Different types of email marketing you can offer

To a lot of people, the term “email marketing” automatically conjures images of an email intent on one thing - selling. In actual fact, there are a number of types of email communications you can pitch to your clients, some of which are not directly sales related but can certainly contribute to their bottom line in other ways.

Quick Announcements

Often called postcard emails, these are simple, brief announcements your clients might want to make informing customers of a special offer, a popular new product or quick fire sale. These types of emails are typically restricted to a single call-to-action and should be easy for the recipient to scan in a few seconds. Here are 2 quick examples of a quick announcement in action.

Email Newsletters

The primary purpose of an email newsletter is to build upon the relationship your client has with their own customers. Of course, this might (and should) indirectly result in an increase in sales, but the focus should be on providing relevant, useful content your subscribers might be interested in.

Often the content isn’t directly related to your products either. For example, an online grocer might send a monthly newsletter featuring a few recipes, a story on the benefits of organic produce and a column with exercising tips. To get the creative ideas flowing, here are two quick examples of great looking email newsletters and there are plenty more in our gallery.

Catalog Emails

A catalog based email is fairly self explanatory, being an electronic version of a print brochure listing particular products, with the primary goal to encourage customers to purchase. I often see designers label catalog emails as newsletters, and admittedly the lines can get blurry sometimes.

Press Releases

If you have a list of media contacts that have given your client permission to contact them, email press releases can be a great way to attract news coverage. Of course, there are a number of services that can distribute your press releases to the media, but maintaining their own list of media contacts can be a great way for your client to send targeted, personalized press releases only to those contacts who will be interested.

One size does not fit all

When considering which types of email to promote to each of your clients, it’s important to remember that you don’t need to take a one-size-fits-all approach. Some clients will be much more suited to email newsletters than one-off announcements, while the reverse might apply to others.

The best thing about email is that it’s so measurable. Try a newsletter for your client for a month or two and then look at the results. Mix up the the topics you cover to see which garners the most interest. Try a different layout for each issue. As long as you stick to the expectations you set for your client’s subscribers, use your creativity to find what works best.