What’s the real goal of marketing? Some people would argue it’s to make more sales and, ultimately, to increase revenue. And they’re not wrong. But that’s only part of the story, because here’s the rub—when your marketing equation only considers sales and revenue, you can miss other key factors and (funnily enough)… actually make less money at the end of the day. 

Marketing channels are a big part of direct contact with potential and actual customers. For businesses, that makes them a golden tool… as long as it’s used wisely. The rule for marketing is simple but important: the better you communicate, the better your marketing channel will be.

Or simply stated: Good communication = More sales and revenue. So how can you improve your communication? Glad you asked. Let’s explore it.

Email marketing 101: Know your audience

In order to convey your message in the best way possible, it is crucial to know who you’re speaking to—what are their interests?  What’s their ideal and real self, and what do they need in order to make the jump between the two?

That’s why at Hustler Marketing it’s at the base of our service to create a copy guidelines document specifically tailored to each client’s customer avatar.

There’s a quote attributed to the Roman philosopher Seneca that goes like this: “If a man knows not which port he sails, no wind is favorable.”
How does it relate to marketing? Well, if you don’t know how to speak to your audience (which port to sail), then no messaging angle (wind) is favorable.

Promotional emails VS Nurturing emails

Email marketing is arguably the marketing channel with the biggest ROI. And while promotional emails definitely have their space in the email marketing realm—believe me, they do, big time—if overdone, they can damage the relationship you have with your list. And it’s not hard to understand why.
Who wants to get a sales pitch every time they open an email?! If you are only focusing on sales and promos, your list will gradually wave bye-bye to you and hit the unsubscribe button without hesitation. 

This comes to show the importance of nurturing your list with content they ACTUALLY want to read! 

If you’re a marketer, a store owner, or even a regular browser that enjoys reading email marketing articles, chances are you yourself are subscribed to some (other) brand’s email list.
Ask yourself this question: How annoyed are you by their emails? If all you ever received from them was deal announcements and promos, I’d bet the answer would be “quite a lot.” Consider if this is how you want your audience to feel when your emails drop into their inbox.

How to write nurturing emails?

A while ago I got an email from a meditation app I used in the past. Were they pitching me with a 40% off deal on their yearly membership? No. At least not in this specific email. 

The email was about meditation tips and different techniques and mindsets I could apply to my practice. Tips I could use in my daily meditation routine, even without using their app! 

Here’s the thing… Good marketers market. Great marketers connect. First and foremost, take the focus out of the sales and revenue mindset for a second. This is where you want to connect to your audience on a deeper level. If you follow the right steps the revenue will come.

Understand your audience and what they want to read. What brought them to your store to begin with? What would resonate most with them? Start there.

Do you run a sports clothing brand? Send your list some workout tips!  Market a blender? Have some recipes sent out in your emails on the regular. Look how Blendjet does it!

Make your recipients look forward to your emails and train them to open and read every single message you send their way. 

Understand who you’re speaking to and you’ll know exactly what to say to them—make them curious and engaged with your brand! Find a nice balance, then tie nurturing content to promotional emails and optimize your ROI from email marketing.

When you offer them real value, you can expect real value back. And that, my friend, is the beginning of a beautiful marketing relationship.