Email marketing is the one of the most effective marketing techniques. Your customers may or may not check out your website, blog or one of your social media pages. But, with few exceptions, customers read their email every day, often many times during the day, if not the hour!
When you know how to create marketing emails that engage and connect with your audience your business can really turn a corner. Here are the do and don’ts of email marketing.
The Dos Of Email Marketing
Do invest in reliable autoresponder software. It will improve your email marketing results and provide a streamlined solution to manage, track, and evaluate your marketing lists.
Do use attention grabbing subject lines. Virtually one third of email recipients open emails based on the subject line text alone. Sensational and interesting subject lines in email marketing boost open rates, but can be dangerous if they do not reflect what is offered inside.
Do keep it simple. Each email should focus on one or two topics at most, don’t confuse your readers by overwhelming them with a bunch of different offers and topics.
Do track everything. Track each mailing to analyze click-through rates and to see if anyone unsubscribed or complained. This information will allow you to adjust your campaign to improve performance and your return on investment.
Do test your emails. The best days and times to send emails are not set in stone. You have to test your email campaigns to see what works best for you and your list.
Do have call to action. Every email you send out should result in some sort of action. Always be clear about what you want your subscribers to do.
The Don’ts Of Email Marketing
Don’t just sell, sell, sell. If you only send continuous sales messages to your list, your emails won’t get opened. Send useful information and other freebies too.
Don’t worry if your list is small. Big lists are great for your ego but it’s better to have a small list of highly targeted subscribers rather than to have loads of untargeted subscribers who will rarely convert.
Don’t stress out if people unsubscribe. There will be unsubscribers no matter what you do. if you constantly provide value, the loyal customers will always stay, and it’s okay to let the non-buyers weed themselves out!
Don’t make it difficult to join your list. Place an email opt-in box on the homepage of your website and just ask them to fill in their email, and their name if you really need it. The less you ask for, the easier and quicker it is for people to subscribe.
Don’t forget video. Email opt-in pages that have videos generally convert better than pages that only have text.
Don’t give up. Don’t get discouraged if your list is not as responsive to your offers as you’d like. Test and make changes to find what works.
