Email marketing can be a brilliant way to build and maintain relationships with your audience.
It can help you stand out from your competitors and it’s a great way to cultivate a personal and intimate connection with your customers.
Here are my tips to help you make sure that your email marketing campaigns are working for your business and aren’t destined for the deleted items folder.
First things first. Build your database. Without it you have no audience. Get collecting email addresses as part of your business processes and ensure you have the permission of the email address holder. The new GDPR rules mean you can’t collect and use personal information without the person’s consent so make sure you seek the right advice and are compliant.
Keep your target audience in mind. Always. Think about why they would want to hear from you and what would they need from you. The general rule is to inform and entertain alongside selling your stuff.
Love your content. Content is the most important part of your email marketing. If it’s an afterthought, it’ll show. Think it through so it supports your marketing objectives, but don’t be hesitant to add fun and useful information too. Content could include anything from latest news, beautiful photographs (I love the one above!), inspirational thoughts, or funny quotes.
But don’t witter. Keep it short and sweet, it’s an email after all! While your content needs to have substance, your readers will want to scan it quickly for anything that is of interest to them. If you have more to say why not write a blog and link to it from your newsletter? Here are some great reasons why blogging is worth it!
Grab attention! The most important part of an email is the subject line. Make sure it stands out amongst the dozens of unread emails in the average inbox. Personalise it if you can. Here are some tips on writing a great headline.
Test it! It’s awful when we receive emails that look terrible, are loaded with spelling mistakes and links that don’t work. So, check, check, and check again! Use a spell checker and be sure to double, even triple, check your recipient list before hitting send. We all make mistakes, it’s inevitable, but if you need to send an apology email one too many times it’ll just look bad. Read my tips on proofing your own words.
Schedule it. Decide on a publishing schedule and stick to it. This will not only help you focus and manage your workload but will also help set your readers’ expectations. It’s better to publish less frequently and publish regularly, than to promise a weekly newsletter and only send once a quarter.
Check the metrics. Tracking your email metrics is one way to gain some great insights into what works and what doesn’t. What do your readers respond to? Are they opening the email? Armed with this kind of information you can then set about improving your email marketing efforts.
Here are some more tips on writing newsletters.
Good luck and do get in touch for a chat if you’d like more advice!
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