Email marketing is an oft-untapped resource of networking and sales, and itâs correct application can have an immediate and measurable impact on the bottom line of any organisation.
As soon as you think email marketing most people cringe and think of spam â âBEST DEALSâ â âSPECIAL OFFERS!â and the like, making you simultaneously wretch and search wildly for the delete button.
Weâre talking about something else. The use of targeted emails, with concise and informative content. You likely possess some knowledge that your clients (both existing and potential) would like to have, here is the time to give it to them, and reap the rewards in return.
So, youâve got your list of people to email, or you have a âsubscribe to our newsletterâ box added to your website that has been rigorously promoted and youâve got a handful of contacts that is growing steadily over time. What now? Here are some starter tips for your email marketing campaign.
1. Include content your recipients will want
Sounds obvious right? This bit is so commonly overlooked, but SO IMPORTANT. Do your clients want to read about how well your business is doing? Letâs be honest. Probably not. Do they want to read about a new piece of technology, a new technique or some new legislation that might impact their business? Almost certainly.
2. Clean and easily-scannable design
The design is also incredibly important (of course we would say that). But seriously â if your email template is cluttered, crowded, or uninspiring â it simply will not be read. If the design is incomprehensible, in many cases it doesnât even matter what you write. Services such as Mailchimp or InfusionSoft can help you create decipherable mail templates. Or we can do it for you of course! Just contact us â>Â info@fifteenten.co.uk
3. Technology and testing
Creating an eshot is not like creating a website. For a website there are a handful of browsers across a handful of devices. For email display there are LOADS! Around a hundred variations or more in wide circulation. In short this limits what can be done with email design, and requires significant testing. Check out Emails on Acid, or Mailchimps email testing service.
4. Get spam law savvy
Get familiar with the CAN-SPAM act to wise yourself up on the details. Roughly speaking:
- Youâre only allowed to email people who have specifically asked to be on your mailing list
- You must include an obvious unsubscribe link
- You must tell subscribers how they joined your list
5. Check the results!
As with anything online, itâs always best to monitor responses, opens, forwards, and any click activity. Then future mail shots can be optimised for improved engagement and your marketing activity will get better and better.
