Do you think email marketing is dead?
Well, I’m here to tell you it’s alive, well, and still one of the best digital marketing strategies that your business can use to engage your consumers.
WHAT IS EMAIL MARKETING
It’s more than just sending an email. It’s a digital marketing tool with a targeted message that delivers content to your consumers. When done well, it will boost your brand awareness while converting prospective customers.
Email can include:
- Newsletters and updates
- New product launch
- Sales and special offers,
- Other promotional content that amplifies your brand and reminds your customers you are present and there to help them.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
We’re all squirrels looking for that digital acorn. We scan through emails and social media platforms, running around from app to app, never focusing on one thing for more than a split second. Optimize your email using these tips and guidelines so your content is the coveted acorn the squirrel keeps for winter.
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ASK PERMISSION
Imagine you had an acquaintance. You’ve had one interaction with this acquaintance, so you know little about them. How would you feel if they showed up at your door and invited themselves into your house? They have muddy shoes, poor manners, and you want them out of your house as soon as possible.
Sending emails without permission makes you an acquaintance with muddy shoes. Not only will it land you in the spam folder or getting unsubscribed, but it’s also against the CAN_SPAM ACT of 2003 and leaves you subject to expensive fines.
Mind your manners and ask permission to send emails to your customers so you can grow an email list that wants to hear from you.
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USE A DOUBLE OPT-IN STRATEGY
A double opt-in strategy is where a consumer signs up for an email subscription and then receives an email asking for them to confirm their email address. Using this strategy is both beneficial for you and your consumer.
This process ensures that the consumer entered the correct email and genuinely wants to receive your content and offers. Weeding out all the fake emails and spam accounts will help you grow an email list full of actual people who are interested in your brand.
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BRING ON THE WELCOME WAGON
Capitalize on the attention of your consumer right after they sign up by sending out a welcome email. If you send a welcome email that stands out, then you prolong your consumer’s attention and have the room to make a lasting first impression.
You can use an automated system that automatically sends you a welcome email when anyone signs up for your subscription list.
To make sure that you generate emails that stand out, continue reading to find out how you can polish your email components.
SENDER’S NAME
Some say the subject line is the most important part of your email. However, what’s the first thing you read when you see an email?
The “From” section holds a surprising amount of weight considering some people don’t think twice about it.
If your “from” information looks inaccurate or fake, they could flag you for spam. Make sure that your “from” information, whether you use your name or your business, looks authentic so you aren’t mistaken for a spam account.
Also consider whether the email will be from your business or you, personally? This question balances on the line between authority and familiarity. The business email brings authority, but your name brings familiarity.
To dance on this line, you can establish who you are in your welcome email. This will establish that your emails have value but are also personable.
You can introduce yourself in a simple format like “Hi, I’m Your Name and I’m from Business, here to help you with Specific Problems/Need.”
EMAIL’S SUBJECT LINE
Your subject line should be the shining star of your email. Not only should it shine brightly and capture your attention, but it should also guide the reader.
OPTIMIZE
Optimize your subject line so your audience can’t resist clicking on it. You can do this by provoking urgency and curiosity in a short and simple statement that applies to your audience. You could remind customers that a sale is about to end or provoke them with a controversial statement that needs an explanation.
For example, “Entrepreneur Course; Your Path To Success”, explains what the email is about and entices you to find out how you can be successful.
PERSONALIZE
Which email are you going to open: “We have a great offer for you!” or “Sam, we know what should be under your Christmas tree!”?
Personalizing the subject line with your customer’s name will differentiate your business in their inbox and increase the chance that they’ll open your email.
CONTEXTUALIZE
Make sure the subject line properly reflects the purpose of the email. “Tempting” your audience with “free offers” or misleading information just to get clicks will hurt your credibility and your engagement rate, which will make Google think your emails belong in the spam folder.
BODY OF YOUR EMAIL
Congratulations! You got them to click on the email, but now you have to get them to stick around and read the content.
To help you, here are components that make the body of your email worth sticking around for.
ENGAGE FIRST, PITCH LATER
Yes, one reason for using email marketing is to, well, market something. But don’t scare your consumers away and dehumanize yourself by automatically going for the sale. Engage with them, build a relationship, and establish your brand value.
MEET EXPECTATIONS
When your customer signs up for your email, give them clear expectations about what type of content they’ll receive. Are you going to send them daily deals, a weekly newsletter, or a monthly calendar, or all of the above? Making a hard right turn and surprising them with content they didn’t expect or ask for might come back and bite you.
If you offer a wide range of content, let your customer choose what they get in their inboxes.
BEWARE OF SPAM WORDS AND FORMATS
You want to send your consumers valuable content, not spam. So, you shouldn’t end up in the spam folder, right? However, marketers unexpectedly use words, formats, and techniques that unknowingly shoot themselves in the foot.
Here is a list of spam words like “free”, “fast cash”, “get paid”, that you should avoid. Scanning your email for all these words might be tedious, but it’s worth it to stay out of the spam folder.
Also, avoid flamboyant formatting components like:
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Multiple punctuations such as, “!!!!”
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Multicolor fonts
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Text symbols
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Varying font sizes
CALL-TO-ACTION
Neglecting your call-to-action with a vague message and a bland click button diminishes the value of your email marketing strategy. Your call-to-action should be clear and persuasive, so it’s the main takeaway from your email.
Before you write an email, choose one call-to-action that you want your consumer to focus on. Too many calls-to-action could confuse or overwhelm your customer and therefore flatten the persuasive effect of your email.
For example, if your nonprofit is emailing about a charity event, all of your call-to-action efforts within the email should focus on signing up for that event. If you also list other events or services of the nonprofit while including social media links, your reader could get distracted from the key point of your email.
THE SKINNY
If your business is interested in using email marketing, then consult a professional marketing agency. Email is a powerful digital marketing tool, and when used appropriately, has immense ROI potential. Make sure your campaign capitalizes on every subscription from the very first welcome email.