If you’ve been reading this blog for some time, you know that email marketing is an essential part of digital marketing back from vacation meme. You also know that sending valuable and interesting content is the key to getting people to pay attention. But how do you make sure your emails are top notch? In this post, I’ll list everything from mistakes to avoid to the best practices in email marketing.
1. Don’t try to trick people into opening your emails
In the past, there were some marketers who believed that if they wrote an email title that was very controversial or something negative then people would open it because they wanted to know more. It’s true that controversial titles do catch one’s eye, but they’re not effective because once a person is tricked into opening an email, they are unlikely to engage with it.
If your goal is to deliver great value, you have to earn the attention of your subscriber. What you want them to feel when they first see your message is curiosity about what will be inside. Your headline should grab their attention, but if the title is too controversial or misleading, they will think twice and might not open your email.
2. Engage with your subscriber by asking them questions
Many marketers have this idea that people won’t listen to them. This is a mistake. People want to be heard and they want to be engaged in the process of receiving information. They want to know what you have to say because you can directly relate it back to their interests, problems and challenges.
What you can and should do is to keep your readers engaged while you’re giving them deep insights that they can use in their daily lives.
For example, ask readers: “What advice would you give to a mother who wants to earn more money?” or “How would this impact your blog?” You don’t need to be an expert, and there is no need for lengthy answers. Just answer the question as you understand it, using the words in which your reader would explain it.
Get creative! Ask questions on Facebook, Twitter or direct messages on LinkedIn. What type of questions do you think can be formed from what I’ve just told you?
3. Don’t use too much text
Email marketing is about delivering your message in the most efficient way. What you should do is use words to convey the message you want to deliver and stay away from mass marketing, which is just sending too much content.
For instance, if your goal is to promote a new product or service, don’t write a 1,000-word email about it. Instead, consider writing an editorial for your blog or something like an article for a promotional magazine. The subject matter that you want to promote will dictate what type of content you need.
4. Focus on your target market
Email marketing is not a one size fits all solution. Instead, you need to tailor your email content to the type of people you are trying to reach because they will have different expectations and needs than someone who isn’t in your ideal target audience.
For example, you should focus more on women with relevant information like tips and tricks rather than men with an article about business ideas.
5. Always include the opt-in box in ALL your emails
If you don’t have any form or link in your email, then there’s no point sending it at all. If you want to connect with your readers, you need to give them an option to sign up for your emails. If you’re going to send emails every day or once a week, make sure you include a form in all of them.
6. Don’t use bright colors or too many images
Like I mentioned before, email marketing is about providing and sharing value in an easy, efficient way. Images are meant to convey the idea that is being written about without taking up too much space or distracting from the message itself. Although adding images can increase readability and engagement within an email, it’s best not to overwhelm subscribers with too many different types of images because this will slow down their experience when reading your message.
7. Make it easy for readers to reply to your email
Making it easier for your reader to respond to your email doesn’t mean that you should ask them personal questions or give them the option to write a long message. All you need is a simple way for them to answer questions, like using an opt-in box or commenting on Facebook or Twitter.
8. Make sure your links are working properly
Most of the links in an email are meant for value-added content in the form of downloads, audios and videos. If one link isn’t working like it should, this can lead to frustration. So make sure that all of your links are working correctly before sending out any email newsletter.
