Today, every moving company worth its salt has a robust digital marketing strategy in place. Without one, you risk losing out on a lot of potential business as the vast majority of prospects hang out on the Internet nowadays.
Before the Internet became a thing, moving companies – as with all industries – relied on cold calls to pitch their offerings through the phone. Or pursue potential business in person.
The thing about digital marketing, though, is that it’s a pretty broad field with many areas of focus. These usually fall under a few key categories:
- SEO
- Inbound marketing
- Outbound marketing
- Pay per click advertising
Email may be one of the earliest forms of Internet marketing, but even in these days of social networks, this Internet mainstay still remains a powerful tool for business.
A single email can put you in touch with clients, influencers, brand ambassadors and virtually anyone who could prove key in marketing your long-distance or local moving company.
Through what is known as email outreach, you don’t even need to make a single phone call. All you need is an email account and good content to pitch.
What is Email Outreach?
Email outreach is a strategy that involves getting in touch with industry stakeholders with the aim of building symbiotic partnerships.
For example, your goal could be to request a backlink from a real estate agent website with plenty of traffic. Or to establish a partnership with property or building managers. Or use an influencer to promote content.
A good partnership is one with the potential to help you grow your connections, email list, and brand – which ultimately means more business.
Done right, email outreach can help you generate a good number of prospects, but for that, you will need the right tool.
There are so many email outreach programs that moving companies can use, and you don’t want to end up paying for the wrong tool, only to realize down the line that it cannot help you achieve all the good stuff you wanted to.
Here are some key things to consider when choosing an email outreach solution for your moving business.
Identify your Needs
The first thing you should do is ask yourself what you need from your ideal email outreach tool.
- Are you looking for a solution designed with big teams in mind or are you happy with a solo solution?
- How big of an email list are you targeting?
- What’s the number of emails you want to send?
- What features are a must-have for you and which ones are optional?
By having a clear idea of what kind of tool you need, narrowing down your options will be easier and faster, and you won’t be easily distracted by bells and whistles that you don’t need.
Aim to find a solution that meets your needs; not change your needs to suit it.
Can it Automate your Process?
At its most basic, an outreach mail service should absolve you of the need to do everything by hand. A good platform should take it one further and be able to execute complex outreach campaigns in a few clicks.
Whether that’s validating your email list or dispatching follow-up emails, the ideal service should do the dirty work for you, leaving you to concentrate on the crucial aspects of your business.
After setting it up properly, the right tool will be like having an extra pair of hands on deck; only this time, it’s working for you around the clock.
List of Features
In close relation to our first point, a good mail service is one that has all the features you need to run an effective campaign.
Many platforms come with similar basic features, but your decision should be guided by what you’re looking to achieve. This will vary from one mover to the next, never mind the size of your moving business.
This means some features that might be important for Mover A are not necessarily a must-have for Mover B.
Look at features like the ability to send emails in bulk, the ability to verify email addresses, the ability to exclude weekend emails, option to set timings etc.
Support and Service
You won’t be short of options when it comes to choosing outreach mail programs. However, keep in mind that you often get what you pay for when it comes to email outreach.
Free apps can often leave you frustrated, so consider if it’s worth spending a little more to get your ideal tool. That doesn’t mean you should spend a fortune on it.