this rule. If you ever feel like your email newsletters are impersonal or “corporate”, or you just don’t know what to say, ask yourself this question:
How can I delight my subscriber?
Every so often, your customers will be excited to open your newsletter to discover a big sale, an upcoming event you’re hosting, or a new product you’ve just released. Because they’ve watched your videos, downloaded your sweetness chart, tried out your recipes and pairings. They know you care about them, and they’re excited to buy your wine.
There are many tips for email marketing; I’ve written about specific things you can do to enhance your email marketing strategy here on my blog.
At the end of the day, committing to email marketing will help you engage your audience, maintain relationships with your customers and attract more visitors to your website.
Email marketing is still the number one way retailers are making sales. Even if someone doesn’t open every email, you’re still getting the brand recognition of your brand name. Part of developing customer loyalty is letting people get to know you, and email marketing is a perfect way to do that.
What’s stopping you from moving forward with email marketing?
Click here to schedule a free discovery call to discuss your email marketing strategy.