British businesses are missing a trick by failing to effectively engage their customers through email communication.
Research by Responsys revealed that a fifth of businesses with an internet presence did not send any online communications to their customers even when they had taken the time to register their details on a website in order to receive email updates.
The majority of companies that did send emails to their customers were found to have fallen short of engaging them by not making their content relevant to the individual person.
When implementing an email marketing campaign it is important to target individual customers by creating content that is specific to them such as their gender, location and age.
Personalising emails instead of sending out generic messages will encourage customers to visit a business' website in order to investigate the latest deals on products and services.
Businesses are also advised to email customers that have visited their website to purchase a product but who left during the process of the transaction by abandoning their shopping cart.
Email communications to customers work most effectively when they are tied in with an occasion such as national holidays, sports tournaments and most importantly brand events.
Once a business is satisfied with the type of content it sends to its customers, it is important to achieve the most appropriate volume because sending too many emails will just annoy people and they will probably delete them without reading.
Weekly or fortnightly emails are usually most effective especially if they are linked to new deals, a fresh product or service, or the latest discounts and deals that are available in-store or on the website.
Emails, although essential, should only constitute one part of a companies marketing strategy as advancements in technology have meant that communicating via social media and mobile is becoming more important.
People are becoming more technologically savvy so businesses should try to stay one step ahead of their competitors by interacting with their clients through a variety of mediums.
The communication channel must always be appropriate to the customer as older people may not use social media or even have an email account so businesses should always ask their preferred method of contact.
Performance improvement consulting professionals can help organisations improve customer service by redesigning their processes so that they work more effectively and efficiently.
Any business that is concerned about how their processes currently operate, should contact performance improvement consulting experts immediately.