Email can sometimes be seen as old fashioned and not particularly effective; as everyone is guilty of ignoring emails and reporting spam. However, 244.5 million people in the US regularly use email, proving that it is still a main form of communication for personal and business life. Marketing teams for large companies spend a large amount of resources on how to utilize email to generate leads, and so you should too. There are several key aspects that you must get right for successful email threads such as value creation, knowing your audience and the frequency of your emails.

Value Creation

For emails to become effective for your business, an imperative concept needs to be understood; this is not a one-way street. Businesses often think that emails are an excuse to information dump or push-sell to prospects, but that approach will create disinterested recipients that won’t read your messages. Every time someone opens an email, the question will pop into their mind, “well what’s in it for me?” You need to be providing value with every email sent to your mailing list. This doesn’t necessarily mean giving away huge discounts but you want to provide a good reason to open and engage with your email. Content marketing is a significant trend arising that involves writing articles or creating graphics about relevant topics in the industry. This type of material can be attached in your email so the customer is learning something from opening the email. Look at the situation as an exchange- I’ll give you interesting information if you consider visiting my website. This will help you scout out new clients, directing traffic to your website through email content.

Know Your Audience

Understanding what your audience wants is vital in every aspect of a business, and particularly with emails. Certain groups of people want to see different things in their inbox and it is important to do your research on this. Many say that email is dying among the younger generation and that a more instant form of messaging will arise. However, 73% of millenials identify email as their preferred means of business communication. Segmenting your mailing lists into different categories will help you as well. How old is the prospect? Approximately what is their net worth? What is their family size? These are all details that must be addressed and can help you customize certain emails and what you would include in them. For example, the older generation will want you to get to the point and not include fluff in your email. However, millenials will want to see visuals and personalization from a sender. After these lists have been completed you can begin your targeted lead generation. Hubspot is an excellent software for creating lists, mass emails and other marketing campaigns.

Frequency

Frequency is also something to remember here, older generations don’t want to be constantly bothered by one source, especially considering that they will check their email less. Millennials and centennials want to see active engagement from companies, as loyalty is built over time. More business is done through email with millennials also; 47 percent of Millennials have made three or more purchases after clicking on an email. This provides a great reason to include coupons and discounts according to how many emails you have sent to certain lists. After say the 5th or 6th email, rewarding a receiver is a good practice.

Email contains a lot of potential and power for your business if used correctly. You have the ability to make sales, find new prospects and maintain relationships through this form of communication. A positive opinion of your company will be kept if you remember to create value with every email you send. Appreciating that not every client will want to receive the same emails and with the same frequency is vital for open rate as well. With all these tactics in mind, you will be able to grow your business with the power of email.