When email marketing tools first allowed marketers to insert a customer’s first name, it was like magic. That was a long time ago. And the magic has gone.
Jeff Knight is strategic marketing consultant at Grey Matter Marketing Solutions
When email marketing tools first allowed marketers to insert a customer’s first name, it was like magic. That was a long time ago. And the magic has gone.
Personalisation is still very important for effective email marketing. But that goes beyond the simple “Hi Jeff” or “Dear Jeff” opener.
Why is this? Well, your clients, like everyone else have got wise to this system generated “personalisation”. So, it is no longer personal. Therefore tip #1 is ditch the use of “Hi client”. Be brave. Ditch it.
Tip #2 – Speak to the crowd if you are sending out emails through our CRM system or email marketing platform, then you are reaching many clients and prospects at once.
You are not having a one-to-one conversation. Therefore, don’t write as though you are talking on a one-to-one basis. I receive a lot of messages that say, “Hi Jeff, we have an offer that is perfect for you”, which I know is nonsense and not genuine.
Instead, think about how you would address an audience in person. How would you talk to that audience? Think about it. That is how to talk to clients via email – like you are addressing a crowd. Tip #3 – Say What You Say
It is an old approach that still works today. When you are writing content, write as though you were talking to your clients – either on a stage or not.
That way you remain genuine. Not fake. And that helps build and retain trust, which is integral for any business. And that means being brave and not letting the grammar police change those words.
Tip #4 – Be Transparent
I have seen a real shift in social media, like LinkedIn, where people are sharing their stories. Some stories are quite heart-warming, others just simple life stories.
These work. More so than ever now. Use this approach in your email marketing. Update your clients on what it has been like being a mortgage broker in the last 18 months, rather than simply talk about great new first time buyer deals.
This is how you can connect with clients at an emotional level. With their permission, tell some genuine stories about clients who you have helped. It is the story that matters, not the mortgage they got.
Tip #5 – Listen & Share every day you will be asked questions by clients. Some of these may sound daft or a tad unusual. But other clients and prospects might be thinking the same but have not asked you the question as they have not been in touch.
It is like being in a seminar and someone asks a question you were afraid to ask, in case you looked daft. But you and everyone else were so glad when the question was raised.
Therefore, turn those questions into email marketing content. Tip #6 – Be A Giver There is an overwhelming amount of free content out in the internet ether. You have knowledge. Expertise. Don’t keep it to yourself. Share it. Give some tips for free.
If you don’t, that information is available elsewhere anyway. It is better your clients here it from you. Email marketing remains an important tool for advisers, despite the abundance of other channels that are available to reach out to clients.
And if you share stories and knowledge, write how you would talk, be transparent and ditch the “hi client” opener, you will get more engagement.
