If you think that email can no longer be used as an effective marketing tool, think again! It’s true that email was probably the first channels used by Internet marketers, but that doesn’t mean that there still isn’t a lot of money to be made from email marketing. Email marketing is constantly evolving through the use of fresh techniques and strategies to improve its effectiveness. Use the ideas below to see how you can use email for yourself.
Get your audience to help you expand. Once you have established some readers, you should then think of different ways that you can entice them to sign up their friends. Include a link to subscribe at the top of your emails so that anyone who receives a copy that has been forwarded from a friend can sign up as well. By doing this, your viewer base will grow.
Always ensure that the links you include work. There is no point to your email if your customers aren’t able to click on the link and see your website or products. Your inability to include working links also hurts your credibility with readers.
Try to keep your email subject line below 60 characters total. Many email providers cut off longer subject lines. Other clients are flat out incapable of displaying longer subjects. Either way, your readers only need that amount of characters to make the quick decision on whether to read or delete your email.
With any email marketing materials, limit the use of graphics. Many email readers block graphics, causing some people to miss the information which is not available in text format. Additionally, your email is more likely to end up in a junk mail folder should graphics be overused.
Wish your subscribers a happy birthday. Let your subscribers give you their birthday if they wish and then send out automated greetings to them. You will find that customers respond positively to this approach. The added benefit for you is the opportunity to send a birthday discount or coupon that will attract more business.
Place your unsubscribe link in a conspicuous place in your email, like the footer. Don’t fail to include one or bury it so that it is not readily apparent. Your reader must feel like it is their own personal choice, whether they continue to receive your emails or not.
Be consistent with your email layouts. Use your logo and a standard color scheme in each email you send. Use easy-to-read fonts for text-based information. Once you have sent a few emails, your recipients will be able to immediately recognize them, and will start to take notice. Familiarity cannot be underestimated when developing a business strategy.
Review some real-life spam for pointers on what you should never do. Sign up for free email accounts, post your address on the web and wait for the spam to come. Take a look at those emails and learn what you don’t want yours to look like. If you see any similarities, adjust your email marketing campaign. Taking measures to keep you from spammers can boost your brand’s credibility.
An important tip to improve your email marketing tactics is to create an organic list. Avoid purchasing email lists of people who did not ask to receive your messages. Instead, collect the information yourself and create a list that is specific to your business.
Do you want to be known as a spammer? If marketing materials are sent out to individuals who didn’t request them, they could mark these massages as spam. This is terrible for your business’s reputation and might even get your IP address blocked by some ISPs.
Try including a coupon with a follow-up email after meeting a new client. Put a link on it that informs them that they can view it by simply clicking on the provided link. Give your customer an example or two of the potential savings offered with the coupons.
You should always have permission before sending out unsolicited emails to people. Anyone who does not want your email will consider them spam, and your reputation could suffer. If you have people complaining to your email provider, you might get taken offline for violating their policies.
It is important to make your emails as personal as possible. If they feel like they are reading a form letter, they will hit delete and block. Go beyond just adding their first name! Keep track of how people sign up for your newsletter, where they did and why they want to read it. This information can be used in your emails.
Email marketing will fail unless you give your customers an incentive to read it. These customers are more likely to give you their business if you provide them with a solid enough reason to do so. For example, you could provide customers who click through to your site with a code to receive free shipping on certain orders.
If you choose to use an opt-out link within your emails, it is important to fulfill the wishes of those who wish to do so. If you send emails over a week once they’ve opted out, it’ll look disrespectful to them.
Utilize various resources and learn as much as you possibly can about the concept of email marketing. You will find a lot of helpful books or websites. You should also try to attend local email marketing classes and workshops.
Your company’s branding should extend to the marketing you do through email. Because of this, you should design a template which lets you incorporate the company colors, logo, and other special fonts that are on your site. This will enable your customers to quickly recognize the source of the email.
Email marketing has changed over the years, but it is still an effective tool for reaching your customers. By implementing the hints and tips you’ve been given and keeping up to date on new methods that can enhance your email marketing plan, you should be able to gain benefits from this technique for many years to come.