Tips for Managing an Easy Email Marketing Scheme
Email marketing is popular with businesses the world over due to its time and cost efficient nature. Writing and sending an email is much cheaper than an international TV or print advertising campaign, but can reach just as wide an audience. The prospect of managing your own marketing campaign may seem daunting, but with the right software and content it’ll be a breeze!
Content is King
What you include in your email is one of the first things that you need to get right. In order to do this, think about the emails that you receive every day – which ones do you find interesting, and which are resigned to the junk folder? As tempting as it can be to bombard your customers with the latest offers and products or services that you offer, try to avoid being overly ‘salesy’. Industry related news that they will be interested in is your best bet, and they are likely to feel less ‘targeted’ simply for their custom. Marketing emails should gently remind your customers that you are there, and make them feel valued. Be brief and be interesting.
Snappy Subject Lines
In order to get your customers to even open your emails, you need a catching and intriguing subject line. Again, think back to your inbox. How often do you open emails that say ‘FREE SAMPLE!’ or ‘MAKE BIG SAVINGS!’ Probably very rarely, so avoid doing this to your customers! Instead, hint at the content of your email and make them aware that you are not trying to sell them anything (directly), but have something interesting for them to read….this should save you from the junk folder!
Invest in Software
Buy some good email construction software to help you organise your content in an attractive way. DotMailer do a good email marketing platform, and you can buy software easily online. Look for a platform that lets you add images, text and videos together, and create your own designs as well as using pre-formatted templates. The best software should be simple to use, for those of us who don’t possess web design skills!
Keep it Simple
Overly complicated designs can be confusing to look at, and if there is a lot of text to read customers may hit ‘delete’ without trying to read your email. Keep things brief and visually attractive. Use images to support your points, and make any links to your website clear and easy to use. Always try to refer people back to your website – perhaps give them a sample of a news story or product line, and then encourage them to visit your website for further information. Remember never to email people you don’t know, otherwise your emails will go straight into the ‘spam’ folder!
