Is an email marketing campaign something you have thought about, but are unsure of the starting point? If so, this article has some great ideas to help you begin. Peruse this piece for advice, tips and guidance on how to make the most of email marketing.
Grow your mailing list from the ground up. Never purchase or rent other people’s lists. Build up this listing by utilizing any business cards you’ve gotten from industry events. Include forms for your followers to sign up on your site. Your list will grow with people who are truly interested in your business.
Get permission if you are going to contact customers by email. People generally see unwanted emails like spam and delete or ignore them without taking the time to read them. ISP policy violations may also occur if you send mass emails to people who don’t want them.
Your customers will appreciate getting a freebie via email. Send out emails about an exclusive offer: make sure you explain what this offer is about. Encourage them to act swiftly by including a message regarding the available number of free offers.
Educate yourself about email marketing using whatever tools necessary. There are lots of great online books or even ones in libraries. You might be able to find local classes in your area to help you learn more about email marketing.
A marketing email should be short. Make them as direct as you can. This can demonstrate that you value the time your readers take to correspond with you. This also increases the likelihood that subscribers will read your message all the way through. This can be very important, as you will usually include critical content, as well as links, towards the end of each email.
Find out what it is like to receive spam, so that you do learn what mistakes you should not make in your own campaigns. Sign up for a free email account, post your new address around the web, and watch the spam roll in. See what those emails are doing wrong and then change your strategy. Taking measures to stand out from spammers will boost the credibility of your brand.
Ask your subscribers to give you feedback. Although you can continue to send numerous emails, it is important to know that your customers enjoy them. Ask what they like most about your emails as well as what they would like you to change. Listening to your clients will make them loyal to you.
In your emails, give customers an incentive. Give them a little extra encouragement to give you their business. Offering coupons, discounts, sales or free shipping only available to email subscribers is a great way to keep them on your opt-in list.
Aim to keep subject lines at no more than 60 characters long. Most email platforms will cut subject lines to that length. Other clients simply can’t display that many characters. More importantly, 60 characters usually provides your subscribers with more than enough information to decide whether they want to read your message or delete it.
Keep in mind that email marketing’s ultimate goal is selling your products or services. Every email you send should be focused on making your readers want to buy something from you. This can be done by writing emails that give information on new products or promotions on old ones.
You may consider altering your format for special emails. If you use HTML in your messages, try sending out a basic text email instead. Your customers will pay attention to this slightly different email because you might have chosen a different format for an important announcement.
Before sending your email, take a step back and proofread it. Accuracy is important in all forms of correspondence, including emails and newsletters. Test your email layout by sending it to yourself first; that is a sure way to be certain everything is displayed perfectly. Don’t forget, if you have embedded links, to check the links to be sure they function properly.
Take advantage of holiday spending to develop promotions during these peak retail times. Plan your strategy for these occasions ahead of time. You should have your holiday campaigns planned for well in advance, and include all of those potentially relevant to your business. Research other methods of promotion to increase sales during slower sales times.
Use A/B testing strategies when sending emails. Choose one email, randomly split the mailing list in two and send each half the same email with different subject lines. This provides a simple way of seeing which subject lines garner higher open rates and which ones were simply ignored in subscribers’ inboxes.
Simple, short subject lines are best. Concise subject lines are more effective at capturing the reader’s attention than wordy ones. If you’re having trouble keeping your subject line concise, start it off with the most significant words to ensure that they don’t get cut off when the email reaches a customer’s inbox.
Be sure to acknowledge recipients’ birthdays if that information is available to you. Design your email automation to send these out to every subscriber. If you can, include a coupon or discount and remember to keep a friendly tone in your message to make them feel more appreciated by the company.
Ensure that every email address on your list has given explicit permission to receive emails from your business. Customers won’t take you seriously if you spam them or send them anything they didn’t ask for. In fact, many may find such emails annoying enough that they will not do business with you in any capacity.
Before adding anyone to an email list, ask permission. Without this, your messages may be flagged as spam. You will risk damaging your reputation, and you might even get on an ISP’s black list and end up having your emails blocked.
By using what you have learned from this article, you can run a highly effective email marketing campaign. You can get your sales pitches out to the masses easily and effectively with email marketing. There’s nothing left to do but start!
