by Marelise da Silva | Mar 15, 2018 | E-mail Marketing
If the goal is to simplify and improve your company’s email marketing strategy, it is time to consider making use of one of the leading email marketing solutions out there – MailChimp. These are the top 5 benefits of embracing this tool and its seemingly endless list of helpful features:
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It’s Easy to Use and Customise
The MailChimp interface is extremely user–friendly. This means that anyone can use it, regardless of whether or not you have experience with design or email marketing in general. It is also very simple to customise it however you see fit.
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It Is Free
Well, at least to a certain degree! If you have less than 2 000 email subscribers, you can indeed make use of MailChimp completely free of charge. As your email marketing list grows, however, you will need to upgrade to one of MailChimp’s other plans. The good news is that all of the options are affordable.
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It Offers Advanced Analytics
Tracking the progress of your email marketing efforts has never been easier. With MailChimp, you can take advantage of the following:
- Detailed revenue reports,
- information concerning the links that were clicked most frequently, and
- You can how many of your subscribers actually opened the emails that you sent.
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It Allows for AB Testing
The handy AB testing feature means that you will be able to optimise your emails in such a way that you ensure that they hit the mark every single time.
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It Offers Automation
Now you can schedule emails to be sent out at a certain time, so that you don’t have to do so manually. You can also take email automation to the next level with the help of MailChimp’s API to trigger custom workflows.
Here at WSI OMS, we specialise in email marketing and digital marketing in South Africa. For a full list of our services, including content marketing and website design, do not hesitate to contact us.
by Francois Muscat | Feb 7, 2018 | E-mail Marketing
If you’ve noticed a steady incline in the number of people who are unsubscribing from your emails, then it’s time to get a handle on things. If too many people start unsubscribing from your emails, then it could impact your ability to reach inboxes – and this hurts your online reputation.
Luckily, you’ve caught the issue in time and can still shake up your strategy before it starts affecting your revenue. Here are a few tactics to consider:
People unsubscribe from newsletters and emails if they aren’t receiving information that they find relevant. Consider whether you’re annoying your subscribers with irrelevant content and look at how you can segment your email database so that you are only sending people the information that they want to receive.
Segmenting email lists goes far beyond grouping people according to general demographic information such as location, age and gender. A buyer who hasn’t engaged with your brand in over a few months, for example, should receive a different type of message than a loyal customer who has visited your site or contacted you in the past few weeks. If you can segment your mails by creating lists for buyers who are interested in specific services or product categories, even better.
- Personalise Your Messages
According to research by McKinsey, personalisation is key to driving growth within your business. Not only does it reduce acquisition costs by as much as 50%, but it can boost your revenue by 5 to 15%, and increase the efficiency of marketing spend by 10 to 30%.
Today’s internet marketing analytics have evolved to such an extent that you can include everything from the last products that the person viewed to coupons for the items that are in their shopping cart but haven’t been purchased yet.
Do you need help with your email marketing? Then get in touch with WSI OMS today.
by Francois Muscat | Jan 22, 2018 | E-mail Marketing
Email drip campaigns are more complex and require more work than a once-off email blast – but it is worth the effort! Email marketing is still one of the best ways to sell more products and market your business, but a cleverly thought out and executed drip campaign can really make a difference to your bottom line. Here is how to go about the process:
- Determine What You Want to Achieve
Maybe you need to focus on customer retention? Or maybe you want to get your product’s name out there? Many drip campaigns are focused on bringing in the sales, however. It’s important that you have a clear idea of what your goals are before you start creating your content, which leads to step number two.
- Create Your Content
Drip email marketing campaigns obviously involve more content creation than an email blast. The idea of a drip campaign is to not overwhelm your reader with too much info from the get-go. Rather, slowly give them the information they need at each step of the sales funnel. If a person hasn’t heard of your company before, consider the information they will need in order to agree to continue to do business with you, aspects such as:
- Details on how long you have been in business,
- Details and testimonials by clients that are happy with your service,
- Where you are based, and
- What your customer service policy looks like.
Create the appropriate content for each level of brand awareness and give them the information they need to progress to the next part of the sales cycle.
- Automate the Process
Once your content has been written, and the sequence of the emails planned out, determine the frequency of the mails and use an email scheduler to send the emails for you at specific intervals. Make sure that you have calls to action in the emails and that you make the process of getting in touch with you or buying a product as smooth as possible.
Need help with your digital marketing or email marketing campaign? Then contact WSI OMS today.
by Francois Muscat | Dec 5, 2017 | E-mail Marketing
For most businesses, there is no busier time than the December festive season! The question is, how do you go about making the most of this time when it comes to your email marketing efforts? We investigate below.
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Sort Your Email Marketing List
Email marketing success is achieved when you can approach your customers with a more personalised tone. Knowing this, it helps to sort your list of contacts so that you can approach them with news and specials most relevant to their needs, thus increasing the chances of a conversion these December holidays. Think ‘big spenders’, ‘wish listers’ and ‘those who have recently made a purchase’, for example.
Who doesn’t love the holidays? Don’t be afraid to reinvent your email structure and design to reflect the season even if it feels as though you’re being corny. Most shoppers will love it! Bonus points if you can work in a bit of nostalgia marketing, too.
Look at the numbers from last year’s holiday email marketing campaign. Which products received the most attention? Which subject lines got the most response? Which contacts seemed to engage the most? All this info will help you to make this year’s campaign an even greater success.
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Don’t Bombard Your Subscribers
Instead of sending a number of emails throughout the festive season, send one or two impressive ones. Spamming your contacts is never going to elicit a good response!
Feeling slightly overwhelmed? Don’t stress. There’s still time to perfect your email marketing campaign this December with the help of the team at WSI OMS! Get in touch with us today for digital marketing advice and know-how that you can trust.
by admin | Nov 6, 2017 | E-mail Marketing
As we head into the final sprint towards the end of the year, it’s time to turn your thoughts to your holiday campaigns – more specifically, your email marketing. So, how do you stand out from the crowd? We’ve put together our top tips that are sure to get you in the spirit.
7 Email Marketing Tips:
- Get in on the action: Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can do without it. Believe it or not, in 2015, email marketing drove 20% of online holiday sales. Whatever industry you’re in, that is worth taking note of. Take time to carefully plan your email marketing strategy and tailor your message in accordance to highlight your products or services.
- Start early: It’s a busy time of the year and your customers are being bombarded on all fronts by marketing messages. So, beat the rush and get your message out there before everyone else does. Not only does it give your messaging a better chance of being seen, but it also allows your customers to plan their lives around your offer. If you leave it too late you might miss the boat entirely and they’ll already have done their shopping at someone else’s store.
- Share your story: An important part of content marketing is sharing your story. Not only does it keep your customers up to date with what’s going on, but it allows them to connect with you, share in your success and better understand your business offering. One of the best ways to do this is to send out an end-of-year update reflecting on all you’ve accomplished this year. Don’t miss out this opportunity to thank your loyal customers for their support either – this will go a long way to building trust and lasting relationships.
- Network: Because people are out-and-about and on the go over the holiday season, it’s a good idea to give them multiple ways to connect with you. Add social media buttons to all your emails and drive people to whichever platforms you’re on. It’s a great place to improve your engagement and increase your following. You can also share you emails on social media and encourage your followers to sign up for the latest news, views, sales and special offers, which will help to grow your database.
- Get personal: Emails with personalised subject lines, i.e. that use a subscriber’s first name, are more likely to be opened. So, don’t forget this one, simple step when sending out your holiday messaging! Throw in a couple of attention-grabbing power words and you’ll be well on your way to reaching your audience. Whether you’re trying to drive sales or simply wanting to say thanks, words like discount, saving, order now and season’s greetings can make all the difference.
- Time it right: It’s always important to send your emails out at the right time of day, but even more so during this busy time of year. 10 am and 2 pm have been shown to prove the most successful in getting consumers to actually open and read emails. Why not try both times and see which one works best for you?
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Any article about holiday campaigns would not be complete if it didn’t make mention of these two big holidays. They’re not just for the big retailers – take advantage of the prevailing public expectation that there are savings to be had and create a special Black Friday or Cyber Monday offer. Not only will your existing customers feel like you’re rewarding them for their loyalty, but an exciting, value-added offer will draw in new and potential customers too. This year Black Friday is on 24 November, so you’d better get busy!
At WSI OMS we use email marketing to help our clients form a virtual relationship with not only their existing, but prospective consumers too. As digital marketing consultants, WSI OMS can help you get your digital and social media marketing in place. From email marketing to social media, SEO and link building, we will work with you to grow your business and maximise your digital marketing.
by Francois Muscat | Oct 23, 2017 | E-mail Marketing
Email marketing is still one of the best internet marketing strategies. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that very few people will be ready to commit to a purchase after receiving their first email. You need to invest in a solid lead nurturing strategy if you want your email efforts to have a direct impact on your bottom line.
Here are some of the elements that you need to keep in mind when creating a lead nurturing strategy:
Focused content
You can’t expect generic content about your product or services to strike a chord with all of your readers. Your first step is to create buyers personas for your ideal clients. Think of their aspirations, needs, and challenges – and create content that speaks directly to these needs. Your content should also be tailored to different touch points. If, for example, you met prospects at a trade show, then your content should mention this. Tailored content is more relevant and has the ability to take your potential client further down the sales funnel.
Multi-channel touchpoints
Have you ever browsed through a website and then seen the exact same product you were looking at pop up in your social media feeds? Paid retargeting and dynamic website content are only some of the other multi-channel touchpoints that you should be considering along with your email marketing strategy.
Give something away
People love getting something for nothing. If someone has opted in to receive emails from you, offer them a product coupon or a special promotion. If you are selling a service, consider creating a free white paper or webinar that they can download or attend. Helping people will establish your brand as a thought leader in the industry.
Need help with your email marketing strategy? Then contact us today.
