Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/69728
FEATURE STORY By Bob McCann STANDING OUT IN THE INBOX: Recipe for email marketing success what you can do to stand out and win is keep in touch in a very relevant way. The following proven best practices will allow you to stay connected with both prospects and customers, turn more leads into sales, and convert more buyers into returning, loyal customers. Put it on paper Consistency is a key ingredient for success in any marketing campaign. The best way to guarantee that is to develop a strategy. First, let's assume that at this point, you have been diligently collecting email addresses from all lead sources, including online inquiries, walk- ins, and phone prospects. Hopefully, you have also tagged these customers by interest, so you can easily segment the database in your lead management platform, separating commercial from residential customers for example. Having a plan starts with answering some questions. It sounds obvious, but when you know where you're going, it's so much easier to get there. - Why? What is your goal? Objectives can be lead generation; customer nurturing; brand awareness; and product, service or event promotion. If you have more than one objective, prioritize them. - Who? Catering to your subscribers requires knowing more about them than their email addresses. Who are they? How are your products and services solving their problem(s) or fulfilling their need(s)? What are the barriers or other hurdles that may prevent them from taking the next step with your business? Don't forget that recipients are people and people like to be informed, but also entertained and engaged. - When? If you're promoting an event, launching an email promotion, sending out a newsletter, or revealing a new product or service to customers. Despite this challenging reality, recent surveys about consumer channel P 14 Upstate Outdoor Power Equipment of Belton, S.C., created this strong, value-added email newsletter that educates customers on how to take care of their equipment. This is a great way to stay top-of- mind and to position the dealership as a reliable source of useful information. eople receive hundreds of emails a day, if not more, which means that outdoor power equipment dealers face steep competition when preferences reveal that email marketing still stands as the most likely way to influence consumer buying decisions. Well-executed email marketing campaigns can be a highly cost-effective, performing and measurable tool. Most OPE dealers are small- to medium-sized businesses that can't outspend big-box stores on marketing, but how much lead time do you need? How many reminders are considered acceptable? - What? This is about action, about taking the next step. The question is: What do you want your recipients to do next? Watch a video? Sign up for an event? Take advantage of "Free shipping available until midnight"? - How? Measuring results is crucial to your ability to succeed and achieve a greater return on investment (ROI). Hopefully, your email campaign tool allows you to quickly generate comprehensive reports featuring key metrics, including number of emails that were sent, bounced, opened, clicked through, or shown as "unsubscribed." Another key question: Who will take ownership of this very important activity? In most dealerships, whoever manages leads is OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com