1. Keep it simple An email is not a selling tool. It needs to be treated as a unique part of the sales process. Keep the message simple and tempt the customer to link to your website to read more. Once on your website you then have the opportunity to add a call to action.
2. Be informative
Use email as an opportunity to give useful information rather than to reproduce your newspaper ads. By sending regular informative emails your customers will eventually come to expect your communications. This creates opportunities to talk to them more often and bring the customer to your website to create future sales opportunities.
3. Do it with Style
The visual possibilities of HTML mean it's easier than ever to create emails that are attractive and enticing. Just make sure that in addition to creating emails that look great, you're also giving your emails enough substance to warrant sending them in the first place. Marry style and substance with the campaigns you send, and your readers will thank you (and probably buy something while they're at it.)
4. Use the subject line
The subject line is the most important single line of your email. If you don't grab attention with the subject, your email will not even get opened. Keep it short and to the point and remember that because of the low cost and flexibility of email, you can experiment with different subject lines.
5. Don't Spam
Build your own Database of prospects and customers who have willingly given you an email address. If you use data bought from outside sources, it is likely that these people don't know you, so will probably not open your email.
6. Get under spam filters
Once you have permission from someone to use their email address, ask them to ensure that you are white listed to ensure that you reach the inbox. As with any form of marketing, it's a numbers game. The more people you can reach, the better the chances of success.
7. Know your audience
Use previous campaigns to work out what your audience really wants to hear. By looking at what they have previously taken an interest in this will give you a key to what will interest them in the future.
8. Handle opt-outs immediately
Use a tool to ensure that opt-outs are handled immediately. Legislation says that you must give customers an easy route to opt out of future campaigns. A foolproof system such as Y-Mail does this automatically for you.
9. Understand (and use) your results
By tracking what your customers are doing with your email campaigns you have a unique opportunity to react to what they really want. No other marketing route can tell you exactly who has taken interest in your campaigns and when they were interested. You can even find out exactly which part they have taken interest in. This is very powerful information but we need to learn exactly how we can use it to have very targeted future campaigns.
10. Experiment and adapt.
Don't approach email marketing as one size fits all. You must have a basic plan but once you understand more about the results and your audience you can adapt it as you go.
For more help on how email can transform your marketing strategies email info@ignition-online.co.uk.
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