As I have mentioned before, whenever I have the chance, including on this Blog or site, having a website is not enough to be present online or to attract potential customers and have them buy the company's products or services. This site must be promoted in turn, by any means.
If a person has reached the site, it means something attracted them, they liked it, and they will probably be interested in the future as well. Therefore, it is very useful to maintain contact with these people, whether they have purchased something from the site or not.
And maintaining contact with a client or a potential client without a name can be done simply, quickly, and inexpensively via email. This applies to online stores as well as to a service site, a simple presentation site, or a blog. All you have to do is ask for their email address.
And here begins the more complicated part.
There are several ways to obtain the email addresses of clients or potential clients. Some of these methods are known by most site owners. However, a large part is completely ignored, as is email marketing. And this is, in our opinion, a big mistake.
Here are some of the most used and established methods of obtaining email addresses that can then be used in email marketing campaigns:
1. Inserting a Newsletter Subscription box on the site. This box is mandatory for all sites, regardless of their profile or purpose. People want to be connected to the things that interest them, and in the simplest and fastest way possible. Therefore, subscribing to a newsletter is a habit and an easy way for both parties to maintain contact. Now that we have inserted the Newsletter box, we need to encourage visitors to enter their personal data. First of all, to do this, they must trust us. So, we earn their trust by respecting a few "common sense" rules: a well-kept, clean site, a Terms and Conditions section, Privacy Policy, etc. Additionally, the box must be visible, attractive, encourage subscription, and at the same time be as simple as possible – meaning it should not request more than an email address.
2. Offering benefits conditioned on subscribing to the newsletter. Discounts can be offered, certain brochures can be downloaded for free, they can join an exclusive club, etc. Moreover, future promotions can be announced, which they will learn about first via email.
3. Customers who have purchased something from that site have certainly left their email address. Do not overlook databases with older customers because if they bought once, it is very likely they will buy again, so they must be informed and "taken into account"!
4. Social networks. Yes, social networks are included here as well. With a well-placed message on social networks, you can spark interest and thus attract more people to your subscription box.
5. Even though everything happens online, email addresses can also be obtained offline. How? By participating in various events, where you can offer something in exchange for filling out a short form that also requests an email address. If you own stores or physical spaces, you can ask those who enter the store for their email address to learn about news and benefit from promotions. There are many opportunities offline as well. Do not underestimate them.
Email marketing or email/newsletter campaigns have become a habit for everyone, both from the sender's position and especially from the receiver's position. The key to success lies in standing out and being highlighted among the multitude of emails a person receives every day. But we will talk about this aspect in a future article.
