Pimp up your email campaigns! – Part 1
How do you make your email stand out and more importantly how do you make sure your message gets through? Email marketing is an effective marketing tool if done well…
An email recipient’s inbox is typically filled up on a daily basis with spam type mail. Stopping your email from dropping straight into the spam box (automatically) or trash bin (by your recipient) is crucial. If the message is never seen by anyone it has little or no chance of being acted on!
The email subject line is king!
Often companies spend considerable time in email marketing producing the perfect email only to throw in the subject line at the last minute with little consideration. This is your headline on your newspaper – make it count! It doesn’t have to be an alien spaceship discovered on the moon (unless the email is from NASA perhaps!!), but your email subject line should:
- Include your company name – particularly if you are a well known brand! (your ‘from’ email address should also be closely tied to your brand name)
- Be short, clear and not misleading
- Highlight a major benefit (rather than perhaps a feature)
- Include a time-critical stance if applicable e.g. limited time offer
- Avoid words that are likely to generate spam blocking
Quick tip – stop and take 2mins to just look at the senders name and the subject line, would that be enough to get you to open the email and take a look?
Be nice to your email recipient
You must provide a ‘get out clause’. Always make sure that an email unsubscribe link is present on the page. In many countries it is law and at the very least, it is professional practice, Increase your recipient’s comfort zone by including a link to a webpage stating your privacy policy.
As soon as possible help the recipient understand why they are receiving the email (counteracting their fear of spam). If they signed up for the email at a particular event or whilst putting an order through then offer them a reminder – and thanks – at a high visibility point.
It’s a matter of trust
Your email recipients will generally eye each new email with distrust and apprehension. The most effective solution is to build up a nice warm cosy relationship with your email recipient. The key word here is consistency. If your email marketing plan involves sending regular emails – then plan to send them on a standard time interval basis such as the same day of the week, month or quarter. It might also be beneficial to include an edition number and links to previously archived emails (if these are available online). The design of the email must be well branded and consistent too. This behaviour helps to install in your (potential or actual) client’s mind that this is a service for them and that you are a company with a professional and consistent approach to business.
There are many other things that can be considered to maximise your email campaigns; two more articles will be following shortly – ‘Great Content Ideas’ and ‘How to be Interactive with your Email Recipient’.
Watch this space!
