Email Marketing Basics - Could You Make Money of Your List

Okay, so, this is pretty obvious to any marketer worth their salt, but the point of any marketing strategy is to drive sales (make money!).

Without directly putting your hand out and asking, "Please!" there are some surefire ways to make money from your email marketing campaigns. Short of demeaning desperation, there are far more classy tactics to make money.

Before we get any further, let's just get one thing out of the way. Every subscriber you have already knows that these emails are designed to drive sales and website hits. So, you don't need to placate them or assume that they don't already know what your agenda is.

Since that's out of the way, we'll go ahead and tackle what you can do in order to ensure that each and every email you send earns you money.

Coupons

This is an obvious marketing tactic, but there is a finesse to it that separates the big dogs from the pups. Simply slapping a coupon in your email isn't quite enough anymore. At the dawn of email marketing, attaching a printable coupon was the thing to do. The person that discovered this immense possibility of couponing in emails was a certifiable genius.

However, now, your customers expect you to include coupons. And, since they expect it, the chance of your customers redeeming it is slim to none, unless you do something spectacular.

• Flexible coupons
  
  For every coupon you design, ensure that its flexible in its usage.
  
  What does that mean? Well, make your coupon as redeemable as possible. Give your customers as many opportunities to redeem your promotion by ensuring that your coupon is redeemable online (promotional code), printable (point of service), scannable (point of service on a mobile device) or QR enabled.

• Extraordinary coupons
  
  No one in their right mind is going to take the effort to redeem a coupon code or a regular coupon unless its worth their while. Something like 5% off a product isn't going to cut it.
  
  Look to your profit margins on your highest grossing products. Not anything less than 15% isn't going to turn any heads.

• Referral opportunities
  
  Seriously, if you're offering an unbelievable deal, then your customers will share it with their family and friends. Again, no one, under the sun, passes up a great deal.
  
  Let's say that you're a pet store and your latest deal is 25% off gluten-free dog kibble. Surely there are friends and family members of your subscribers that need this special dog chow but are unaware of your latest sale. From personal experience, I've forwarded emails of this sort to my family because I know that they need the product but don't receive the promotional emails.
  
  Further, what this also means that you stipulate in the fine print that the promotion is open to referrals. Don't limit yourself. By keeping general promotions to your regular customers ensures that you're never going to grow or even gain new clients.
  
  As a financial back up, for these general promotions, ensure that it's a product or service that you have a wide margin.

• Customer testimonials
  
  Again, this is the holy grail of marketing that most companies don't tap into. People trust their peers more than they trust gigantic conglomerates.
  
  If your current customers see that you're getting rave reviews from others, it naturally increases your sales opportunities. Further, if a customer (just one!) is unsure about purchasing a product and then reads fantastic reviews from other satistfied customers that becomes their personal tipping point.

• Customer surveys
  
  This an easy and painless tactic that not only provides you with essential feedback but also increases sales. Let's say that you offer an opportunity for your regular customers to give their opinions on your products, and at the completion of the survey, they receive a personal coupon or special promotional offer.
  
  This simple tactic is incredibly effective. Think about it: if your customers take the time to fill out your survey, then the motivation to redeem their special offer is off the charts.