"Conversion" means different things to different people.
Though many e-commerce companies have an old-fashioned Buy button right on their site, service companies (consulting firms, marketing agencies, accountants, pest control companies, painters...) have prices and requirements that change with each job. For them, a prospect's "conversion" involves more than sending visitors to a purchase page, and a client engagement almost certainly involves phone calls or in-person appointments.
Though it might seem that such a more tailored and customized sales process hinders a service company's ability to deliver email marketing that's immediately profitable, there are actually just as many ways to drive "conversions" (appointments, in person sales) via email for a service business as there are for e-commerce companies.
Emails from consulting firms don't have links to sales pages, or anything that says "add to cart." However, they could be a lot more creative than simply listing a phone number.
Instead, service marketers (and others) can drive conversions using email with unique calls to action that grab attention in different ways and help turn an opt-in into an appointment.
Any service business can use the following four tactics.
1. Surveys and Web Forms
If you send an email to your list asking for a reply, you'll find that your response rates are far lower than if you link to an external survey or Web form. Often, a Web form or survey feels less like the start of a conversation and more like a professional engagement, possibly evoking less fear or trepidation from a prospect or subscriber.
For a simple example, let's say that a content marketing agency is looking to glean more appointments from its current email list. Instead of simply requesting that subscribers send in their biggest content creation frustrations as an email reply, the agency could send out a short survey and promise to return the anonymous results to all participants. The survey could include more than enough detail to warrant a "thank you" call for participation, and set up an appointment to speak further about the participant's marketing needs.
Alternatively, a carpet cleaning company might include its phone number at the top-right of all of its outbound messages, while also linking directly to a "home assessment" Web form. That form might include the areas of the house that the homeowner wants cleaned, the types of carpets and upholstery in the home, and the best times to call the homeowner to set up a time. Though some folks don't want to call in directly, this additional mode of contact could "scoop up" the folks who feel too busy to call, or who are in an environment (such as their workplace) where they'd rather not call a carpet cleaning company.
To sum up: People are often a lot more likely to fill out a survey or a Web form than they are to "reply" to an email.
