Email marketing is not simply a matter of sending out emails to customers and potential customers. You need to know about how it works, what your customers want from you and how to make your email marketing work for you, your customers and your business. Use the tips from this article to develop an email marketing campaign that will give everyone what they want.
Steer clear of renting or purchasing lists to pad your email marketing database. Not only do you not know if the emails you have purchased are truly your target market, but the lists can actually hurt your deliver-ability rates and ultimately your reputation. As much as possible, build your list organically.
You can use A/B testing to improve the results of your emails’ subject lines. Pick one email message, divide up your mailing list in two and send them out with the different subject lines. You can learn which subject wording is most influential in getting your customer base to open your messages.
It is very common for people to view the Internet with cell phones instead of using a full sized computer. Since this is the case, you should make it so that the width of any email you send out is easily viewable by mobile phone. You should also make sure to do the same to your landing page.
You may find that it is a good idea to devote a small portion of every marketing email you send out to briefly reviewing what your subscribers can expect from you. By demonstrating that you have a plan for your emails and you are sticking to it, you can encourage your readers’ trust and make them less likely to grow tired of your messages.
Set up some expectations for your recipients when they sign up for your email campaign. Once they sign up, they should receive an immediate confirmation email that highlights what they can receive from signing up. This can help you build great customers relationships and help you avoid complaints from the recipients not being aware of what they were receiving.
Make your emails concise. No one wants to read through a number of paragraphs when several would have sufficed. People don’t have much time these days, and you could become persona non grata in their email boxes if you don’t appreciate the time crunch that most people have to deal with these days.
Try sending birthday messages to your subscribers. You can allow a place when your readers sign up to include their birth dates. When their birthdays arrive, you can create a message that can be sent to them. This can build a positive and personal relationship with the recipient that can really boost your business.
Every email that you send out to your customers as part of your marketing campaign should offer them something of value. If you give them a discount on your products, exclusive access to new offerings, or free shipping, they will be more likely to respond positively to your message and come back to you again.
Pay attention to the words and phrases that get the most attention in your industry. This means knowing who your audience is and what they’re looking for. Consumer products sell best when advertised through words such as “new”, while informational products sell better when combined with words like “advice”. Always be sure you know what your audience is looking for and word your copy accordingly.
Successful email marketing campaign lists are built organically. Forgo renting or buying pre-made lists, and instead start one from scratch. Get business cards at industry events and have opt-in links on all your web pages. Offer incentives to your subscribers to forward your material to associates they know would be interested. Your niche already has an existing network of social ties within its community, follow those paths.
Reflect current festivities with your email marketing messages. Have a theme focusing or referring to love at Valentine’s Day. Be thankful to your subscribers around Thanksgiving. Sending out content in tune with current holidays lets your readers know that your messages are up to date and not just old content being regurgitated by some server.
Implement a double opt in. Sometimes clicking a little box to signify that you want to receive e-mails slips by a person. To eliminate complaints of spam, use a double opt in. Have the person confirm that they wish to receive e-mails by verifying their e-mail or clicking a second button.
Try using holidays and important events to your advantage in your email marketing campaigns. For instance, if it’s Valentine’s Day, try incorporating things like candy, flowers, hearts and other related imagery or designs. Your readers should enjoy the creativity and festiveness of your messages around special times of the year.
Think above the fold when designing your messages. In newspapers, anything above the page folds features a lot more prominently than material lower on the page. If someone has to scroll down to see your call to action element, chances are pretty good they will not ever see it, much less click it.
Brand your emails with the same font, logo and colors that your website has. This way, someone reading your email will recognize you as soon as they start reading. This provides consistency in all of your materials, which is good to do because people would rather do business with someone they have come to recognize and trust.
As noted above, email marketing is not as simple as just sending out emails to customers and potential customers. Your content and strategy makes all the difference in whether you email marketing will be a success for whether it will just be another piece of overlooked spam. Use the techniques and the information from the above article to help you launch and email campaign that you and your customers will love.
