Best Email Marketing Strategies to Boost Your Sales Significantly

As a web business owner, email marketing is one of the most profitable strategies available to you (and offline business owners, too).

Take into account this: On their first visit, approximately 99 per cent of your website visitors will leave without purchasing anything from you. A good opt-in offer, however, will at the very least give you their contact information, which you can use for follow-up, relationship building and conversion into paying customers.

And email marketing is by far the simplest and least expensive way to stay in touch with your customers and build strong relationships with them – so they'll buy from you again and again! (This is known as your customers' "lifetime value," and it is very profitable.)

Email marketing just plain works! Just take a glance at these statistics from PostFuture:

There are now quite 1 BILLION Internet users worldwide -- and 90% of them use email.

70% of users receive an opt-in email from online businesses.

82% of online buyers have made a minimum of one purchase in response to email promotion.

32% have made an instantaneous online purchase in response to an email.

Why am I always surprised when I hear of a business that hasn't taken advantage of email marketing strategies? Because of these figures.

If you're stuck for ideas on the way to use email marketing to build up your profits, here are 10 proven email marketing strategies to urge you to start...

Email marketing strategy #1: Build relationships and credibility by providing free information.

Sending your subscribers valuable, free information -- like an authoritative eBook -- will help them get to understand and trust you. Your chances of converting subscribers into lifelong customers increase dramatically once you have established your credibility.

You can offer anything from a free report back to a free trial version of the software... whatever you think that your subscribers would like!

Email marketing strategy #2: Regular specials should be announced to encourage repeat visits.

Once you've started collecting email addresses, you'll send your customers and subscribers regular updates letting them know what your specials are. If you send your customers regular discount offers, you can turn them into loyal customers who come back to your site time after time.

Email marketing strategy #3: Host "Customer Only" events

Suppose you own a restaurant, and you have been collecting your customer's email addresses. A special wine tasting event will be held for regular diners only, and you'll send each of them an email inviting them. Your customer's lifetime value can be maximized simply by offering rewards like this.

If you own a web business, you'll find a special page on your site that's accessible only to customers -- then send them an email telling them the way to cash in on the specials you advertise thereon page.

Email marketing strategy #4: Promotions can be included in appointment reminders.

Service-based businesses can still benefit from email marketing by sending appointment reminders to their clients.

If you are a Music teacher, for instance, you'll send your new clients an email three days before their first lesson, reminding them where you're located and once they have arrived. Therein the same message, you'll include a coupon that gives them 25% off their lessons if they carry a lover to enrol as well!

Email marketing strategy #5: Follow up with your most promising leads.

After speaking with someone in person, but without making a sale, you can send them an email to follow up. Offer to answer any additional questions they'll have, and allow them to know that you simply are available to talk with them at their convenience. This will dramatically increase your chances of closing purchases by providing your leads with extra information they are not expecting.

Email marketing strategy #6: Offer electronic "loyalty coupons"

This is an excellent way to get your existing customers to shop from you again and again. Simply send each of your customers a coupon that they will print and convey with them into your store or use on your website. It's always an honest idea to form your coupons valid for a limited time only to motivate your customers to form a sale from you as soon as possible.

Email marketing strategy #7: Offers to your customers in the form of follow-up communications

Follow-up offers are one of the foremost powerful ways to create a profitable business. Because they repose on the trust you've established to shut the initial sale -- and switch first-time buyers into regular customers.

How profitable can follow-up email be? My team once sent our customers a follow-up email introducing them to a product that we thought they could like. The whole process of writing the e-mail and sending it out took about 20 minutes -- and therefore the result was an immediate profit of $74,000!

Email marketing strategy #8: Encourage the use of the "Send to a Colleague" referral feature.

Email may be a good way to encourage referrals because it is easy for people to forward messages to their families, friends, and coworkers. You should remind your subscribers with every newsletter, offer or eBook you send them that they can just forward it to anyone else who might be interested in learning more about your business.

You could even run a promotion that provides your existing customers something for free of charge whenever they refer a replacement customer to you.

Email marketing strategy #9: Deliver your product electronically

Assume you've written a book and are currently selling paperback copies on your website for $19 each. You'll simply email it to your customers after creating a digital version of your book, which is much easier than you might think.

The fact that you won't have to worry about things like shipping and packaging will allow you to increase your profit margin by a significant amount!

The fact that you won't have to worry about things like shipping and packaging will allow you to increase your profit margin by a significant amount!

Email marketing strategy #10: Use email to sell your knowledge and make recurring revenue

If you're an expert on a specific topic -- and almost most are -- then you've got a successful business supported by a paid-subscription newsletter waiting to change state.

Of course, there are plenty of other email marketing strategies you'll put to use.  And once you realize just how easy it's to use it to drive sales, you will be thinking of all types of latest strategies yourself!