While there have been many technological advances in the past few decades, perhaps one of the most impactful has been electronic mail, commonly referred to as email. Think about it for a moment: how many do you get in a day? For me, it is easily dozens, if not over a hundred.
Sure, most of it might be spam, but it is also one of the most important methods of communication available to us right now. Most of our work correspondences are done via emails (or at least were, until the development of applications such as Slack and others like it). In addition to that, it is a surprisingly effective method of marketing.
Did you know that? For a long time, I was not aware of just how impactful it can truly be. So, while it does require a bit of understanding in terms of what emails are, once we get there, we can utilize them to boost clicks and eventually sales for our businesses! If that sounds appealing to you, make sure you keep reading!
Why are Emails so Useful?
This is a question that I get a lot, and I can certainly understand why. After all, just saying that they can be a good idea to try out without providing evidence is not very compelling. So, allow me to provide some of that evidence for you.
Much of it will come down to how exactly you utilize them, you see. There is a technique known as a “funnel,” specifically in relation to sales and marketing. What is it, then, and how does it work?
You see, it is rather simple, thankfully. Essentially, it is a model that allows us to trace the entire experience of a customer, from the first impression that they get of our brand to the moment they decide to make their purchase and after, as well. Obviously, it can be a helpful frame of mind to take for making improvements along that pathway as well.
Where does email come into play with this funnel concept, then? While you can check out some examples on this page,, there are a few others that I want to highlight as well. Essentially, we can use this as a tool to guide potential customers along the funnel.
How Does it Work?
As I am sure that you expect already, there are a few reasons and ways that this strategy can work. Let us start with the somewhat obvious: we all get emails from brands in our inboxes each day. It is pretty much impossible to escape, at this point. That means that you will be competing for attention with other companies.
Of course, that is not an insurmountable challenge. Rather, it is something that we should strive to meet anyhow, since it is pretty much inescapable to have a few other brands vying for the attention of the same audience. So, more often than not the competition will be decided by the effectiveness of your marketing strategy.
What do I mean by that, though? Some may call it the art of “clickbait,” but however you want to name it, it remains quite critical for the successful use of an email funnel. Your goal is to look appealing to the recipients of the messaging that you send out. There are a few ways that we can accomplish this.
One that tends to come to mind, as it is quite obvious really, is the promise of scoring big deals or revealing coupons if the customer opens the email. Offering codes for a ten percent discount, even, can be a strong motivator. Coupons are another solid method, so however you want to label it or define this method, it does tend to bring in results (at least to some extent).
Now, if you are not sure what clickbait is or how it works, you might want to check out a blog such as this one. While there seems to be a negative connotation surrounding the phrase, do not let that sway you. It is an important tool for businesses and brands looking to build their clientele.
Don’t Stop Your Outreach Just Because You Made a Sale
Unfortunately, it is quite easy to simply give ourselves a pat on the back once we have sold something to a customer. However, there is still more to be done. In fact, a lot of businesses earn a lot of money each year from repeat customers. This can be encouraged through judicious use of emails.
A technique that some use is called the “follow up” email, and it is what I would like to highlight here today. If you have someone who is a client of yours, but they have not decided to make another purchase despite it having been a fairly large amount of time (think four-to-six weeks). This is someone that you could send a “follow up” message.
Now, this is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It is a communication with a customer that touches base with them and accomplishes a few goals. The first is figuring out why they have not decided to make another purchase.
Asking them if they are satisfied with their product is one way to obtain this information. Just remember that there are a few unspoken codes of conduct for doing something like this. Never be too pushy with trying to get them to buy something else.
Additionally, it does not hurt to be understanding and empathetic if they are displeased with what they have received. Offer sympathy and an ear to listen, if that is what they need. From there, the sales representative can do their best to solve the problem and to hype up other products or services that the company has to offer.
While this can be a bit difficult to master, I do hope that this introduction to the methodology has been helpful. The funnel model in general is integral to many marketing campaigns and strategies right now.