24 tips to give your email marketing edge
If you are spending hours crafting the perfect email, only to look at your statistics and see pitiful results, fear not, here are four areas to address and 24 tips to give your email marketing the edge.
Increase your open rate
People have chosen to subscribe to your company, and you want to ensure they stay subscribed.
- Stop talking about yourself Write like you have a connection, when an email is all about your business and how great you are chances are the reader won’t get past the first few lines.
- Get personal You are writing to a person not a list. Nothing says personal like a name, personally address your emails and sign off from yourself.
- Write like you are having a conversation, not a one sided sales pitch. Engage your reader by asking questions. Empathise and ask how your business could help.
- Make their day Reward people for reading; give them something so they will choose your email over your competitors every time.
- Build trust - People opted in to your list for a reason, don’t bombard them with sales emails every time (unless you’re a store).
- Stop wasting time Email when you have something important to say. Ensure people read yours because they know it will be worth their while.
Subject lines that will get your email opened
Your reader has seen your email, recognises your name, and hasn’t hit delete yet. You have milliseconds to pique their attention and get your email opened.
1. Simple and specific
Don’t bamboozle people with clever words and ambiguous sentences, tell them exactly what to expect.
2. Given them what they want
People want something that will be of use to their business, leave them more informed, or be better off for reading your email.
3. Use numbers
Numbers draw focus to a subject line, just don’t fill it with them.
4. Ditch statistics
There is no “magic” number of words for a subject line, every reader is different. Learn who your audience is and engage with them, build a relationship so they eagerly await your email.
5. Experiment
Don’t be afraid to try new things, use A/B testing if your email manager allows. Check out what works and what doesn’t.
Content that gets your reader to the end
Use engaging content to ensure your reader doesn’t move on.
- There is no formula Keep content fresh, rehashing the same email with different words is a bore and lacks personality.
- Write fast and naturally Plan what you want to say and then start writing, this will allow for a conversational tone to come through. Talk with your reader not at them.
- Personality plus connection Start your email with a name, try different welcomes, use expression and emotion.
- Short and sweet Keep your emails to the point, don’t lose your reader with “waffle”, their time is precious. Once you have written your first draft, edit, edit, edit.
- Get interested Imagine you are talking face to face, ask questions that your reader will respond to.
- Talk about them
Everyone loves their ego stoked and until you have your reader interested, the email is all about them. When they are engaged start talking about yourself.
Converting your readers into clients
Your reader is engaged, now is the time to convert.
- Build up to the sale and be reliable Don’t sell before they are ready, become a reliable source first. One email does not a conversion make.
- What’s in it for me Sell the benefits your reader will get from the product, rather than the product itself.
- Solve a problem People are focused on their problems, rework the benefits of what you are offering to solve.
- Clear and direct Fluffy just doesn’t work in email, skip the jargon and be real.
- Linking - Multiple links throughout your email will increase the chance of a link being clicked.
- Clear deadline - This will encourage people to take action now.
- Obvious call to action - Give step-by-step instructions. Restate the deadline. Remind them why they should buy from you.
KATHLEEN BOYD
021 066 3930
www.omgsolutionsnz.co.nz
