The complexities of email marketing causes many people to shy away from it. However, if you strive to learn more about email marketing, you’ll soon appreciate just how effective it can be.
When developing an email marketing plan, make sure that every customer on your email list has voluntarily “opted in” to be on that list and provided you with an email address for that specific reason. If you don’t, clients may leave or complain about your spamming.
Prior to contacting any of your customers through email, you should always get their permission to do so. When people receive unwanted emails, they consider them to be spam which they ignore or delete. Recipients never even glance at their contents. It may even violate your ISP’s policy by doing so.
Make decisions that will improve your reputation and ensure that your customers can trust you. Make sure to do it right and do it well the first time. Don’t be lazy or mislead your customers. It is your reputation that you need to protect and how you approach your marketing campaign can make all the difference between good and bad.
Do not use email messages that require graphical elements in order to present key facts. Many email clients don’t display images to help keep viruses and malware off their users’ computers. Your message will become impossible to read if the images are not displayed correctly. Put information that is the most relevant in text and use alt tags for images.
Limit yourself to sending only one email message each week. Most of your customers probably receive multiple emails each day, and are too busy to constantly open message after message. By bombarding them with multiple emails, they may quickly begin to disregard your messages without even reading them.
It is important that any email marketing initiative you launch is able to grab readers’ attention. This might require a bit of trial and error. Stop using a technique if it’s not getting the results you expected. Even when things are working, keep evaluating them to determine how you can improve upon them.
As time passes, smartphones will become the medium that your subscribers use to read your emails. These devices lack the resolution of high end computers, so word count and careful use of graphics becomes very important. Educate yourself about the constraints of these small displays, and test your emails for readability on such devices.
Ensure that your title is very solid. When a customer is checking their inbox, the email subject title is what they will see first. Make sure it is catchy and strong so that they are tempted to read on further. Once your recipient has clicked on the message, half of your battle is won. Chances are high that they will continue reading.
Set a schedule as to when you will send out newsletters and then stick to it! You want your information to be sent at least once a week, on the exact same day, and hopefully close to the same time. Your customers expect you to send your emails on a schedule, so they will check their email at around the same time each day or week to see what you have to say next.
Tailor your message to your audience. After you have gotten a few readers subscribed, come up with ways to induce them to get their friends signed up. Always make sure there is “subscribe” link in the emails you send so that those who receive forwarded copies can easily sign themselves up if they are interested. This will allow for organic growth of your base.
Ask the individuals who are part of your email list for permission prior to sending your messages. Very few people like to receive information that they did not sign up for. Sending unwanted emails can be detrimental to your business, and your reputation. Start off on the right foot by making sure your marketing efforts are appreciated.
Limit your message to one clear one per email. This is important, so you don’t bore or overwhelm your customers by the content you are presenting. Build one clear, concise point for each email. In the end, your customers will be thankful for being given the information in a concise and organized manner.
Solicit feedback from those who subscribe to your list. Without positive feedback from your subscribers, it is impossible to know if your email marketing campaign is a success. Encourage them to tell you what they like and what improvements they can suggest. If you listen to your customers, they will want to remain in contact with you.
Always have a link for people to easily unsubscribe or opt out of your email list. You always want to have an unsubscribe link, and don’t keep it buried someplace where people cannot see it. You should strive for your readers to feel that they are in control and that you’re not controlling them.
A sales list that is extremely specific and has a target audience can work well for any business. You want your top clients and all their contacts to get your emails. If you make the mailing list sound like an exclusive tip line for only those interested in your topic, you’ll build a more targeted mailing list, while simultaneously making your mailings seem more authoritative.
Marketing Emails
Keep the subject line brief and to the point. Subject lines that contain 60 characters or fewer are more likely to grab readers’ attention, resulting in higher open rates than rambling, overly long subjects. If a long subject is unavoidable, include the most important words first so it will not become truncated.
Be sure that you’re not sending out marketing emails that are unsolicited. Sending out unwanted marketing emails to individuals who don’t want them will get your email marketing messages marked as spam. Not only is this bad for your reputation, but some ISPs might block your IP address if too many people complain that you are sending unsolicited marketing messages.
Don’t underestimate the power of your email marketing layout. Though graphics may be tempting to use, spam filters are more likely to block them. Relevant content should be provided in the text only. You can add links to your site so your customers can see your graphics.
Use a couple of different subject lines to test which one has a better response. Split your mailing list into two groups and mail one email with one subject line to one group and another to the other group. Doing so will help you determine which type of subject line helps get your emails opened, and which kind will get them deleted.
Be sure you have a persistent strategy. Persistence is a critical part of any email marketing strategy, but misplaced persistence can be quite damaging; so, make sure to understand the difference between good and bad persistence. If you are talking with the wrong people, they will simply become annoyed.
You should now have a better idea about how email marketing can help you can your site reach the goals you have set forth. Go ahead, add what you’ve learned today to your strategies and see the results that come from it
The subject line of an email should grab the reader’s attention. Give them a good reason to open your message. Offering a large discount or a free product increases the chance that the person will open your message to get the great deal that you are offering. A striking subject line makes it much more likely that someone will open your message.