3 common construction email marketing myths debunked

An effective email distribution list can achieve a number of key goals for marketers within building products manufacturers.

1. It can improve the online REACH of your products (and consequently extend the knowledge of your brand and other products).
2. It can help build confidence and trust in your prospects to ACT on your integrated marketing messages.
3. It can encourage prospects to CONVERT into leads through permission-based* calls-to-action on your building product landing pages.
4. It can start the relationship-building process with your prospects by opening a channel to ENGAGE in conversation.

But before you all go and spend a small fortune on a big old list from a broker, based on SIC codes and other useless data drivel. There are two points to remember here:

1. You can’t grow a clean, permission-based, targeted email distribution list overnight.
2. You can’t buy one either. No matter what the provider may tell you.

A great email list is grown and nurtured. It’s fed on a diet of useful, relevant content which is administered regularly, consistently and over many moons.

It’s promoted over social media to generate more interest and it’s allowed to be referred by regular readers who are advocates of your message and products and of your expertise.

List growth takes time, thought and commitment. And if you are persistent it pays dividends.

Common email marketing myth no 1: Email databases need to be huge.

This myth is wrong on two counts (probably more, but these two spring to mind instantly).

1. Blunderbuster, generic, untargeted marketing [of any kind] is a thing of the past.
2. Not everyone on your database wants to hear about the same thing.

A good email list can have as little as one email address on it. But realistically you might only want to talk to a handful of prospects who can influence the specification and subsequent order/purchase of a particular product within your range.

Common email marketing myth no 2: Email newsletters sent once a quarter are useful.

This is one of the most over-used, under-achieving email tactics ever. Ever. And to be fair mostly by contractors but professional services firms and building product manufacturers are also guilty

1. No-one really cares what you’ve been doing for the last quarter
2. Does one email every quarter really get your key messages across to different audiences?

Common email marketing myth no 3: Email marketing is dead.

If I had a pound coin for every time I read about this particular little gem I’d have very heavy, jingly-jangly pockets.

Email marketing [in the mass-broadcast sense] may well be a thing of the past for B2B brands but, use it as we’ve discussed, wisely and to targeted, engaged audiences and you’ll find it’s well and truly alive.

Buckets.

We talk about buckets a lot. And by buckets we mean the segmentation of your database into specific audiences who are most likely to want to hear about similar topics.

For example; segmentation could be achieved by job roles ie. architects and specifiers or contractors or facilities managers or building owners.

And whoever it is, just by reading that last sentence it should be clear that they really won’t benefit from hearing about the same thing.

The other considerations could be the particular niche within which your product can be applied, or where it performs significantly well, or where it has a beneficial point of difference.

Could be schools or hospitals, it might be underground, under pressure, in severe cold (or hot) weather. Whatever it is you would do well to work out who in particular needs to know that information.

Summary.

As I’ve said, a good email list can have as little as one email address on it. But realistically you might only want to talk to a handful of prospects who can influence the specification and subsequent order/purchase of a particular product within your range.

Here are my top 5 tips for getting your email list working harder:

1. Profile the type customer you wish to appeal to – industry, job, interest etc.
2. Identify their everyday wants and needs.
3. Collate relevant, digestible content that will help the customer.
4. Create a flexible diary for broadcasts (make it consistent, but give yourself time to create content).
5. Use social media to promote your content and your email distribution lists’ existence.

If you’d like to discuss any of the issues raised in the post above by all means give us a shout (email, phone or social). We’re always happy to talk.

*Permission-based calls to action are those that put the prospect in control of how they here from you.