Email marketing campaigns are not the same as mass mailing through snail mail. When you send out 10,000 postcards, traditional marketing numbers suggest you’ll be lucky to get a 3% response rate. And even then, you just have to sit there and wait for them to call you. You have no idea who tossed the mailer into the trash and who looked at it with interest. Email can be different.

Next time you consider an email marketing or sales campaign, try layering on the automation tools that will let you know what is happening to that “mass mailing.”

1. Tracking – New technology means your emails don’t go out into a dark pit, leaving you ignorant of how people responded to it. Now you can actually know who opened your email, and also learn what activity they took once they opened the email. Suddenly you have 2 bits of information that you could never get from the mass snail mail postcard. You know WHO showed an interest in managed services, and you’ll know the specifics of their interest. For example, data security, VoIP services, or cloud storage. That means you can follow up with those who show interest and you can follow up with material related to their specific interest. That puts you 2 big steps farther ahead than you would be with just an email version of a snail mail mass marketing campaign.
2. Scoring – Another tool that can save you time and avoid wasted energy is scoring. Automation can allow you to set criteria that defines the interest level of every lead you get from an email campaign, as well as other marketing efforts. These tools mean you get a prioritized list of the varying levels of interest among your leads. Consequently, if you can only devote 20 minutes a day to follow-ups, those 20 minutes can be devoted to the leads with the highest likelihood of being ready to buy.

Consider automation tools to increase the value of your email marketing campaigns and lessen the time you waste following up on “not ready to buy” leads.