Turn Your Email into a Solid Branding Tool
In email marketing, marketers are always talking about conversion, experience, making smart use of data and testing. But have you ever thought about how your emails reflect your brand image and how a recipient views your company? Let’s look at the branding effects of the email channel and how to utilize email marketing to its full potential.
All the products you use are brands. Email marketing can be a uniquely strong branding tool, if it is used correctly. So, what does that mean for the email marketer?
Imagine you owned a small piece of real estate in your buyers’ brains. Which message would you like to see in there and when should it pop-up?
A brand is the way customers recognize your business and an anchor for how they perceive you. A logo and brand name are there to be recognizable – and represent the business and intentions of an organization.
A brand is carried by all their brand communication: visual, written and across all channels. That includes your website, customer service, shop, blog articles, products and of course, your email marketing.
More depth than just the product
A strong brand offers more depth than just a product or a service. Organizations that think “a car is a car” or “a shop is a shop” won’t get past promotions that sum up product features and discounted prices. Branding is the reason why people choose Coca-Cola instead of an unknown store brand even if it is more expensive. There is so much more possible through branding and positioning.
Branding and your email-marketing program
When synchronizing your brand and your email-marketing program, it is important – or rather critical – to have a clear view of what your current brand is. A well-defined brand can serve as a starting point and a measuring stick value for evaluating your email marketing strategy and individual campaigns.
Test your email on branding value
With every email you are making a conscious contribution to how your subscribers will perceive your brand now and in the future. Below are key ways for you to analyze the branding value of your email.
• What is your core message, slogan if you will, and is this reflected in your email?
• What makes your brand unique?
• Is the tone of voice and imagery consistent?
• What types of people do your products and services attract? Are your emails suitable/catered to them?
• What does (and should) your target audience think about your current brand and does it match?
Beyond consistency
As an email marketer, understanding branding and consistency before embarking on any email campaign is a must. Consistency is an important part of branding. You want to be recognized and for your message to stay top-of-mind. Repeating and amplifying a message will reinforce it.
Sending out two conflicting messages might confuse your subscribers. Logo, color usage and tone-of-voice are all contributors to your brand. Make sure they are in place, but don’t define your whole brand.
Next time you send out an email, just consider if your message is amplifying or sabotaging the way subscribers experience your brand.
Most importantly, before you send that email, verify the email address using ListWise to ensure your email reaches the INBOX folder.