Despite the popularity of social media, email marketing is still the most effective way to communicate directly with your audience. Email open rates may have fallen over the years, but conversion rates remain consistent and reliable. Success rates will only apply to those who implement proven techniques, though, with ill-considered and generic emails going unopened. If you can follow some simple tips, email marketing can provide long-term customer relationships that bring in revenue on a consistent basis.
Speak to an Individual
You may have a long subscriber list, but always write your emails as though you were addressing one person. Readers aren’t thinking about your other subscribers, so always maintain the personal touch. Surveys and demographic data should give you a clear indication of your average customer, allowing you to create a customer avatar to focus on.
Use a Real Email Address
Many marketers use an email address that won’t accept responses. If you are building a strong relationship through your newsletters, some readers will naturally want to respond to you. By using generic email addresses you are building a barrier between yourself and your subscribers, so try to create a two-way street.
Provide Value
Selling is obviously part of email marketing, but try to include something of value in every email you send. Constant promotion, without any useful content, is a quick way to burn out your list. Even simple things like quick tips or links to blog posts can be enough to make the interaction valuable.
Split Test and Segment
Quality autoresponders include various testing options, so make sure you use them to their full potential. You can create multiple emails, set up a small split test, see which gets the best response, then send the full list the winning option. Segmenting your list allows lets you send the most appropriate emails. Customers will often get a completely different email than a new prospect.
Readable Emails
Both short and long emails can be effective, but you must ensure they are highly readable. Boring newsletters will quickly lead to unopened messages, so focus on storytelling with a clear focus. Make your sentences short and punchy, with less detail than you might use for a blog post. Your aim is to get subscribers to read the message and take action.
Show Your Personality
To build an ongoing relationship, try to show your personality through your messages. There may be times when a more authoritative approach is effective, but more often people will respond to personality-driven content. You can show personality through storytelling, humor, personal anecdotes, self-deprecation, and audience responses.
Call to Action
Every email should include a call to action. By maintaining this consistency, your subscribers get used to taking an action after reading your email. The call to action doesn’t have to be a sales pitch or product purchase, so you can send people over to your blog, an interesting video, or customer survey.
Include Video and Images
Text emails can be effective, but your writing has to be excellent to maintain attention with this alone. For most people, include some extra stimulation will be required. Videos and images are often shown to increase click-through rate, with people even clicking a static image of a video. It is possible to watch videos directly through email now, so you can include sales videos, product demonstrations, or case studies within the message.
Closing Note
Email marketing might not feel like the most cutting edge marketing strategy, but the results speak for themselves. Driving traffic to a website is difficult enough, but encouraging people to return is even harder. Getting an email address is a proven way to get your messages in front of a customer over an extended period of time. By using these tips, your email marketing campaign can go far beyond the average.
