Here is a good article with practical recommendations for growing your email list. Email marketing is the best value in social media for small businesses.
SMS Marketing
Definitions
SMS – Short Message Service. Texting in bulk like an email blast. Typically 160 characters per message.
MMS – Multi Media Service. Texting with a graphic, video or audio included.
Explicit permission – Documented permission to send SMS. This is being strictly applied by the text messaging services and by the phone carriers.
Implied permission – Permission implied by requesting a quote, doing business or even a serious business conversation. Implied permission is acceptable for adding someone to your email list. It is NOT acceptable for SMS.
The #2 topic of marketing articles and focus now is SMS. Right after AI. Before you jump on the band wagon though you need to analyze carefully the benefits to your business.
B2C businesses
SMS is great for B2C businesses. It gives you quick contact with the consumer. SMS fits retail operations very well: flash sales, special offers, add-on sales. Your messages show up in a frequently checked feed beside texts from family and friends. Start today!
B2B businesses
Maybe.
If you are a roofing company, you don’t have a lot of quick messages to send. SMS could be handy after a monsoon storm, however. You could text “Have a leak? Call ABC Company now to schedule your repair!” That could move you to the top of the list! During the summer when business is slow, you could SMS “We’re offering 50% discount on roof inspections during the month of June. Call today to schedule.”
If you are a manufacturers’ representative, you won’t have a lot of quick messages to send. You could send a reminder before a trade show. “We’re going to be in Booth 10 at the World of Concrete. Come see us & register to win a 56” TV.” You could promote box lunches to a specific group such as the architects on your list. “Call today to schedule a DEF Manufacturer presentation with John Doe, Sr VP, in September. CEUs and lunch!”
Look over your Marketing Calendar. Where could a SMS boost your other efforts?
I feel certain you will see opportunities. The key is to plan for those opportunities. You can’t set up a SMS campaign in a couple of days.
OPT IN Is Required
You probably have an opt in form on your website now for email. Update the form and start asking for permission to do SMS too. There is specific wording required by law so do it right!
Look at your entire sales process.
Where do you have opportunities to ask for email and/or SMS permissions?
- At trade shows?
- At networking events?
- At sales presentations?
- On your website?
- On your order forms?
Start asking now so that you will have the cell phone numbers when you are ready to do your first SMS.
Service Providers
There are multiple service providers, of course. I recommend MailChimp or Constant Contact. They are competitive price-wise and relatively easy to use. There are specialty firms like CHIIRP for service companies. Let’s do some research and get the right service for you. Most work by credits instead of a monthly fee like email service providers. They know you may not need to send a message monthly.
Verified Sender
The carriers are requiring verification of each sender. There is a short form to fill out and submit via your service provider. When you are approved, you are given a specific number for sending texts.
Prepare Today for a Younger Audience
Regardless of your type of business, you have to prepare to sell to a younger demographic. You’re going to want to reach those Millennials and Gen Z buyers at some point. Start planning now so you’ll be ready!
SMS is one more tool in your toolbox!
7 Mistakes to Avoid Making When Targeting B2B Customers
In the realm of business-to-business (B2B) marketing, the profound comprehension of your clientele and the ability to effectively engage with them stand as cornerstones for achieving success. Nonetheless, many businesses frequently stumble upon common blunders while attempting to focus on their B2B clientele. Navigating away from these pitfalls can help amplify your marketing strategy and pave the way for superior outcomes.
Click the link below to continue reading.
Advanced AI Tools for Video, Newsletters, and Articles
Looking for ways to streamline the production of your videos and written content? Wondering what AI tools can speed up your work?
In this article, you’ll discover AI tools for content creators.
Let’s Compare Email Marketing to Social Media Marketing
PART 1
Pros of email marketing
- Targeted and personalized communication: Email marketing allows for targeted and personalized communication with customers and prospects increasing the likelihood of conversion.
- Higher open and click-through rates: Email has higher open and click-through rates compared to social media.
- Higher conversion rates: Email marketing is known for having a high return on investment (ROI) (average $36 currently) and can drive sales more effectively than social media, as it allows for targeted, transactional and personalized communication with customers and leads.
- Owned media: Email marketing provides businesses with a direct line of communication with their customers and leads while giving them control over their message and the delivery.
- Measurable results: Email marketing provides clear metrics and analytics, allowing businesses to measure the success of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions.
- Low costs: One email campaign consisting of multiple emails costs less than a paid social media campaign and requires a shorter timeframe for results.
Pros of social media
- Wider reach: Social media can have a massive reach, with billions of monthly active users across multiple platforms, making it an excellent tool for building brand awareness and reaching new audiences. Wider reach requires sponsored posts and/or paid ads.
- Viral potential: Social media is designed to facilitate the sharing of information and content among users, making it easier to spread information and increase reach, potentially leading to viral campaigns. However, the odds of your video going viral are similar to winning the lottery odds.
- Real-time communication: Social media provides a platform for real-time communication with customers and leads, allowing businesses to respond quickly to customer inquiries and feedback. (Someone on staff has to be available to respond to messages that can come in 24/7 depending on your demographics.)
PART 2
Let’s Compare
Email Marketing to Social Media Marketing
Email Marketing vs Social Media: The Statistics
The following statistics should only be used as a guide. Your specific results may vary based on your target audience, the quality of your content, and the specific email or social media marketing campaign that is being executed.
Open rates
On average, email open rates range from 15-25% depending on your industry.
Reach: On average, organic reach for businesses is decreasing. In 2022, Instagram average reach rate is around 13.51%, Facebook’s average reach rate is only 8.60%.
Click-through rates
The average click-through rate for emails is around 2.9%.
Engagement rates on social media can vary widely depending on the platform, the type of content being shared, and the size of the audience. On average, engagement rates tend to be lower on social media compared to email marketing.
Conversion rates
Transactional emails have an average 38% Open Rate. The average conversion rate is around 8%. This can vary widely depending on the goals of the email, the product or service being sold, and the audience being targeted.
The average conversion rate for social media is around 3%. However, this can be significantly higher for certain industries and products. (Go Zappos!!)
Return on investment (ROI)
On average, for every $1 spent on email marketing, the return is $36. In the retail, ecommerce and consumer goods sector, ROI is higher with $45 per one dollar spent.
There are no statistics!
Personalization
Personalized emails have higher open rates (29-50%) compared to non-personalized emails (15%).
There is no such thing as personalization on social media.
Mobile optimization
Over 40% of all emails are opened on mobile devices, making it crucial for businesses to optimize their emails for mobile viewing.
All social media platforms are designed to work best on mobile. Some features aren’t even available from a desktop.
Additional factors that impact small businesses
Video content has a higher engagement rate compared to other types of content with email marketing and on social media, with video content accounting for over 80% of all internet traffic.
Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing in emails can include guest articles, linking to online articles from credible sources or joint emails with a credible company.
Influencer marketing on social media can drive significant results, with influencer marketing campaigns delivering 11x higher ROI compared to traditional forms of digital marketing particularly in consumer oriented campaigns.
Additional email stats that impact small businesses
- 50% of the world’s population use email
- Welcome emails have an open rate of 86%
- Email deliverability averages at 81%
- 5% of all emails are opened on mobile devices
- Emails under 200 words are most likely to be engaged with
- Personalized subject lines increase Open Rates by 29-50%
- Use clear Call to Actions (CTAs) right at the beginning of the email and repeat them throughout the email
- Average email open rates:
- Newsletters 19%
- Welcome emails 86%
- Transactional emails 38%
- Autoresponders 26%
- RSS emails 23%
Would you like some help applying this information to your business, your target audience and your marketing budget? Call Pamela Bir today at 480-929-0335.
Why You Need to Create More Landing Pages
Landing pages are an indispensable part of marketing. And for all you marketers out there who have been going inbound for a while, you understand how efficient they are at converting. But are you creating enough of them to really scale your lead generation efforts? Let‘s find out why — at least in the case of landing pages — more is better.
“Email Marketing: 9 Tips + Examples to Optimize Your Campaigns “
We already know that email marketing has one of the highest ROIs of any marketing channel. Also, according to a late 2022 survey from Statista, about half of the marketing professionals surveyed claimed an ROI improvement rate of two times! How exactly does that happen?
This guide will take you through 9 tips that’ll help you build a successful email marketing strategy for your SaaS company.
How to get started with onsite marketing
Onsite marketing is a strategy of combining all the visitor engagement tools on websites (popups, bars, signup forms, onsite notifications) into one cohesive plan. By combining them, businesses can decide what tools to use and when, resulting in a more organized strategy.
3 Powerful Persuasion Tactics, and How You Can Use Them to Win Customers
While technical innovations and relentless advertising played a role, the true secret to his success lay in the persuasive techniques that he employed. Techniques that anyone can learn and adopt.
In this post, I share how Steve Jobs managed to sway the world using simple, yet powerful persuasion strategies that you can apply in your own life.
17 Great Conversation Starters to Break the Ice at Networking Events
Sometimes, we have to fall back on an arsenal of conversation starters. It helps to spark a discussion, even when it’s taking every ounce of willpower you have not to go home, turn on Netflix, and order sushi.
We’ve got your back. Here are some of the conversation starters that we’ve tried and have seen succeed. Bookmark them for your next networking event.
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