All the buzz about social media has made some business owners question the value of email marketing. The fact is that email remains a powerful marketing tool—but like any marketing tool, it must be done well to produce results.
Email is the workhorse that can drive other campaigns. For some great stats on why you should be doing email marketing, check out Email is not Dead, but the short answer is this: It works.
That doesn’t mean you should just start blasting out emails. These tips will help you create powerful, effective email marketing campaigns:
• Set measurable goals. Think about what you want to accomplish and articulate those goals and how you will know when you reach them. Don’t limit your email marketing goals to simply increasing sales. Use it to drive traffic to your website, increase brand recognition, build a mailing list, establish yourself as an expert, gain referrals, reach new markets, introduce new products, strengthen customer relationships, network, and more.
• Use reputable, dependable email campaign software or service. This is the easiest and most efficient way to produce attractive emails that are more likely to get past spam filters, opened, and read. I use MailerLite for myself and for clients, and I wholeheartedly endorse their products, but there are plenty of other services out there that could do the job for you. Shop around—just don’t try to do it yourself.
• Brevity and clarity are critical. Studies show that most people scan email rather than read it carefully, so compose your message with that in mind. Put your call to action up front, use short paragraphs and lists, and don’t make people wonder why you’re sending this to them.
• Keep your design simple and graphics limited. Email is not print; don’t try to make your email look like a paper letter or your e-newsletter look like a print newsletter. Your design should showcase your message, not be the message. Too many graphics will make your email slow to open—and your graphics may not open at all. Remember that most email systems default to not displaying graphics and most people don’t bother to change those settings.
• Create high-quality content. Your information needs to have value for your readers. Equally important is that it be well-written, correctly punctuated, with proper grammar and no typos spelling errors. For more on this, read our blog “How to Send Error-free Emails”. The best approach is for your subject matter experts to work in concert with professional writers and editors to produce your content.
For more email marketing resources, check out Digital.com.
Remember that people may not pay money to receive your emails, but it costs them time to read your messages, so give them something of value in exchange. Yes, it takes effort, thought, planning, and a financial investment, but the ROI is there.
Jacquelyn's latest book is Christian Business Almanac: The Ultimate Daily Guide for Kingdom-Driven Entrepreneurs and Leaders.
She is the author of the nonfiction books Simple Facts About Self-Publishing (Second Edition), Words to Work By: 31 devotions for the workplace based on the Book of Proverbs and Finding Joy in the Morning: You can make it through the night as well as the novel Choices (A Joyful Cup Story). With her husband, she is the co-creator of several coloring books for adults and the novelty My Book About series.
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[…] right but they notice when it isn’t. That’s just the way things are. So here’s one blog and email marketing tip: Proofread – not just on your computer screen. Send yourself test emails. Print them out and […]