The Power of a Single Email

Have you ever thought of email marketing in the realm of hard goods costing thousands of dollars?
For many people, they use (or receive) emails promoting information products or lower priced goods and services. And, most people think of emails encouraging a click through to an online store where the purchase is made without leaving your computer.
But the power of email marketing can be seen in a case study I recently read at Marketing Sherpa. Not only was email used to launch a high-end product (retailing in the $2000-$8600 range), but the email campaign had to convince prospects to visit a bricks-and-mortar location rather than an online store.
Trek Bicycle Corp. had previously used email to promote clothing and accessories for their bike line through their online store. But this was a whole other ballgame. In this case, they were promoting a four-figure bike which could be only purchased by walk-in traffic.
I took away several important points from this case study. These can be applied to your audience no matter WHAT price point you offer and what products or services you provide.

• Test, test, test your email marketing campaigns. The team at Trek Bicycle had to continue testing until they got the package right. Don’t waste time or money by guessing. Always test.
• Create an email marketing sublist. For instance, I may be on the newsletter list at your gardening site. But my passion is antique roses. By creating a sublist of antique rose enthusiasts, you can speak directly to our desire for information and the latest antique rose products for sale. Because the message is not diluted by talk of herbs, landscaping, etc., conversion for your antique rose products will probably be higher than your general email population.
• Incorporate pictures. Images grab your attention and illustrate your points. Even if I don’t have time to spend reading your newsletter at the moment, your pictures should create enough curiosity that I will (at a minimum) save your email to read later.
• Drive your prospects to a minisite specifically about the subject in question. Don’t distract them by sending them to your general website. Include an FAQ page and a blog where prospects can get more detailed info and interact with other customers.
• Add an opt-in box on your minisite. Even though the majority of people will arrive through the link in your email, some people may arrive through organic search. You won’t miss out on the opportunity of them signing up for your list if you include an opt-in box on every page of your minisite.

To Your Continued Email Marketing Success!
Debbi Bressler
Email Marketing Specialist