Email newsletters are the modern day version of circular advertisement. A lot of times they are thrown out with the Sunday paper. But if targeted, email marketing campaigns make it into the right household and generate sales for a company.
Targeted email campaigns are almost never done well. They often result in a low conversion rate and a high ‘unsubscribe’ reaction from customers. Sometimes they will cause your domain name to be recorded as a SPAM source. If you are thinking of doing these to promote your business, you must do it right. Terms such as “blacklisting” describe the fate of sites whose owners have offended people with ill-conceived tactics.
Through trial and error we have found seven useful tips to make email marketing more successful.
- Create a punchy, action-oriented, or time restricted email subjectBesides making the subject relevant to your target audience it is also important to instill a sense of urgency or of importance. Consider “You are Invited to a Secret Sale Tomorrow from 3 p.m.–6 p.m.” The reader feels special, they have been selected as part of an exclusive group. There is also a specific time and date range for the sale. The reader cannot put it off, they have to look now.Remember the email subject in your email marketing campaign is the first thing a reader sees. Also a lot of people make the mistake of choosing a clever “from” line. Most people will delete a message coming from “A wild dealmaker at ACME automotives.” But if you just put an identifiable person or company chances are your email gets opened.
- Make Sure your Graphics are Gorgeous
So your tempting subject line lured a potential lead to open the email. Do not lose this sale by incorporating ugly or irrelevant graphics. Text is of course, very important. But text heavy emails, with no graphics tend to scream “Intense Concentration is Necessary.” People want snippets of information set in an attractive backdrop. - ACTION, ACTION, ACTION
An effective newsletter provides a call to action. For example, you are sending out an e-newsletter for an online cooking club. You are probably sending out recipes, a great way to inform and educate. Already you’re newsletter has a purpose. Ask the email newsletter readers to submit their own version of this recipe for a “Twisted Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest.” Calls to action arouse interest in your product or service. They also allow for you to have a built-in purpose for sending the email. - SPAM-FREE ZONE
Some basic rules: Don’t be misleading. Your emails from and subject line must be accurate. And it is imperative you do not use spam-linked words in the subject line. Don’t write “free” or use a lot of exclamation points. Spam filters are gauged to pick these types of words up and your customers won’t like it either (if they get it.Give an easy way to unsubscribe, provide fast suppressions of opt-outs, and include the sender’s physical address. - Avoid Sending Emails at Certain TimesIt’s Monday morning and the average working person has just arrived at their job. With a morning cup of coffee in their hand they turn on the computer. And there pops up 50 new messages. AHH! Aren’t Monday’s great? Chances are if you have sent an email campaign over the weekend it is getting deleted on Monday. The scenario is the same for Friday afternoon. People are getting antsy for the weekend and aren’t really going to be excited about your business newsletter, or possibly even around to read it. And we have already talked about what happens on Monday. For B2B email marketing the best times are Tuesday and Wednesday mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Also try and avoid sending your newsletter right after lunch. While this hold true for B2B email marketing consumers are a little more flexible. For example if you are a resort sending out a newsletter with weekend escape packages Thursday afternoon or Friday are fine times. People are looking to possibly get away at the last minute.
- No Frivolous Emails
To ensure your email campaigns are opened and effective, pay close attention to what information you are sharing in your emails. If you send out unnecessary information weekly you are going to lose the interest of your email list.Email newsletters are more effective if done somewhat infrequently. People tend to get peeved when they open their email inbox and have received 15 emails from one company over a week span. - Send it Already!And the last one speaks volumes without saying too much. To get people to respond to your email marketing and specials, you have to make it a priority. Get it crossed off your to do list and you will see how easy, cost-effective, and powerful email marketing can be for your business. It’s like the lottery, unless you buy a ticket you are never going to win.
Nothing in life is a guarantee. But using these seven steps gives your email campaign a better chance of getting opened therefore leading to sales for your company.
Are you ready to engage your customers and make some sale happen? Get started with our Bulk Email Marketing Plans