It’s no secret that email marketing is critical to the survival of any business. After all, if you’re not hitting your audience with compelling messages regularly, you’re losing out on great business. That’s why I’m so happy to introduce you to Michael Merritt. Not only is he a fantastic email marketer who has helped me grow my business, but he is also one of the most patient and understanding people I’ve ever met. So before I dive into how he became an email marketing manager, let’s take a look at the essential skills you need to have in order to succeed in this industry.
Know The Basics Of Email Marketing
The first and most important thing you need to understand is the basics of email marketing. It’s pretty simple, actually. You’re just sending out an email with content to advertise a product or service. Pretty straightforward, huh?
Well, the devil is in the details, and you can bet your sweet ass that there are a lot of them. For example, you need to establish yourself as an expert in the field. How are you going to do that? By educating yourself on the subject. There are lots of free online courses you can take that will introduce you to the field and allow you to continue your education. You can also read lots of books or take a look at some of the popular blogs in your niche. You’ll find lots of information and resources on the Internet.
Have A Passion For Email Marketing
Another important thing you need to understand as a Merritt email marketing manager is the passion you need to have for the industry. It’s a tough industry to be in, especially since you’re constantly competing for customers with other marketing managers. If you want to succeed in this business and be able to bring in the big dollars, you need to have a burning desire to be the best at what you do.
So how do you develop that passion? By spending as much time as possible educating yourself on the subject and by pushing yourself to become the best at what you do. The more you know, the more you’ll be able to educate others and grow your business. When Michael Merritt first approached me with a proposal to work together, my first thought was, “This guy must really, really love his job.” And you know what? He does! He truly loves writing and educating people about email marketing, and he shows me every day how much he loves his job. I can tell you from experience that if you want to be successful in this business, you need to have the same passion for it as Michael does.
Identify Your Target Audience
Once you’ve got that passion, the next step is to focus on finding your target audience. What exactly does that mean?
Well, it means you’ve got to figure out who you’re writing your emails to. Have you ever heard of the 80/20 rule? It basically means you need to focus on converting 20% of your audience into paying customers, and you should spend 80% of your time and energy doing so. (Note: This is a totally optional rule and not something you need to follow.) So how do you find that 20%? Easy! you start by defining your target audience based on the buyer persona (or persona).
A buyer persona is a fictional character profile that contains the essential elements of one of your target audiences. For example, if you’re targeting small business owners who buy office equipment, you might create a buyer persona named “Joe Small Business Owner.” Joe is a small business owner who works with computers and has pretty specific needs.
The important thing about a buyer persona is that it allows you to speak to your audience in a way that is specific and relevant to them. For example, if you’re emailing marketing managers at small businesses, but you’ve never done business with them before, it might be difficult for you to know what they want. But by knowing their name and what kind of business they’re in, you can tailor your messages to them efficiently.
Create Email Content That Will Keep Your Audience Interested
Now that you know who you’re writing your emails for, the next step is to create content that will keep them interested. Why do you need content if you already know who your audience is? Well, if you’ve ever done email marketing, you’ll know that sometimes a new piece of content can get quite a bit of buzz, and then slowly die out as the interest level of your audience drops. Why? Because people who receive your email are constantly being bombarded with new content every day, and they’re likely sick of hearing from you by now.
So how do you keep your audience interested? You need interesting, engaging content that is useful or compelling. You could start by brainstorming ideas for new blog posts or Twitter feeds. You could also pick up on trending topics and create a blog post around those topics. Platforms like Twitter allow you to curate content and engage with users on a regular basis, providing you with a steady stream of fresh content to pull on.
Make Sure Your Content Is Actionable
The last step to creating effective email content is to make sure that the content you create is actionable. What does that mean? Well, when you create content for the purpose of acquiring a sale or engaging an audience, you need to make sure that they can actually do something with the information you provide. In the office equipment example above, you’d want to make sure that your content is relevant and that there’s something in it for the audience. For example, maybe you’re selling paper shredders and your content contains information on how to shred confidential documents more efficiently. You wouldn’t want to piss off a potential customer by pitching your product and then telling them to fuck off because they can’t use it. That’s just bad business.
Be Creative
As a business owner or marketer, you’re always going to be competing for customers. The way you attract and retain customers is by being creative and interesting. Instead of using templates and boring slogans, find ways to be unique and speak to your audience. Maybe you’re sending out an email offering a free workshop on how to write a winning business plan. Or you’re promoting a special offer for a limited time only.
The key to being creative is by being different. By not using the same tactics as everyone else, you’ll stand out and be memorable. The more original you can be, the more you’ll stand out and be remembered. If you can become unique, even if your product is super similar to someone else’s, you’ll still stand out. Your customers will wonder why you’re not using the same tactics as everyone else, and that’s what will make you memorable.
Have Patience
If you want to grow your business and be able to make a living off it, you’ve got to have patience. Now, I’m not talking about waiting for the Internet to load or for your email service to discover and approve your email. That’s not patience. That’s impatience. What I’m talking about is having the patience to learn from mistakes and continue building your business.
The more you learn, the better you’ll be able to understand and correct your mistakes. Once you’ve got that, the next step is to keep on top of trends and technologies. The world is changing all the time, and if you want to be able to adapt and keep up with the times, you need to be reading, learning, and keeping up with all the new things that come along. That’s what makes you valuable. That’s what sets you apart from the competition. The more you know, the more you’ll be able to educate others and grow your business.
So, there you have it. Those are the 10 essential skills you need to have as a Merritt email marketing manager. From there, it’s up to you to educate yourself on how to grow a business, overcome objections, and convert leads into paying customers. Thanks for reading! I hope this article has helped you build a better understanding of what a Merritt email marketing manager does. If you found this article valuable, check out Michael’s blog or contact him directly through his website. Have a wonderful day!