Email marketing may be a common and seemingly simple term but few know that not many succeed with it. It is a tricky task that may only be effective for knowledgeable marketers. How do you come up with a convincing email marketing campaign? What are email marketing’s tricks and secrets?
Listed and discussed below are some tips on how to come up with a powerful and compelling email marketing campaign.
Be ethical.
As much as possible, get the permission first of the person who will receive your emails. Similar to the way outbound telemarketing upsets prospective customers, unsolicited marketing emails is more likely to irk their recipients. Use an opt-in form and don’t just obtain email addresses to start with your bulk email sending campaigns.
Address recipients by name.
Nothing beats a warm salutation that includes your name. It creates a sense of connection. Of course the names should be spelled out properly with the right title or form of address (i.e.: never mistake Mr. for a lady or Ms. Is for a man). Surnames would suffice but as much as possible, use the full name if it can be obtained. Most of us would be indifferent to bulk emails as it treats us more like numbers than people.
Create a striking marketing copy that also clearly conveys your business identity.
Don’t be dull and boring. Any marketing campaign shouldn’t just stick to informing prospective customers. Your mails should grab attention and engage readers. Good layout and design are essential to stand out and reflect your business’ identity. If you would have to make use of videos or audio clips, make sure they are optimized and carefully chosen to keep your readers’ interest, not to annoy them. Moreover, readers shouldn’t struggle with going over the points and details of the emailed marketing material you send.
Go beyond mere selling and advertising.
Avoid being tagged as a spam or getting opted out by your subscribers. An uninterested recipient immediately hits the delete button. An annoyed recipient on the other hand goes for the spam tagging button. Purely commercial marketing emails are often ignored or worse, they can be tagged as spam – making it less likely for you to reach the same recipient again through email. Ascertain that you provide readers valuable information that can actually be useful for them. Don’t immediately start with a hard sell. Grab your reader’s attention first and establish a connection before occasionally pitching in your sales promotion intent. Interactivity elements within the page could also be useful.
Create a clear call to action
Beautifully designed and well-worded email marketing messages are nothing without a clear call to action. Make sure that you properly state or even imply in your content what you want your readers to do. Witty writing or funny anecdotal insertions in your marketing message could be a joy to read but without the proper message, it’s not even worth calling an email marketing message. Links to purchase your advertised products should be easily conspicuous and should come with the appropriate captions or labels. Put important links several times as deemed suitable.
Express with words not with exclamation points.
Avoid the heavy use of exclamation points in trying to grab your reader’s attention. Prefer witty, catchy words or phrases instead. Also, shun the $$$ sign overuse. If you have been long enough on the Internet, you probably have an idea how most email marketing campaigns abuse their use of the dollar sign. For many, the sight of $$$ signs on the email subject alone is indicative of email marketing and merits instant spam tagging.
Find the right timing to send those emails.
Avoid sending email marketing messages during holidays or during times when your potential readers are away from their computers. It is most favorable for your message to be read immediately as it arrives on the recipient’s inbox. Getting clumped up along with other emails will make it less likely for your email to be read. Moreover, it is recommended that you send newsletters or email marketing messages of vocational interest on Wednesdays or Thursdays. Newsletters and marketing messages focusing on leisure or spare time activities, on the other hand, can generally be more effective when delivered on Sundays.
Use the right instruments for email marketing
The general idea is that email marketing equates to bulk email sending. There are actually other modes of email marketing and they include newsletters, personalized mailings, public mailing lists, autoresponders, discussion lists, and individual replies to customer inquiries or requests. Making the most of all or most of these other options can yield better results. That means you can actually have opportunities for email marketing when a customer sends in inquiries, engages in forums/discussions, or signs up for company newsletters or mailing lists. Email marketing is not limited to the typically frowned upon bulk emails.
Launching a great email marketing campaign means effectively communicating with customers, current or prospective. It is important to create an impact together with a clear message. Poorly put up email marketing messages or campaigns are generally regarded as nuisances and practically end up getting labeled as spams. It is thus necessary to strike a balance between informing or convincing customers, aggressively promoting a business, and making sure your message doesn’t end up in the trash—or worse—the spam folder.
