If you are a breakroom operator who has yet to utilize email marketing, the new year is the perfect time to make the leap. Done right, email marketing is a valuable part of your overall marketing strategy – and can provide you with a high return on your digital marketing investment.
Here are some of the top reasons to try email marketing:
- 91% of US adults like receiving promotional emails from companies they do business with (MarketingSherpa)
- Email is almost 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined in helping your business acquire new customers. (McKinsey)
- According to 80 percent of professionals, email marketing drives customer acquisition and retention. (eMarketer)
Getting Started with Email Marketing
Your email campaigns will only work if the right eyes are seeing them. Are your contacts located in a pile of business cards, in your personal email, or stored on your cell phone? It’s time to clean up, organize, and modernize. The process may seem daunting, but it’s worth it! Organize your contacts into one electronic file so they are easy to access, maintain, and transfer. Make sure each contact is complete with all relevant information included.
Add industry-specific columns to your electronic file to include custom tags for the refreshment services industry and your company in particular. Examples of custom tags may include current services (vending, micro-market, pantry, office coffee, etc.), company size, company industry, and contract end date. This will allow you to filter your campaigns for specific audiences.
Storing and Maintaining Email Contacts
The great news is there are online marketing tools like MailChimp and HubSpot that are available to you for free or low-cost. You can not only store and maintain your contacts here, but you can also create and send email campaigns on the same platform. Take a little time to decide which tool is right for you. Both MailChimp and HubSpot have resources and tutorials available to help you format your contact list properly for transfer (including proper setup for importing your custom tags). They also contain lots of useful information for creating and sending your emails.
Establishing a clean, complete contact database online is something worth celebrating! But we all know how quickly things change. Updating your contact list should become routine. If you have a sales team that contributed to your master list, empower them to take ownership of maintaining their own contacts on the platform after they are transferred.
Ready, Set, Engage
A great email begins with a well thought out plan of what you are going to communicate and to whom. For this article, we’ll assume your message is set and you’ve designed an eye-catching email (if you need help designing digital marketing content, we’ve got you covered).
Now that your list of contacts is uploaded to your platform of choice, you are ready to start sending emails. Some of your email campaigns will be suitable for everyone to receive but many will be targeted for specific audiences. Avoid sending emails that are irrelevant or don’t provide value to your customers. It may prompt them to unsubscribe from your email list. Instead, filter your email list to ensure the right people are seeing your message.
Want to promote your company’s micro-markets? Target this email exclusively for prospects or customers with vending services. Looking to upgrade customers to bean to cup or single-cup equipment? Send your email to customers with traditional coffee service. By understanding and targeting the proper audience, your emails will be more relevant, effective, and likely to convert to a sale.
There is no time like NOW to get those contacts ready for email. Email is a proven way to enhance your overall digital marketing strategy and boost your sales. And by creating and maintaining a detailed contact list online, you will be sure your audience is receiving content that is tailored specifically to them. Compliment your emails with a great website and engaging social media for a multifaceted way to grow your business in the new year.
VendCentral helps operators and manufacturers in the refreshment services industry develop online marketing strategies to grow their business. Contact us to learn more.