Marketing professional cites email as valuable business tool

With 147 million people using email each day across the country, the communication medium has become an important business tool, according to a Monroe, La., marketing professional.

Marvin Smith of Spectrum Marketing Group discussed the integration of email into business during the second of three Social Media Marketing seminars Thursday in the Great Room at Truman Arnold Center. The seminars are hosted by Texarkana Chamber of Commerce, and Smith was the featured speaker at the first session.

Smith said face-to-face contact with customers is still good business practice, though companies and entrepreneurs should be willing to use email to maintain clients.

“Successful business growth comes mostly from existing customers.”

Smith cited two benefits of using email in business: It makes it easier to stay in continual contact with customers, and email is less expensive than standard mail.

“Last week, I mentioned your song and dance, which means that your song is your message and your dance is your invitation to customers to do business with you,” he said. “The same applies for email when you want to engage customers, regardless of whether they are your raging fans, regular customers, prospects and even disinterested parties. This takes time, money, energy and effort, but each one of those needs to be conducted in good balance with the others.”

Smith said businesses should make emailing customers a reg- ular practice instead of making clients “wait to see what happens next.”

“You have to give them a reason to open their doors and open the pocketbooks, because it now cost six to seven times more to gain a customer then to retain one.”

Once business owners send out an email, they should track it, Smith said.

“You can now see the date and time someone clicked onto your email,” he said.

Smith said when it comes to email content, the message should be interesting and valuable.

“Make sure your email offers expertise, useful facts, guidance, product discounts, coupons and giveaways,” he said. “Give people the VIP treatment. Invite them backstage.”

However, Smith offered a warning.

“Don’t give out too much information. Keep it concise. ... If you publish a monthly or quarterly newsletter, find out how they want to be communicated with. Do they want a hard copy of something, like a newsletter, or do they want to read it online?”

Smith also encouraged keeping the email format consistent.

“You don’t want to change it every month, like showing snow for January or hearts for February. You can use a different format but with similar designs, and always include your logo and use consistent colors.”

Smith’s final bit of advice focused on when to send an email.

“Don’t try it during ball games or during the holidays. Also, encourage and reward people who forward your email to others.

The final seminar will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 27 in the Great Room.