Email marketing has been receiving a lot of attention recently but today we speak about a different way to use email for marketing. The majority of this article focuses on traditional, ordinary emails and does not contain too much information about promotional newsletters.

If you’ve been looking for a way to improve your business while reducing costs, this article could be that silver bullet you’ve been looking for. With the rising cost of inflation, petrol charges and food increases, it makes perfect sense to be mindful of cost-saving marketing strategies.

Email Demystified: Learn how to leverage this cost-effective channel to grow your business.

If you are in business, make it super easy for your clients and prospects to contact you.

As Maya Angelo said,

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Every email sent out is an opportunity to captivate your readers.

Email allows for personalisation and customisation.  You can share much more information than a WhatsApp message or text message.

In this issue: practical tips to grow your business using email

Are we wasting time with email in this day in age?

Remember this number 6.648 billion. According to recent studies, the current number of smartphone users in the world today is 6.648 billion, and this means 83.72% of the world’s population owns a smartphone. Each smartphone requires an email address to start using its features and to download apps from Appstore and Playstore.

If you are sitting down while reading this article, take out a pen and paper and write down that number 1 billion with zeros to understand the real potential of email.

When people talk about email the first thing that comes to mind is spam, bulk emails, POPI act, Mailchimp.  The goal of email marketing is to build your own engaged email list, in no way do we encourage buying lists and sending out unsolicited mails, this is a sure-fire way to get blacklisted and blocked by spam cops. What we are suggesting is that you build your own personal group of readers who look forward to receiving your emails, like I regularly use a popular celebrity influencer, she has single-handedly grown my business through her engaged email list. Her readers have even told me “We have our monies in our hands ready to buy anything she sells us through her newsletters”.

Marketing and blog emails are a great way to be in the minds of your prospects and clients but what about the other uses of email?

Email is the granddaddy of communication.

Often overlooked and underestimated, email is still one of the most powerful tools in the businessperson’s arsenal.,

In an era of DMs, PMs and WA’s, with over 300 billion emails being sent every day in 2022, email is still very much alive, in fact, it’s still the preferred channel for all business communication. Think about a day in business without email?  Email is an integral part of our lives, from sending and receiving quotations, proposals, invitations, resumes, appointments, confirmations, banking statements, shipping and tracking info and so on and so on. Because we use email so much why not make sure we give the best impression with every mail that goes out.

The benefit of email is that important emails WILL be opened, unlike marketing emails or newsletters which tend to get skipped or get flagged as junk mail.  Your business emails get opened.  Emails have a long lifespan, they can be personalised and branded, there are no character restrictions, and you can send images, videos, and documents, including calendar bookings, company brochures, links to your website and social media.

WhatsApp VS Email

Don’t get us wrong, WhatsApp is still a powerful marketing channel but that’s a topic for another day.

WhatsApp is more engaged, it’s one-to-one communication. Some people are finicky with brands contacting them on WA.

Leave a memorable and lasting impression with every email being sent out. Here are some tips:

  • Use your name in the “FROM NAME” instead of using your company name, make it personal by using your own name, your clients and prospects will appreciate your emails more and you would skip the junk mail folder.
  • Include branding elements to your email signature such as a recent clear headshot of yourself, your socials, links to your calendar app, your one-click WhatsApp link, your ebrochure,
  • Use BITLY to shorten your links and also track link clicks
  • Use a professional email service provider like Microsoft 365.

Below is an example of mine. Some might say its too busy, but its brought me tons of business.

When we start a business, we start the business with the intention to make money.  Make it as easy as possible for clients to contact you.  Also what you can help them with at one glance.

Pro Tip: Add your Digital Brochure in your signature

Further advice for company emails

Most companies use the email that comes with their web hosting.  But most of the emails from the web hosting is outdated and low in space, with modern smartphones you can use up the allocated space in no time.  That is why we encourage our clients to use Microsoft Exchange or Google Workspace for company emails. You will still keep your company domain for email addresses, but all mails are stored in the cloud.  Microsoft comes with 50GB and Google 100GB.  If you are a professional company with more than 2 staff, we encourage you to get one of these service providers to avoid email loss. Recently we had a certain law firm keep their entire emails on the server from inception in 2018, the problem with that is if the server fails you lose all your prizes emails.  Some further tips we can give you if you are using shared hosting.

Setup your emails as POP and not as IMAP.

  • POP downloads and saves your email on your computer
  • IMAP keeps email on the server, this is dangerous if you decide to move the service provider, or your account is hacked.
  • IMAP is good if you have multiple devices accessing the same mailbox.

Mobile Signature tips:

Most people leave the default email mobile signature on outgoing emails such as “sent from my iPhone or sent from Outlook Android” You can easily change this by going into the email app settings and personalising it.  Include your name, contact details and maybe your favourite motivational quote.

Moral of the story is email is very much alive and you should leverage it for your business. With rising living costs, it makes perfect sense to consider/reconsider this powerful marketing tool.

Sunil has been working specifically with a focus on email since 2005. Having sent out campaigns for Thompsons, MTN, Bentley, Azuri Mauritius and many more.

How to pimp up your email signature

Email is not dead. Email is still an integral communication tool for business. You send out business-related emails daily, why not create an unforgettable experience for your recipients. In this video, I give some tips to make your email more memorable. Brand and personalise your sent emails.

How to get a WhatsApp link and add to your signature

Make it easy for your prospects and clients to contact you. Eliminate the need to first save your number before sending you a WhatsApp message. Add your link to your email signature, website, social media profiles and text messages.

 

Signature ideas for Gmail and Microsoft Outlook.

Personalise your Microsoft Outlook Signature. Many people use Microsoft Outlook as a service provider. In this quick video, I show you how to easily add a personalised signature to your Microsoft Outlook and include a one-click WhatsApp link too,

 

 

Personalise your Gmail Signature. Many people still use Gmail as a service provider. In this quick video, I show you how to easily add a personalised signature to your Gmail and include a one-click WhatsApp link too,

 

BONUS: How to add POP email in Outlook

POP emails allows you to download your emails and have a copy on your computer, The emails are stored in a data file or PST and can be moved from computer to computer or even backed up. This is done to avoid loss of emails

BONUS: How to Easily Add a Flipping Book Brochure to Your WordPress Website in 5 Minutes

To add a flipping book brochure to your WordPress site using a PDF and a flipping book plugin, follow these steps:

Step 1: Install a Flipping Book Plugin

  1. Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.
  2. Go to Plugins > Add New and search for “Flipping Book” or similar plugins like “3D FlipBook” or “Real3D Flipbook.”
  3. Choose a flipping book plugin and click Install Now, then Activate once installed.

Step 2: Upload Your PDF to the Plugin

  1. In the WordPress Dashboard, navigate to the plugin’s settings or Flipping Book > Add New Book (plugin-specific wording may vary).
  2. Select Upload PDF and upload the PDF brochure you want to convert into a flipping book.

Step 3: Customize Settings

  1. Adjust the flipping book’s settings, such as page flip effects, zoom options, and display size. Most plugins allow customization to match your website’s style.
  2. Once satisfied, save the settings.

Step 4: Embed the Flipping Book on a Page or Post

  1. Copy the generated shortcode for the flipping book.
  2. Go to the page or post where you want to display the brochure, paste the shortcode, and publish or update the page.

Step 5: Add the Link to Your Email Signature

  1. Visit the page with your newly embedded flipping book and copy the URL.
  2. Add this link to your email signature by pasting it into your email signature editor (in Gmail, Outlook, etc.), allowing users to access the brochure directly.

This will allow your audience to view your brochure in an interactive, visually engaging format on your website!

If you enjoyed reading this article, consider sharing it with someone, you might change their business and life.