As a home healthcare agency or facility, you probably already know the importance of email campaigns as part of your overall online marketing strategy. What you might not know is what to be careful about when implementing email marketing, how to avoid issues with spam reporting and privacy laws, and the importance of opt-ins within the body text.
When done correctly, email marketing is an ideal way for you to reach new audiences and customers online. But as with any marketing campaign, it’s critical to understand the pros and cons of email marketing, which can spell the difference between a successful or failed campaign.
An effective email marketing strategy will convert prospects into customers, turning first-time buyers (or in this case patients) into recurring customers. One of the biggest advantages of email marketing is that you are able to automate the entire process.
Here, we’ll go over the pros and cons of email marketing.
PROs
- Brand awareness – Being consistent in your email marketing will help consumers remember your brand. If they like what they see, they may share your material, which will further promote your brand. On top of that, it will help them recall your brand when it comes time for them to purchase something, points out Business2Community.
- Easily share information – With email marketing, you can share content that demonstrates your expertise and knowledge in your niche, industry, or field. Plus, it allows you to promote or announce any new products, services, or limited-time special offers.
- Open, targeted dialogue – Email marketing allows you to build conversations around topics your patients and their families are interested in. Because opt-in/out services are widely available in email campaigns, those who are truly interested in your services will be able to sign up for and receive your emails. This makes it much easier for you to build targeted campaigns around these groups. Just be careful not to violate any privacy laws. Always get consent before sending emails to recipients, and never use deceptive email addresses, names, or subject lines intended to mislead.
- Fast and affordable to produce – Email marketing campaigns don’t take nearly as many hours and dollars of printing and design services as direct mail campaigns do. Accumulating and maintaining email lists will be easier and less costly than gathering postal mail addresses. All people have to do is respond to an electronic form so they can sign up for an email list. Compare this with the high cost of mailing response cards, printing them, and providing return postage, says Chron Small Business.
- Tracking is easy: You can track your emails so you know exactly which ones were received. You’ll also be able to tell which email addresses are no longer active and which ones that people decided to opt-out of. Always respect the opt-out!
CONs
- Hard to get attention – It’s possible that many or most of your consumers will never even open your email. Bulk email programs can be unpredictable because such an email may be viewed as insignificant and unimportant, then either get deleted by the user or caught in the spam folder where they have no chance of being seen in the first place.
- Bad reputation – Many consumers don’t appreciate receiving unsolicited emails, making them view your company as less than reputable. If there are people on your list who haven’t opted in or if they have submitted an unsubscribe request that isn’t immediately addressed, your company’s image can be damaged. One rule of thumb to remember is that you are essentially a guest in their inbox. Gaining access to it is akin to being invited into their home for dinner. Be respectful, remember what you’re there for, and be on your best behavior. Remember, they are being inundated with pitches, interruptions, and advertisements everywhere they turn.
- Relevance – Sending along relevant information to a massive group of people is tough to accomplish. Consumers are looking for relevant, high-quality information that’s pertinent to them. If you don’t include a clear and appropriate call to action for this target group, those people will simply move on.
- Requires time, attention, and thought – From the subject line and body content to the conclusion and call to action, creating quality email content your audience is interested in is quite time-consuming.
Like any marketing campaign, there are benefits and drawbacks to email marketing that you have to consider prior to planning an advertising strategy. While other aspects of your online marketing strategy such as SEO and social media are vital to maintaining and growing a strong online presence, studies show that email marketing still ranks as the most effective marketing channel, even beating out affiliate marketing, social media, and SEO.
In the end, when done right, email marketing is an extremely effective portal.
Contact A Servant’s Heart Web Design and Marketing
Don’t have the time or patience to regularly craft emails your audience will care about? Need help setting up an email marketing strategy that really works? We can take care of it all, so you can concentrate on running your home health business or health care facility. To learn more, contact us at 760-227-2720 for a free consultation.
