Email marketing is a cheap, fast and efficient way to reach your target group. But in times of spam mails it’s really a big challenge to excite the recipients enough to open and read your emails. Within seconds people decide which mails to keep and which to delete.
Here are some tips for successful email marketing that might help you to remain in the inbox of your recipients.
1. The right software
If you take email marketing serious and want to do it professionally then you definitely need the right software. A software -like SuperOffice eMarketing- which is easy to use, which allows you to personalize your emails and which helps you to measure your results.
2. As always…less is more
If you want people to sign up to your newsletter…keep it simple. You won’t need much more than a name and an email address. Most people feel uncomfortable if you want to know too much about them on first contact. They feel under pressure and in the end they will refuse to give you any information at all. In this case you’ll never get the lead. If you’re in touch after prospects signed-up for the newsletter you will get the chance to gather more information from them and you can still complete the missing data in your CRM system. The lead is not lost. It’s right there.
3. The subject line
Don’t talk about any sales discounts or “super special” offers. This makes it look like spam. Choose a short subject line which includes your company name and something that has to do with the content of your email. Don’t try to catch interest by choosing a topic in the subject line that is not part of your email content. Keep the promise you made.
4. Content
Start with the most valuable information and keep it as short and simple as possible. People will lose interest if they have to read a whole storybook before getting to the point. It is also important that you clearly arrange your topics. Arrange your topics in a logical order and choose headlines that are catchy and easy to understand.
5. Sending your email
I have once heard that most people open their emails on Monday evening and so I just started to give it a try and sent my last newsletters on Mondays at around 6pm. I am happy with the results so far. But maybe trying another day would bring even better results? It’s a topic that is always discussed between marketers. Some swear that you should send your emails on Tuesdays; others say that Saturdays are perfect for sending a newsletter. I think everybody has to try and find out what works best for him/her. Of course the habits of the target group are an important criterion as well. So, if you should know on what day the majority of your recipients is in the mood for receiving and opening your newsletters, then you found the holy email marketing grail. If you don’t (and I guess most of us don’t)…give it a try. What works best for me might not work best for you. So, the best advice that I can give you here is to try things out and to find out yourself. What’s most important is that you do something and that you do it regularly, so that the recipients of your newsletters always know what to expect and when.
6. Watch your results
Watch and analyze your recipients’ behavior. Check which links were clicked. This will help you to find out which topics do catch interest? The better you know your (future) customers and their preferences, the easier it will be to catch their interest again in future mailings and to provide offers that fit their needs.
Email marketing is no magic. Just never stop to test and optimize your campaigns. Sooner or later you’ll reap what you sowed and email marketing will help you improve your sales.
