© 2024 Change3 Enterprises LLC - All rights reserved | Privacy policy | Email Opt-Out
March 21, 2014 | digitalexe |
Email marketing can become an effective way to engage your customers, if done effectively. More importantly, email marketing is not necessarily sending out ads or special offers via email. It is in essence using the email channel to share a message to many contacts at once. An email newsletter, alerts to your blog or other thought leadership, or other non-sales related email-based communication all fall into this category. So before you start blasting out loads of emails– let’s see if you are no-spam-from-me compliant. You should be able to say “yes” I do all these things below:
1. Opted In: All the contacts on my email lists are contacts that have given me their information by opting in to a mailing list on my site, signing up to receive content from me or people I have actually met and exchanged information with (in person, online, etc.). Make it easy to subscribe to your email list by posting sign-up options on your website, blog, and social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. This coupled with an incentive, like a discount or a free item, will be more effective than waiting for customers to take action alone. Furthermore, keep your signup form simple so visitors can quickly join.
2. Invited: If you purchase email lists, which many large and well-known companies do, you take an extra step to “invite” these contacts onto your list BEFORE you send them some sort of offer-based email. A great way to invite contacts like this onto your mailing list is to dangle one of your most prized pieces of thought leadership (a special report, a video, some resource, a free download, etc.) in front of them. If you want to make email marketing an effective part of your business, you will need to adhere to ICAN-Spam rules and, well, to just be polite when reaching out to new people. Don’t assume they want to get what you’re sending.
3. A way out: I provide a way off my mailing list clearly on every mass outbound email communication I send.
4. Relevant: You should make sure that what you send will be meaningful to the people on a particular contact list. This means all contacts may not get all of your email communications. Target your content to those that really want or need it.
5. Managed: Make sure that you aren’t sending too many mails to any one person. So this means you will need some sort of email management tool. There are many well regarded options out there, we use MailChimp.com and Strongmail.com.
Okay, if you can say “yes” to all the email marketing requirements above, you’re ready to plan your email marketing strategy. Take a moment to ask yourself what goals, other than generating leads, you are trying to accomplish from your email marketing strategy and then follow these simple guidelines:
· Set expectations about content. Tell your customers exactly what they will be getting with the subscriptions, i.e., newsletters, coupons, or sale alerts, and give them just that. Keep the content focused on what you promised at sign-up. In addition, be consistent with your brand with regard to the look and messaging.
· Don't send too often. Send emails on a regular and predictable schedule, or only if you have something valuable to share. Too many emails will turn off even your most loyal customers. Be strategic in deciding the day and time that you send your email, as this will have a direct effect on open rates. If you send it too late in the week or day, you risk losing them to the anticipation of the weekend.
· Make it an easy read. Now that they have joined your subscribe list, do not take up too much of their time expecting them to read long-winded emails or newsletters. Bullet points and subheadings work well in making the content more readable. Use teasers to get them interested, then provide a "learn more" option. This will allow them to do three things: 1) continue scanning the rest of the email; 2) re-visit the email to read the article or information at a more convenient time; and (3) click on links to seek additional information.
· Make it Mobile-friendly. If you don't use an email service, invest in a developer to ensure your email is optimized for every possible device. Chances are high that your customers will view emails on a mobile device so it needs to be responsive. If it is difficult to view or read, that customer could be lost forever. Also, make it possible to share your emails via Facebook, or Twitter, or as newsfeed. Shared information is more likely to be read by a wider audience than unsolicited emails directly from you.
· Ensure it Measures Up: Use an email service to help you keep track of deliverability and open rates. Services, like Constant Contact, MailChimp, Strongmail and Salesforce, can provide you with a report that shows you emails that are bouncing back or not being opened. Going deeper, you can even measure which links in the email people clicked on, and what information they viewed. Use this information to streamline your process and message, as well as when you get leads to know more about what they may be interested in.
Final Thoughts
Using email to engage your audience can be a powerful channel, particularly if you keep emails focused and honest, and improve your tactics by using the metrics.
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ChangeU: for your independent study…
· Know the laws about SPAM: http://goo.gl/xdDkVE CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business [pdf] Bureau of Consumer Protection. The CAN-SPAM Act, a law that sets the rules for commercial email, establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have you stop emailing them, and spells out tough penalties for violations.
Return Path research and publications provide a wealth of knowledge regarding best practices,
client experiences, and industry research studies.
review of the top ten email marketing software.
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