Although email marketing is not a brand new strategy, it is still a powerful and often overlooked tool for building and retaining your customer base. Email marketing is almost as old as email itself, but it is still a vital method. New strategies and techniques are constantly being made to make marketing emails effective and fresh. Read on for tips on how email marketing can work for you.
Tailor your emails to each reader as much as you can. This makes the emails more interesting. Nothing turns off your reader more quickly than a letter that reads like it is just a form intended for the masses. Adding in their first name is very easy, but take it step further. You should have the information about why, when and where they signed up. Use this information to customize the message for that person.
When you give opt-out options in email newsletter messages, try to set it up so customers are automatically removed from your mailing list. Companies which state that you may still receive emails just infuriate their customers and ensure they’ll never buy from them again.
Make subscribing to your emails easy, but never pressure consumers to do so. Let your customers know what you intend to use their email addresses for and talk to them about the benefits of signing up for your mailing list. Acquiring customer information is vital to any successful email marketing campaign.
An attention-grabbing subject line can be even more important than the quality of the contents of the email. One way to grab the reader’s attention is to offer a promotion right in the subject field, such as “50% off Acme brand cat food.” Try building a subject line that offers something for free, a big discount or some other incentive angle that will catch the reader’s eye. A smart subject line is another great way to get people to open emails.
Avoid adding email addresses that don’t give you prior permission. If you send out unsolicited emails, you can be labeled a spammer and get a poor online reputation. You also run the risk of being barred by your service provider for violation of their rules.
Effective email marketing includes multi-part messages via email. These messages have both plain text and HTML content, and that way they can be read regardless of what option the reader has chosen. This is well worth the extra effort, because a plain-text subscriber will not stay subscribed to an HTML-only list for long.
An important tip to improve your email marketing tactics is to create an organic list. Email lists that are available for purchase are generally a waste of your time and resources as there is no way to know if the prospects have any interest in your product or offerings. Instead, take your time and use effective methods to gather information that will help you to grow your list of readers organically.
Test a variety of different formats for your emails. Your email should be like a funnel, with the most important items at the top and the least important items at the bottom. But keep trying new formats and ideas until you discover the one or ones that provide you with the greatest number of responses. Once you find what works, continue to use it. This will help build consistency into your email marketing; your subscribers will be familiar with your style and more apt to open your email, as it is something they trust.
You can get lists of people interested in emails by offering a subscription option on your website. Have a readily visible link on your site for people to request your email updates.
Be sure to put added emphasis on special events and holidays when devising your email marketing strategies. Make your business promotion plan to include a schedule for the entire year. Make special campaigns during events and holidays, especially commercial ones like Christmas. You can also generate additional sales by sending out email marketing communications during the slower retail times.
Be sure to keep the appearance of your emails in line with your other company communications. Use the same colors in each email and do not forget to add in your company’s logo in each email. When you have already established yourself with a reputation that is trustworthy then any emails you send out will be to your advantage.
Include special promotions only in your email marketing, like coupons or discount codes. These types of emails will provide your customers real value and encourage them to tell their friends about your company. As a matter of fact, utilizing referral programs can be a terrific way to increase your customer base.
Your email marketing messages must get the reader to pay attention. This might take a few tries to get it right. Be sure that you alter any part of the campaign that doesn’t bring you good results. Even when things are working, keep evaluating them to determine how you can improve upon them.
A major holiday is usually not the time for an important marketing campaign. Your emails may get overlooked since many people aren’t around their computers at this time. There are exceptions, of course. For example, an email about your Black Friday deals.
If you will be including images in your emails, it can be good advantage to use Alt tags. If a certain image doesn’t load properly, the tag will take its place. Be sure to use information in the tags that the reader will find relevant to what the image is, as well as its purpose. Use alt tags for your links, as well.
Get permission from people on your email list before sending them an email. Cluttered inboxes full of unwelcome offers can be annoying to most people. Sending out mail that has not been asked for may harm your business. Concentrate your efforts on marketing strategies that are well received.
Email is still a very useful marketing tool. Using what you’ve read here when you draft your campaign strategy will lead to sound decisions and increasing profits, so gather your thoughts and put them to work!
