Building Brand Awareness Using Email
When people first start reading about online marketing funnels, they often get the impression that the journey of an online customer is neat and linear. However, as anyone who already runs a business or is involved in marketing knows, this journey tends to be much messier. Not only can it take place across multiple devices, but most people need a number of interactions with a business before they feel ready to make a purchase.
The need to have these multiple touches with a prospect are one of the reasons that email is such a powerful conversion tool. When someone goes to a website for the first time, the odds of them immediately making a purchase are quite low. But if they’re offered something of value that’s relevant to their interests, the odds of them being willing to submit their email address in exchange for it are much better.
Once your business starts building this type of list, you can use an email marketing platform to begin building a relationship with your prospects. Even though there’s definitely a time for pitching offers directly to your list, a common mistake is only sending emails when you’re running a sale or similar offer. A more effective approach is to think of email as an ongoing dialogue with potential and current customers.
When you start thinking of this type of strategy for email, it actually becomes easier to come up with ideas for interesting things to send. Many of the emails you think of will likely fall into the category of building brand awareness. Since there’s a lot that can be done within this category, we want to highlight a handful of ideas to help you get inspired:
1. Create a Consistent Voice
Email marketing is almost always most effective when it’s done on a consistent schedule. While the ideal schedule will vary depending on the specific business, what’s most important is having a schedule. In addition to this form of consistency, adopting a consistent voice for all of your emails is a proven way to increase awareness around your brand.
2. Ask for Thoughts and Feedback
Many businesses forget that email is a channel for two-way communication instead of just broadcasts. That’s why taking the time to ask your audience for their thoughts or feedback is a great way for your brand to stay top of mind with them.
3. Curate
Whether you’re in a B2B or B2C space, using curation as part of your email marketing strategy is a great way to provide value to your audience while also positioning your brand as a leader within your industry.
If you’re ready to start using email as a channel for building brand awareness but don’t currently have much of a list, be sure to take a look at how to start growing your email list this week.