Every employee at your organization may not be looking at the same data. The spreadsheets take over the data! The primary purpose of using an automated lead management tools to avoid spillage of leads and dropping them wayside. If the data is exchanged between multiple source database, there is a greater chance of leads clipping through the cracks. Deployment and usage of one integrated tool helps to eliminate the lead leakage and improves the conversion rates. By employing a lead management system integrated with email marketing, the percentage of leads nurtured can be increased significantly. If two discrete systems are used, the cold / warm leads gets dropped often times and never nurtured. Another major advantage of using an integrated lead management system is that the drip email features available in the email marketing tool can be efficiently used. More complex targeting / filter mechanism can be used to target specific lead segments for continuous nurturing. For example, lead profile properties such as lead source and demographics can be used for enhanced target marketing.
Using your prospect’s name in an email is an effective way to keep their interest but don’t over do it. Anyone with a prospect list larger then 20 people should be using an email service provider such as Aweber, Icontact or Constant Contact. These companies store all of your email addresses, deliver your emails and manage your unsubscribe and bounce lists. Email service providers also provide auto responder systems which allow you to send out a series of emails to new prospects that opt into your list. People often times need to see something several times before deciding to buy. When collecting new email addresses, there are 3 methods of having someone opt in to your list. There is a basic “opt in” where someone gives their email address and nothing else is done. There is an “opt in with notification” which immediately sends the prospect a welcome email reminding them they joined the list. And then there is the “double opt in list” which requires the prospect to agree to receive future emails by clicking on a link within an email that is immediately sent to them. Each method has advantages and disadvantages but most email marketers use the “opt in with notification” method. While the “double opt in” method produces a higher quality list, we have found that 40% to 60% of prospects never finish the double opt in process, thus reducing your list size dramatically.
SEND, this follow up mailer could result in a returning customer. Think in the future too, as above this receiving client may of purchased early summer time, could be a seasonal shopper, gather analytical records of who purchased items within the summer months and send seasonal marketing campaigns. Thinking ahead can work wonders and following customer trends is a tool to use for your gain. Within email marketing campaigns, there will be times when users do not click, purchase or worse unsubscribe from your mailings, from the analytics you will notice if a user clicks or not, do they click and drop out upon arriving onsite? A Sorry to see you go survey mailer can then be used to gather user related information on why they unsubscribed. Upon receiving the survey replies you can use the information cleverly and correct the issues raised in the replies, unfortunately the customers who have already unsubscribed will not come back. Any further mail to them will just decrease the chance of a returning customer. If from the analytics the user is clicking the email links, then they never follow through the purchase process, many parameters could be the cause of the drop out, these could include, website structure, navigation is difficult to navigate, items do not fulfill the required needs, the list could go on. Again survey mailings give the customer some interaction with your company and a chance to advise why they didn’t purchase, how they found the whole website or the email campaign.
It reminds them that you respect their privacy and reinforces their feeling of control over the email they receive. As marketers we want that reinforcement to be sure they read our mail! Customers should be able to unsubscribe easily and on their own, but remember there will always be some who reply to the email instead, so make sure you have someone in place to handle replies. Long or short copy? There is debate among email marketers, many claiming short is best, but both have proven effective, depending on the audience and the offer. My own tests have shown that longer copy can generate higher average sales, but also lower response rates. If longer copy is needed to sell the product, then use it. The more you can complete the selling process in the email, the better your conversion rate. The advantage of email is that you can test your copy before rolling out to your whole list.