Email marketing is as old as the Internet. Although spam and program filters can effectively block useless messages from getting into another person’s inbox, email marketing can benefit the sender and the receiver, when done correctly. Read this article to learn how to develop a successful email marketing campaign.
Develop a consistent format and schedule for your marketing emails. By doing this, your customers will learn when and what to expect. Find a professional template that suits your business and used it every time. Alert your customers to the most relevant information at the beginning of the email.
Be sure of all the colors you use in your email are neutral. If colors are too bland, the customer may not want to read the article. On the other hand, if the colors are too bright, it could frustrate the reader. Try to stick with neutral colors, like black, gray, and white.
Offer a coupon to customers who sign up for your marketing email list. Put a form on your website where customers can sign up and set the form to email automatically new customers a coupon when they submit the form. This encourages customers to agree to allow you to send them marketing materials so that you won’t be accused of sending out spam.
Only send emails to people that you know. Your emails will appear to be spam to those who are unfamiliar with your company. People will wonder if you are someone that they know, or if they even care! This can make them delete your emails and waste your time.
Promote special offers or limited time sales exclusively through email as a way of fostering excitement in your customers to be receiving your emails. This technique encourages customers to open your messages and will increase referrals to their contacts. Consider giving even greater discounts to those readers who do refer new customers.
Do not use dollar signs in either the subject or the body of your emails, unless you are using just one to denote a specific amount of currency. This will strike many recipients as being spam my behavior, and many spam filters will automatically trash emails that include character strings like “$$$.”
It is important that your friendly form line is one that your subscribers will recognize. For example, do not have the CEO of your company sending the emails. The reader may not know who it is from and just delete the email. In the subject line, put your business’s name.
In addition to using email marketing, incorporate SMS marketing into your campaign. Have customers sign up for an SMS option and send them text messages when on the go. When these two methods are used together, you have a better chance of getting more customers to sign up for your product.
Use colors and fonts that reflect your business and are easy to view. Even if the content is interesting, difficult to read fonts and harsh colors can cause some customers to reject the email, and possibly future ones as well. Use the same color scheme and fonts for all of your emails.
Have a strong call to action in your email marketing campaign and position it to be seen. You shouldn’t make it difficult for your email readers to know exactly what you want from them. If it’s too hard to figure out, then your email will most likely be quickly deleted. Instead, offer a clear call to action and deliver it in a way that can’t be missed.
Offer your visitors a free learning course conducted via email. You’ll need to develop a set amount of auto responders, breaking up the lesson into sections. Four to six sections should be an appropriate amount. Make sure the content is both informative and unique. Schedule the sections to be sent out one at a time every 24 hours. This can provide you with a host of benefits, such as enhancing your website, gaining your customers’ confidence, developing your authority, and building your email base.
Provide an incentive for customers in your emails. Customers are more likely to buy your products if you make it tempting to do so. As an example, give them free shipping when they order more than $50 worth of merchandise or services directly from a link on your site.
Everyone knows that email filters are getting more and more strict. Graphics and other things included in emails are blocked out, so a reader might not even see what you are trying to say. Therefore, a good piece of advice is to use plain text with a hyperlink to your site.
Develop a list that specifically targets your customer’s preferences and needs. You can do this by getting your top customers, as well as their contacts, to subscribe to your mailing list. If you make it out to seem that those who receive your mailing list also receive exclusive tips on your particular topic, then your mailing list will be more targeted while at the same time make your mailings appear to be more authoritative.
When done right, a reader does not even realize that your email marketing messages are, in fact, marketing at all. If your emails provide customers with valuable information, they will be more likely to read them and continue looking for more. This not only helps your brand, it benefits your business as a whole. It will lead to a loyal customer base who will happily splurge on your services or products. Use the tips outlined above and you will soon see the benefits of email marketing.
