What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you want to make a quick purchase? Which brand is really good? When, as a marketer, that is the first thought that comes to your mind, how can it be any different for your target audience?
That’s precisely why you ought to make people aware of your brand and what it offers.
You need to think of a 360-degree marketing plan that will help you ace the game and win more conversions. However, the most important marketing strategy that is both cost-effective and has great potential is email marketing.
Yes, no brand strategy or marketing strategy is complete if you don’t couple it properly with email marketing.
Wondering how email marketing can help your brand position itself and create the right image in front of the target audience?
- The first contact with the target audience is of utmost importance to your brand. Email marketing sets the stage for the first contact, with a special welcome note, and establishing the brand’s image in the eyes of the target market. The subscriber will not only get information about the brand, but also get first-hand information regarding new product releases, updates etc.
- Email is the customer’s go-to in case they are facing any problem or looking for a particular solution. For instance, the ecommerce emails can help them select goodies for the vacation season. Similarly, an update release can relieve them of the pains they are going through with the current version.
- It’s the first step and helps generate qualified leads that the sales team can approach and convert. Using data such as open and click-through rates, and insights developed through the engagement observed on the emails, you can know which emails worked and who your serious customers are. You get to talk to your prospective buyers via emails.
- Emails also help with brand recognition. The right email marketing tactics will help create a personality for your brand that reflects in the emails that you craft for your audience. It will help resonate with the audience’s view of your brand and enhance your brand’s recognition and visibility.
Email marketing is indeed an effective and highly personalized method of reaching out to your audience and making them aware of your brand.
How exactly can you build your brand with this tool? Here are a few tips that we would like to share with you, which might help you make people aware of your brand and create an identity that resonates with the audience.
#1 Work on Brand Identity Design Guidelines
Before you approach your email marketing strategy, prepare the design guidelines for your brand. Why are guidelines important? It will help the designer know how to begin drafting your marketing material, especially the emails. The overall design will stay consistent, even when you are striving hard to achieve uniqueness in your designs. With the same fonts or colors, you can create a variety of emails that attract the attention, while staying consistent.
The brand identity design guidelines are the key to create unique and highly engaging emails to deliver brand awareness and live on the brand’s identity. The design guidelines will make the life of the designer easy and help deliver the work faster.
#2 Deliver on the Tone & Voice Guidelines
In any email that you craft, the tone of the copy as well as the voice of the email are important. The copy is the substance of the email, which is nicely packaged in a good design. You ought to have the tone and voice guidelines set for the email as well. Whenever the audience opens your email, the content should make them think of your brand. The formal tone combined with professional images will help you connect with other businesses, setting a professional ground.
#3 Ask Before you Send
Work on your email list before you begin working on your email campaigns. Grow your list and do that in a legit way. That will help you gain subscribers who are truly interested in what you have to say and will help you grow.
Before you begin the email campaigns, ask the target audience whether they would like to sign up for your emails. Mention what they would receive as part of the email campaigns. Set realistic expectations and seek permission for the frequency of emails they would like to receive. Welcome emails are the campaigns that you should ideally opt for in case you want to seek permission before you send in the emails.
#4 Take a Customer-centric Approach
What would your customers like to receive? Would they like to get discounts or, do they want some valuable information from your end? The answer to this question will help you determine the kind of emails you need to draft for the campaign.
The idea is to make sure that every person in your list opens the email. If not all, you should at least get a 50% success rate with the emails you are sending. Just an open is not enough, you need people to take action, and then spend a while on the page they have reached. The customer centric approach will help you connect with the audience and give them an insight into your brand. The more time they spend with your brand, the more aware and loyal they are likely to become.
Types of Emails for Brand Building
Let’s take a look at the types of emails you can send for brand building
Welcome Emails
Welcome emails tend to generate 4x more opens and 5x more clicks than the regular emails. The reason being, these emails are expected by the subscribers, which means you have to send it, and they are going to open it. The welcome emails not only welcome the subscribers, but also tell them about the brand and what they should expect from these emails. It is an important email strategy, one that you cannot ignore.
The brand Kate Spade has a simple yet effective way of welcoming their subscribers. In a few statements, they express their gratitude and set the tone for the emails. They even set the expectations for the future emails.
Engagement Emails
It is now time to connect with the target audience and send out information or something that is valuable to them at the right time. It could be a simple branding exercise like offering them a gift or, just providing them with the information regarding the brand. The idea is to build credibility and authority of the brand in the eyes of the target audience.
This email by Remote informs the subscriber about the availability of remote jobs, and what they need to do to avail it. It not only provides information, but also tells the subscriber what they should do, thus building both authority and authenticity.
Sales Emails
The next type of branding email is the one that makes the potential customer complete their purchase. These emails tend to cater to the needs of the potential at the right time through the right medium. If the target is looking to shop for a pair of jeans, your brand sends out a coupon with a good discount at that time, which gets you the conversion you are looking for. At the same time, these emails grab the attention of the subscribers, and your brand becomes visible.
Not too pushy, at the same time quite relevant and evoking a slight urgency, the sales email by Bellroy strikes the right chord, and makes you want to buy the design. It is definitely an excellent attempt at making the brand visible and encouraging the subscribers to complete the purchase.
Wrap Up
Consistency and well-defined emails will help you convert better. When you think brand building, you should ideally think of email marketing, and try and incorporate the different types of emails that will engage your audience and send in the right messages to them.
The idea is to develop your email marketing as the preliminary medium of approaching the target audience. The correct strategy will increase the brand’s visibility and create a personality in the eyes of the potential target, which will resonate with them. You can send in various types of emails with a customer-centric approach to build your brand and boost your business.
Kevin George
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