Small Business Email Marketing Lessons from Big Brands
Small businesses have a great opportunity with email.
Over 90% of Internet users have an email account and check it regularly. It’s a great way to get permission to market to your ideal customer. You can earn their trust and give them an off they can’t refuse.
One way to create great emails is to follow the strategy of the big brands.
In this post we look at three examples of strategies the big brands use in their email marketing campaigns. These are strategies you can use to turn subscribers into customers (and repeat customers).
Big Brand Email Strategy for Small Businesses
#1 – Urgency Created by Fossil
Fossil knows how to use urgency to get people to make a purchase.
Fossil has become one of the most successful brands around the world. The company is based in the USA and in just a short period of time they’ve gone from being just a watch company to being a successful brand for men and women. They sell apparel, jewelry and accessories. They have a distinct style and they bring that style into their email campaigns.
Another thing the company does is use urgency in their email program.
Urgency is a sales tactics that’s been used by businesses of all sizes for years. You may even use urgency in your regular business dealings. You can use it in your small business email campaigns and it will work really well.
Fossil uses a holiday to encourage a purchase. You can do the same. You can even set arbitrary deadlines to get your prospects to take action.
As the saying goes, “Deadlines spur decision.”
#2 – Brand Association and Current Events by Under Armour
In the USA the Baltimore Ravens just won the Super Bowl. Under Armour immediately sent out an email...
Associating your brand with other brand is a great way to raise your own profile. The Baltimore Ravens just won the Super Bowl in the USA. Under Armour immediately sent out an email that congratulated the team, but the email also associated the Under Armour brand with the brand of the players, coaches and team.
I’m sure Under Armour already has a paid sponsorship relationship with players and teams, but in this sense it’s a way to get people to think, “Hey. If the Ravens use Under Armour and won the biggest game in all of sports maybe it can help me with my workouts too…”
Brand association doesn’t have to be done on this scale to succeed. As a small businesses you can partner with other businesses to create joint ventures and email campaigns. It can even be done with charity to raise the profiles of both organizations.
Additionally, this email uses current events. This is another trigger for buying behavior that big brands use all the time.
#3 – New and Simple by Johnston & Murphy
Not only is this Johnston & Murphy email simple, it's also announcing a great new line of products.
Announcing new products and services is a classic email strategy. People love hearing about new items. You might already use this strategy in your small business email campaigns. Continue doing so because it usually works and that’s why the big brands like Johnston & Murphy do it.
What’s also great about this email is the simple design. There is a sole (get it?) purpose to the email. The main call to action is to check out the new shoe line. The other calls to action are small and out of the way.
Having an email with a single purpose and call to action is great for you and for the customer. They know what they have to do and they’re not confused. When people are confused they tend to not make a decision at all.
It’s easy to make an email complex. Go for simple.
Conclusion
There are tons of strategies you can use in your small business email program. If you’re just getting started with the campaigns take these strategies and implement them.
From there you can expand on what works and experiment with new ideas. Keep on following those big brands because they have a lot invested in email marketing success. You can kind of use their experience combined with your own to create some really great emails.
Tagged in: Fossil, Johnston & Murphy, Under Armour