Online marketing, in general, is extremely cutthroat. Companies are continuously competing against each other for the eyes and ears of the masses. Since every single email marketing campaign on the planet gets its humble start online, the same competitive issues affect them as well.
With email marketing, not only do you need to cut through the noise online, you also need to cut through the noise in your customers’ email inboxes. How do you do that? Let me explain.
1. Mind Your Manners
Watch your language in your email copy; keep it friendly and informal, but don’t cross the line. You may toe it, but just a bit! Even if your company brand is a little more laid back, it is still important to be professional and stick to common manners. Slang may work elsewhere, but try to keep it out of your newsletter copy.
Still need a guide? Think about how you would talk to a customer in a store. Remember, you don’t know what will rub each person the wrong way, so it is best to stick to the basics.
2. Be Helpful
Ensure that your customer service contact information is visible and clear in your email. Offer a variety of ways for your subscribers to get in touch; email, phone and instant messaging work best.
Try adding a button for instant chat or a form to fill in for a call back. And don’t make your readers dig for this information because most times, they won’t. Showcasing your support options is also a check mark for building trust because it lets the reader know you want two-way communication.
3. Spell It Out
Be clear about what your subscribers opted in for in the initial “welcome” email autoresponder. If you promised tips and resources to make them a better online marketer, then make sure you give them that. If you promised weekly deals, well you know what to do.
Laying out the “what’s in it for them” and not following through is a sure way to get unsubscribes or a huge drop in opens.
4. Make It Easy
Including an unsubscribe link or button in every email is a requirement for email service providers, so this one is easy. Standard unsubscribe options are at the bottom of the email, usually outside your newsletter template.
But if you have control over where the unsubscribe button is placed, make sure it’s obvious and not tucked in the middle of some legal garble. Also, consider including a link to your subscribers’ accounts so that they may update their email preferences.
5. Mind Your Frequency
Look to your own inbox and remember how annoying it is when you are bombarded with marketing emails. Adjust your frequency to suit not only your customers’ tastes but your own.
Newsletters tend to be monthly and that is what readers expect. If you have a more frequent distribution, let’s say weekly, make sure readers know that when they sign up. If readers know what they are going to get up front, they will be less likely to leave you.
6. Clean Your List
The worst thing to see when you opt out of an email newsletter is a message that says something like, “Your request will be processed in five days.” What? You can’t be serious! I just said “No!” to you and now you’re subjecting me to your emails when I specifically said that I no longer wish to receive them? Make sure your list is cleaned daily.
7. Send Good Content
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, make sure you are sending quality content. And start by looking to your own employees for their talents. You may be surprised what kind of writers, artists, coders and graphic designers you already have on your team.
When you have a team member contribute to your email marketing campaigns, make a huge stink about it. Give credit where credit is due, and ensure your customers and colleagues know who is rocking out in the marketing department.
Have you had success in email marketing? What tips would you add to this list?