4 Tips for Effective Emails

Just like social media, email marketing has become a staple in how businesses drive sales and retain customers. Creating an effective email marketing campaign can result in significant increases in sales, retention, and customer satisfaction. Follow these four tips to start sending effective emails today:

Catchy Subject Lines

Just like a gatekeeper can block a person from getting to their intended recipient, a weak subject line may prevent your email from being opened. Think about it: the subject line is the first thing that the recipient will see. First and foremost: make sure you're consistent with your brand. If you tend to have more of a humorous approach to your communications, then keep your email subject line light. If you're all business, then keep the subject buttoned-up. While there's no silver bullet to creating a catchy subject line, consider some of the following ideas: 

• Ask a Question: "Is your business getting the most out of social media?" The idea here is that the recipient will have to open the email to find out.
• Mention a mutual connection: "John Doe told me to reach out." A personal connection is always a sure-fire way to grab someone's attention.
• Tell them what's inside: "New Updates to your platform inside!" This will make the recipient want to open your email to find out.
• Use actionable language: "Catch a pass from Tom Brady!" wins over something like "Local Sports Hero Visiting." It helps the reader visualize actually being there.

Think about the kind of language that piques your interests and gets you to open an email, and always keep it short and sweet.

Get Right to the Point

Think about how you read your emails. Most email is scanned beginning with the subject line and preview pane, and not read in its entirety at all. Don't inundate the beginning of your emails with an over-abundance of images, icons, and introductory language. Instead, use that space to get to point of your email. If have images and other related copy, put it after the primary point at the beginning, and then restate it at the end.

Personalize

This works in two primary ways. If you have the recipients first name, use it in your introductory line. Something as simple as "Hi John," goes a long way. Many email marketing platforms such as MailChimp and Constant Contact have tools that automatically fill in your contacts first name in your emails blasts. Then, if you have a working relationship, following with a friendly greeting is a great way to truly personalize the message. Something as simple as "It was great speaking with you last week!" goes a long way as well.

Add Value

These days, everyone gets inundated with emails day-in, day-out. Before you send your email, think about what sets your email apart from others. By and large, people join email lists not only to learn more about their interests but also to receive something of value just for being signed up. Think of your email list as something of a VIP club and try to treat your subscribers as such. If you're sending a sales-related email, consider including an exclusive deal for your email subscribers. If it's an update to existing customers, try to give them something they can use - helpful tips and tricks, tools, or first access to new features.

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Where Do You Start With Email Marketing?

Nobody ever says "I wish I could receive more emails". So when somebody signs up to receive emails from you they are giving you very special permission to send them information.

Email marketing is about making real connections with real people who want to hear from you. As they receive your messages, they'll grow more attached to your brand, engage with your content and be much more likely to buy from you.

So where do you start with email marketing?

1. Determine Your Objective

What do you want email marketing to accomplish for you? Do you want to increase sales for your product or service? Do you want to develop relationships with subscribers? How will it fit with your overall marketing strategy?

2. Identify Your Ideal Subscriber

Your can't sell everything to everyone so the more focused you are your ideal subscriber, the easier it will be to connect to that individual. What problems can your product or service solve for them? How can you make their life easier or more comfortable?

3. How Will You Get Email Addresses?

You can't use email marketing if you don't have any email addresses to send your messages. The most common way to build a list of addresses is via an email opt-in form on your website. Or you can direct prospects to a specific landing page where they are offered something for free, like a report or eBook, in exchange for their email address.

4. What Are You Going To Email Them?

A lot of businesses know that they need email marketing to develop their business, but get stuck trying to decide what type of content to send their subscribers.There is a whole variety of options. You can send welcome emails when somebody joins your email list, educational emails about your niche or industry, newsletters, e-courses and, of course, promotional emails where you're offering products for sale.

5. How Often Should Use Email Marketing?

There's no one right or wrong answer for how often you should send emails. If you've got nothing of value to say via email, then don't send an email. If you send an email every day for two weeks then wait three weeks before sending the next one, your subscribers may have forgotten about you. Remain consistent. If you email once per week, stick to that schedule and ensure that every email you send provides value to your subscriber.

You have to give your prospects something of value in exchange for their email address. And if you're offering a boring, 'seen it all before' report that doesn't address your visitor's problems with any urgency, they won't be enticed to give you their email details.

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