.png)
Although email marketing has been one of the oldest ways of digital communication, it is still one of the smartest forms of connecting with your audience simply because it:
costs you much less than advertising, in fact it's free
is not affected by algorithms on social media
can offer lucrative marketing opportunities
can drive sales with a positive impact on your ROI
brings you up close and personal with your targeted and subscribed audience
builds brand trust and loyalty.
So, where to start…
1. Build Your Own Authentic Contact List
With each active sign up, you’re invited into an email inbox, a private digital space that says you’re welcome to make direct contact.
Buying email address lists and sending thousands of emails to random people is generally a bad idea. It may come across as intrusive and some annoyed unsubscribers have very long memories.
2. Personalize Your Subject Lines
Personalized subject lines have been found to increase email openings by 26%
There is no limit to being creative but keep it short for your mobile device users.
You could include numbers in a subject line to make your reader curious to read up to the last number.
Decide on a case
Title Case - Where Every Word Starts With A Capital Letter – is often applied to create a formal and distinguished effect.
Sentence case – Only the first word of the sentence starts with a capital letter – carries an informal and relaxed tone of communication.
using zero capital letters in the subject line seems very relaxed and works if your brand is focused on the Gen Z population.
USING CAPITAL LETTERS ONLY IS ASSOCIATED WITH BEING LOUD. Your choice if you feel what you are about to say is very important, just bear in mind that letters in difference heights are read faster and easier by all generations.
3. Write Email Content To Captivate Your Reader
For email copy purposes, let’s call it writing a story and keep the following components in mind when writing yours:
create the kind of email you would like to receive
the shorter you can tell/sell a powerful story, the better
use dividers like background color, a different font, or image if you have more than one story like a current product on special and an announcement…although sometimes less is more
should be mobile friendly and long-scrolling seems easier to navigate
use words to provoke positive emotions
you can include high quality and fast loading memes, images or videos
if you include memes or repetitive animation in your story, consider users to actively press start as it may be distractive (even if it is really entertaining)
use active voice, and address your readers with words like you and yours
have one or two CTA banners in the body of your email if you have an offer
include a link to a blogpost on your website to find out more, building your SEO ranking
remind your readers of the benefits, not only the features of your story and especially when you use words like sale, offer or special etc.
be time-sensitive to send emails when your customers have money or when the products they use, are about to run out
be consistent with the expectations your audience have come to love about your brand.
if you can’t offer anything special yet, simply start to send emails and connect with your subscribers to offer updates or relevant information to your industry as it piques their interest and builds a rapport based on trust
innovative new words or phrases can be exciting since language is dynamic and can give you a unique edge
but do a spellcheck, your readers are worth it (pun intended)
4. If You Have an Offer, Add a CTA Banner (Or Two) in Your Email
A few guidelines are:
your story should be designed to draw attention to your CTA
your CTA banner should be obvious and visible, may be colorful or placed in an image as long as it’s standing out
the email body must have a clear CTA banner, but you can add another at the bottom. Two banners are enough.
ensure your banner works effortlessly and directs your reader where you want them to go
5. Never Forget to Address Your Audience And Sign Your Emails
As this is a personal story you are writing to your audience, start with greeting and end with your unique signature to make your audience experience your sincerity and make them feel inclusive and special.
If you use automated and bulk emails, this is especially important to remember.
6. Don’t Send Emails From a “No Reply” Sender
Never send your emails from a “no reply” address. Your readers can feel disconnected and make you seem impersonal and unapproachable. It defeats the whole purpose of your brand connecting with your audience to build brand loyalty.
You can also take advantage of the option to create an automated welcome after subscribing or thank you response after placing an order, that most email service providers have.
If email automation is curated with great copy and scheduled to respond at the right time in your line of communication with your audience, it is extremely valuable as reassurance of your committed service.
If you've had quite a lapse in time in communicating with your list, you could reintroduce yourself with something like,” It’s been a while since our last communication, but I/we thought you might enjoy…” and continue with your story. Honesty is charming and appreciated.
7. Beware of Spamming
Although filtering systems are advanced, your emails might end up in a spam inbox, where you don’t want them to go.
To avoid this, test your email subject lines. If they include words like 10% Discount, they might be heading for the spam folder. Personalized and well written subject lines don’t sound generic, that helps, but you will also have to draw the line when it comes to the number of emails you send. Daily and pushy emails can get annoying, and you could get unsubscribed.
On the other hand, connect with your contact list frequently. Don’t let your emails lapse too long and make sure everyone remembers you, with a balanced interval in your communication schedule.
Another area where some businesses under-utilize or overstep the line is on abandoned carts. Be courteous and funky with your copy or offer a discount with these follow-up and automated emails.
8. Always Send Yourself A Test Email First
When you send that carefully curated email from your desktop to yourself first, you can check how it displays in your inbox, on a mobile device and have no distorted images…and save yourself some embarrassment that you cannot correct once they are out.
9. Optimize Your Emails With A/B Testing
Several email marketing tools today, are equipped with the A/B testing feature, saving you doing this manually.
It is a very useful way to segment your subscribers and send them different versions of your curated contents. This process will give you valuable feedback on what your readers prefer most, from subject lines that lead to emails getting read, most popular products/services and CTA positions in your email body.
You can also get valuable feedback on the time of day, which day of the week as well as the intervals of sending emails that are getting read with the best responses to your message. This information can require you to write different emails to your segments for the best results.
10. Finally, Make It Easy For People To Unsubscribe.
This is part of your responsibility too. Make it a simple process but with a catchy message, you could win over some dearly beloved before they go.
You could ask why, but still write a quirky send-off.
If your subscribers opt-out more than new one’s opt-in, it is time to strategize or call in the help of the professionals.
Get in touch with the professionals at SOC Business Consulting for an interesting and enlightened conversation.
Comments