If you're like most people, you probably use email every day. Chances are, you check your email several times a day. And if you're like most businesses, you're probably relying on email to communicate with team members, customers and prospects.
But what you may not realize is that email marketing is one of THE MOST effective ways to reach customers, not just for the initial sale but for continued business.
And get this: email marketing works just as well for luxury home service companies needing to reach high-end, high-net-worth customers as it does for anyone else.
Recent statistics support the idea that email marketing works across all industries as a whopping 99% of consumers check emails every day and prefer to receive brand updates that way.
But that's not all.
Almost 70% of homeowner respondents are open to receiving quarterly email updates from the brands they trust.
But those are only a few of the hundreds of stats that show how powerful email marketing is. So let's dive into why we feel email marketing is so important and how we achieve email marketing success for our clients.
Why Email Marketing?
The reason is simple: email allows us to build relationships directly through clients' inboxes. Sending strategic and customer-centric content via email helps establish trust and respect between your company with past and potential customers. It also allows you to position yourself as a relatable and likable representative of your brand, stay top of mind with your ideal audience, and give them an avenue to reach you quickly (i.e., move forward in the customer buying journey). All of these go a long way in making a sale or sealing the deal on a project – especially high-ticket ones.
Think about it: when you make a purchase, whether a car, a t-shirt, piece of jewelry, or a home service, you want to feel confident that you're working with someone you can trust. Your clients need to feel the same way. Email gives you an opportunity to build trust, respect and credibility directly with your idea audience.
6 Key Benefits of Email Marketing
Not entirely on board with email marketing yet? Here are six reasons why you should be using email marketing in your business:
1. Email marketing allows you to reach your target audience directly.
Let's face it: popular digital marketing platforms like social media are awesome but outside of paid efforts, we do not have the ability to target specific people directly and more and more they have limited reach and visibility.
But that's not the case with email marketing.
With email marketing, you know exactly who you're speaking to, so you can tailor your message specifically to them—no more guessing or hoping that your message will be seen by the right people.
2. Email marketing helps generate traffic to your site, increasing leads and sales.
Getting seen online nowadays is getting harder and harder. Even with a working website, there's no guarantee that potential customers will find it.
But with email marketing, you can include links to your website, landing pages, and other important pages on your site. This helps increase traffic and leads and as we all know, when you increase the amount of traffic and leads, you increase the number of sales - it’s just what happens, folks!
3. Significant savings on time and money.
Email marketing is a low cost marketing avenue. After platform fees, which vary based on the size of your email list,, that’s really it as far as costs go. Email marketing is also relatively easy and quick to set up, and allows automations, so you can save time and money in the long run.
4. Email lets you reach the right people at the right time.
The whole point of marketing is to reach your target audience at the right time. When considering high ticket offerings such as interior design services, a home remodel, new appliances, or luxury fixtures, etc., you need to be top of mind (as a trusted and reliable company) when that ideal client is ready to pull the trigger on their large purchase or investment. Email marketing helps you do just that.
You can segment your email list according to criteria, such as their current buyer stage location, age, gender, interests, etc. This way, you can send targeted messages to each segment and speak to where they may be in their buyer’s journey, increasing the chances that they'll convert into paying customers.
5. You own your assets and contact lists.
One downside to social media platforms is that you don't actually own your stuff (your assets or contact lists). Meaning, if Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest were to shut down tomorrow, all your hard work, content, and followers/community would go down with them. That’s a scary thought, right?! Smart company owners OWN their stuff. Own your pages, own your own website, and own your contact lists.
When you own your contact list, you can export it for email marketing or anywhere else you may need to - such as Facebook by creating custom audiences (with your spreadsheet of emails) for your Facebook and Instagram ads! Plus, even if your email service provider shuts down, you can always switch to another one without losing any valuable data. I personally feel that in addition to your website, your email list is your other largest digital asset.
6. Email marketing allows you to personalize content.
Last but not least, email marketing allows you to personalize your content. You can address your customers by their name, include their purchase history, or even send them a birthday greeting.
This helps create a more personal relationship with your customers, making them more likely to do business with you in the future.
Now that you know what makes email marketing so beneficial, how do you get started?
Tips on How to Get Started with Email Marketing
If you'd like to start with email marketing – and fast, you may want to think about the following:
Your target audience: who will you be writing to?
What are their needs, wants, and interests? What keeps them up at night?
And where do your expertise and business services come into play?
Answering these questions will allow you to write emails that resonate with your audience and in time help you build trust and respect with your audience.
Frequently Asked Questions about your brand and services
A quick way that we get started with content for our clients is through frequently asked questions. What questions do their ideal clients always seem to ask them about?
Odds are good that if you’re getting these questions consistently from ideal clients, there are a LOT more potential ideal clients out there that have the same questions so it makes sense to start here in your content strategy.
We make a good list and even categorize that list with various services our clients offer, etc. Aim for 6-12 topics with a few points for each so you have a foundation for your content.
How are your lists categorized?
Do you have one general list, or are your contacts segmented into different groups?
Consider how you want to categorize your contact lists, by industry, job title, location, or other criteria. The more specific you can get, the better. That way, you can send more targeted and personalized content.
The ideal email platform
There are many different email platforms to choose from, each with its own features. Depending on your business's size and budget, consider a few different options before settling on one and make sure it achieves your goals as far as functionality, workflow, and even aesthetics.
Popular choices include MailChimp, Encharge, Flodesk, SendinBlue, and Sendfox.
Continue to grow your list
Do you have a process in place for constantly growing your email list - i.e., capturing email leads? If not, now's the time to set one up.
There are many ways to do this, but some methods include using pop-ups on your website (odds are good you opted into my pop-up feature on my website and that’s why you’re receiving this email!), landing pages, or even gated content. Once you have a process for capturing leads, you can have peace of mind that the engine is constantly running.
A branded template
When it comes to email marketing, first impressions are everything. That's why having a branded template for your emails is important.
Your template should include your logo, colors, and fonts consistent with your brand. This will help create a more professional look for your emails and make them instantly recognizable to your readers. I personally feel email campaigns are an end-of-funnel marketing avenue so I like to give my readers a quick way to respond to me - to ask a question or set up a time to chat business. I also have one or two additional calls to action in the email, whether to read my blog or learn more about our company overall.
Email marketing is a powerful tool that can help you reach your target audience, build relationships, and increase sales. As a luxury home services company, email marketing is a proven way to stay top of mind with ideal clients and break into their coveted circle of family and friends, so we strongly recommend them.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below. And if you're looking for more personalized tips or professional guidance when marketing your luxury home services business online – we can help.
