People in America are now checking their phones every 10 minutes – that means approximately 96 times a day.
That makes smartphones to be Doraemon’s Anywhere Door for marketers and business owners – the magic gateway to reach their customers anytime, anywhere.
And, Emails, push notifications, and SMS are the keys to this door.
In this article, we are going to discuss how you can effectively plan to scale your direct marketing by emphasizing the three big players – Emails, Push Notifications, and SMS – EPS.
Let us guide you through your EPS Planning.
What is Email Marketing?
Email marketing is a form of direct marketing that uses email as the primary means of communicating with potential or current customers.
Email marketing campaigns can be used for a variety of purposes, such as:
Promoting a sale or special offer
Introducing a new product or service
Building brand awareness
Nurturing leads and converting them into customers
Staying in touch with current customers to keep them engaged and encourage repeat business
Email marketing benefits can be – it is highly targeted and personalized, making it an effective way to reach specific audiences with relevant and valuable content. Additionally, it is cost-effective and provides measurable results, making it a popular choice among businesses of all sizes.
What is Push Notification Marketing?
Push notifications are a type of marketing communication that businesses can use to reach customers through their mobile devices. They are messages that pop up on a mobile device, even when the user is not actively using the app or website that they originated from. Push notifications can be used to inform customers of new products or promotions, provide updates on their orders, or simply remind them to use the app.
Push notifications are typically sent by businesses through their mobile apps, but they can also be sent through a web browser if the customer has been granted permission for notifications.
When a user opts in to receive push notifications from a business, they will start receiving notifications from that business on their mobile device, even when the app or website is not open. This allows businesses to reach customers at any time, even when they are not actively engaging with the business's app or website.
What is SMS Marketing?
SMS marketing refers to the use of text messages to communicate with customers or potential customers for the purpose of promoting a product or service.
This type of marketing allows businesses to send targeted, personalized messages directly to customers' mobile phones, making it a highly effective way to reach a large audience quickly and cost-effectively.
SMS marketing campaigns can include promotional offers, discounts, reminders, and other types of marketing messages.
Why are emails, push notifications, and SMS important in your direct marketing?
Emails, push notifications, and SMS are important in marketing because they allow businesses to reach their customers directly and in a highly targeted way.
Emails can be personalized to include the recipient's name and other information, and they can be segmented to reach specific groups of customers based on their interests and behavior thus making it an effective way to stay in touch with customers. This allows businesses to create more targeted and effective campaigns and keep their customers informed about promotions, new products or services, and other important information.
Push notifications can be used to alert customers to new products or sales, remind them of abandoned shopping carts, or deliver personalized messages and offers. Because push notifications are delivered to a customer's lock screen, they are harder to ignore than email, and they can help increase engagement and conversions.
SMS is a great way to reach customers because almost everyone carries a mobile phone, and text messages have a high open rate. It can be used to send updates, reminders, or promotions to customers and is the simplest way to interact with them.
NEVER do this…
If you are utilizing emails, SMS, and push for your direct marketing, you must have the personal contact details of your customers.
The key here is to respect the space of your customers by always keeping a limit to what you are sending and never flooding their devices with your messages.
It's important to use them judiciously and make sure not to overuse them, as too many notifications or messages can be a nuisance and turn off customers. Spamming is a highly negative practice and might lead to several negative impacts on business, for instance losing customer base (resulting in uninstalling the app or disabling notifications), Email Service Providers blocking you, or breaking laws.
Make friends with Content Calendar
A content calendar in direct marketing is a tool used to plan, organize, and schedule the content that will be used in various marketing campaigns. This can include email marketing campaigns, social media posts, blog articles, and other types of content that are used to engage with customers and prospects.
A content calendar typically includes information such as the type of content, the target audience, the goals of the campaign, and the date and time the content will be published or sent. It also helps to keep the team on track and the marketing plan on schedule. Having a content calendar enables direct marketing campaigns to be more intentional and effective, allowing a company to keep its message consistent and timely while providing its audience with a better experience.
In addition, a content calendar can also be beneficial in getting multiple departments involved in the marketing process, including design, product development, and customer support. By aligning everyone's efforts to the same schedule, it can ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goals.
It's also important to mention that:
A content calendar is a living document, it's not a one-time setup. As campaigns progress and change, so does the content calendar.
It can be flexible; it's not carved in stone and the team should be able to adjust it as needed to optimize their campaigns.
How can you create a content calendar?
Start by identifying your target audience and their pain points. This will help you to create content that is tailored to their needs and interests.
Next, brainstorm the different types of content that you can create, such as blog posts, videos, infographics, e-books, and social media updates.
Create a spreadsheet or document that outlines the different pieces of content you plan to create, along with their respective due dates. This will help you stay organized and ensure that you're meeting your deadlines.
Consider using a tool like Hootsuite or CoSchedule to schedule your content in advance, so you can set it and forget it.
Regularly review your calendar and adjust it as needed. Keep in mind that your target audience's needs may change over time, so you should be open to adjusting your content accordingly.
Lastly, don't forget to track and measure the performance of your content, so you can learn what's working and what's not. This will help you to continually improve your EPS planning and make it more effective.
Set a clear goal beforehand
The goal of an EPS strategy is to generate a measurable response from the target audience, such as a sale, lead, or appointment.
For example, the goals of a typical EPS planning may involve:
To build relationships with customers
Increase brand awareness
Drive sales by communicating directly with potential and existing customers through various channels.
Ultimately, the prime goal remains to create a positive return on investment for the business.
How can you set a goal for your strategy?
Identify your target audience:
Before setting a goal for your EPS planning, you need to know who your target audience is. This will help you tailor your campaigns to reach the right people.
Define your objective:
Decide what you want to achieve with your marketing campaign. This could be to increase website traffic, generate more leads, boost sales, or build brand awareness.
Establish measurable targets:
Your goal should be specific, measurable, and time-bound. For example, "Increase website traffic by 20% in the next three months".
Determine the right metrics:
To track progress and measure success, choose the right metrics to monitor. This could include open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and unsubscribe rates.
Review and adjust:
Regularly review your campaign to see how it's performing and make adjustments where necessary. This will help you achieve your goals more efficiently and effectively.
Final word
Planning email, push, and SMS (EPS Planning) is a very important part of your direct marketing that you must leverage for more targeted marketing.
But please note that it is important to comply with laws and regulations regarding marketing, including requirements for obtaining consent and providing opt-out options.
These channels should be used strategically and not be overused to not end up annoying the customers leading to unsubscribing or marking your emails as spam.
In case you do not have sufficient time to implement and monitor such an overwhelming number of strategies, you may take the help of a digital marketing company that does all the planning, launching, and evaluating on your behalf as per your business needs.