Getting Started with Proactive Email Engagement

When you want to proactively share ideas and capabilities with customers and prospects, you can tap into the email addresses you already have to create a list. If you email invoices, use contact management software, have emails in your estimating system, or have saved contacts in your email program, then you have email addresses to begin building a customer engagement email list to regularly and proactively check in with customers.   

You can also grow your list by providing opportunities for people to "opt in" by including a link in your email signature, on your estimates and invoices, and on your website to sign up for your email list. You can encourage people to sign up by offering a promotion or discount as a thank you for joining your email list.

Remember to provide recipients an option to easily unsubscribe. When you first start reaching out proactively (especially if you haven't done so in the past), you can reduce the number of people who opt out by communicating how often you will be emailing, what type of content you'll be sharing, and why you are doing so. Here is an example of copy for an initial email:

"Customer Name" - I often find that our customers are not familiar with the full scope of products and services we offer. To help you better understand when we can be a resource for your future projects, I am launching a new monthly (or weekly or quarterly - depending on you plan) email series, starting today. If you'd prefer not to receive any more of these emails, just reply and I'll remove you from the list.

Within this same email, we recommend you share your first capabilities update. You can see a great example of an initial email using a Sign Promoter Toolkit HERE.

Using an email software platform such as Zoho or Mailchimp has many benefits. In addition to being able to reach many people in a short amount of time, the opt-out/unsubscribe link is automatically provided in the email templates, and email addresses are automatically removed from your active list in the platform going forward. While taking more time, sending one-on-one emails can be perceived as more personal and may garner more attention, so just need to remember to include instructions telling the recipient how to opt out.

Build a list, even if it's short, and commit to regular engagement, and you will see your business grow!