five keys to email enlightenment
making your email work for you
In a day and age where de-stressing has become big business, it sometimes feels as though yogi business owners not only have to be peaceful, contemplative graduates of Guru State, but graduates of Harvard Business School as well. However, with the rapid increase in competition, growing and retaining your customer base may not actually require a marketing degree, but instead, just some newly applied awareness.
The basic marketing challenges faced by most holistic businesses are relatively consistent. They all boil down to building and sustaining a loyal customer base, and discovering easily implemented strategies to help achieve this goal. In addition to understanding the importance of using traditional print advertising, brochures and business cards, business owners in today’s market also have to consider an email communications program.
The data clearly communicate that permission-based email communication (email which customers have signed up for) can be a magic wand if properly used. In 2004, Opt-in News reported that permission-based email was among the most responsive marketing methods, beating out TV, radio, direct mail and online banners. However, like most marketing strategies, email does have clear keys to success which, when applied, can transform newsletter communications from just another email into an anticipated event.
While the most important concept is pretty simple – build a list of active, engaged subscribers, then give them relevant, personalized information that suits their needs – there are five other keys that will help out along the path to email enlightenment.
Mind The Presentation.
All of us at one point have received content-heavy newsletters that prompt the immediate delete response. Yet a recent study reported that 40 percent of American internet users have changed their opinions of brands as a result of information they gathered online. This underscores the importance of making sure that the image you portray online, especially in your email marketing, accurately reflects your brand. Treat email designs as if they were print ads, and watch your response rates soar.
Share Your Appreciation.
Think of email recipients as members of an exclusive club. When sending a newsletter, give the recipients great information along with something special. Make it fun and offer them something they can get only by being on this email subscriber list. They will be much more excited to receive the email and respond to offers!
Simplicity.
Less is truly more. Write to communicate, not to impress. Keep it simple, straightforward and to the point. Share the sizzle, but the goal is to get the message across with clear and simple headers, and concise language. Be benefit oriented. What’s in it for the reader? Mention the incentives offered and include a clear call to action, and any appropriate weblinks.
Make Sure Your Message Gets Through.
Sounds simple… right? Well it is, but only if you know which email services to use. There is something called a blacklist, and the ISPs (Internet Service Providers) are not shy about blocking mail from highly trafficked domains. This means that when you use blacklisted email service providers to distribute your newsletter, a good portion of the email may not make it through the gateway of specific ISPs. Find a provider that appears on few or no blacklists, and the vast majority of your mailings will make it to their intended destination. You can call your email service provider to find out how many blacklists they are on. They are bound by law to provide you with that information upon request.
Measure The Results.
Email is one of the few mediums that can be measured to enhance your understanding of what is – or is not – working. Your goal should be to make header copy personal, relevant, and, most of all, short. You want to focus on highlights that drive interest, and interest will drive clicks. The clicks will enable reporting-driven findings, and the findings in turn produce more relevant content for every communication!
