Whether you love receiving emails or hate them, using email marketing as part of your ongoing marketing mix is a ‘must do’.
Email marketing is still one of the cheapest and most effective strategies you can implement. It allows you to contact old and current clients, it can be an effective way of sending a press release, an invitation to an event, a way of informing your database about new products, services or special offers and driving them to your website to find out more… the list goes on.
But, as with every marketing tool you use, there must be a strategy behind the plan and there are some ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ that you should consider.
So before you hit send on your next email campaign just have a look at our Top 10 Email Marketing Tips.
- The subject line is the first thing people will see. Your email must have the ability to stand out amongst all of the others that will be received in your customers’ inboxes throughout the day. Think of it as the equivalent to an advertisement headline and spend time crafting it carefully. Asking a question is a great way of capturing attention.
- Personalise your emails. Ensure you include the recipient’s name in the body text at least once – even if it’s just ‘Dear [name]’at the beginning of the email.
- Get to the point of your email quickly, if you waffle too much at the beginning of your email then the likelihood is that the reader will switch off before getting to understand the important information that you are trying to get across.
- Write in a conversational tone. Most emails that we receive are from people we know and therefore the tone is usually light hearted. However, do be careful of using humour in your email. Not everyone has the same sense of humour that you do.
- Make sure you set up an html version and a text version of your email. Text emails don’t look pretty, but if your recipient can’t read the html version they won’t get to find out what you are saying.
- Ensure your email client has the ability to test the email before it gets sent. This will tell you how likely the email is to avoid getting caught up in spam filters (particularly important if you are B2B).
- More and more people use their mobile devices to open emails. Make sure your email client has the ability to send responsive emails that format to the size of the screen (think responsive websites – your email should do that same).
- Include links within your email if you want the recipient to go to your website for the full information on make a purchase. Don’t try to sell too hard in the email itself. And make sure the link goes to the correct page on your website – not just your homepage.
- Always make sure you have an unsubscribe link – it’s the law!
- Think about the call to action. Your email MUST have one and it must be clear what action you want people to take next.
- Oh and the bonus Top Tip Number 11… Make sure you download your report after the email has been sent. Most email clients will offer a reporting function and this is how you can tell the success (or otherwise) of your email marketing efforts.
For more top tips on how to maximise the return on your email marketing why not give JCK Marketing a call on 020 8090 2229 today.