Don’t Let Your Emails Get Buried Inside Inboxes

A variety of elements go into a business’ marketing plan. Some of these elements include defining a brand, designing a website, utilizing social media outlets, and performing search engine marketing. With more marketing outlets used, more people are reached. However, that statement should be heeded with caution because you have to use the marketing outlets effectively if you want your message to be heard at all.

One common type of marketing is email marketing. Emails are convenient, reach a large audience, and are relatively inexpensive to create and send. The downside: because of the volume of emails received by many on a daily basis, it can get tricky. You don’t want to annoy your customers by overflowing their inboxes, and you want to ensure that your message is read. Here’s a list of things to consider when sending an e-blast (e-newsletter):

• • Get to the point with your subject line- People often read the subject of emails when deciding whether to open or trash them. The worst thing you could do is not include a subject. Write a subject that makes people want to read more, and don’t forget to identify yourself in the subject. Not recognizing the email address may prevent readers from opening your message in fear of spam.
  • Get personal and acknowledge your audience- Think of who your target audience is, and figure out a way to relate to them. No one wants to read a generic message, so it’s important to define your audience beforehand. If possible, even personalize your email by including the reader’s name.
  • Give incentive- Have you ever opened an email and then wondered, “Why did I waste my time reading that?” Well, you don’t want to be that company. You have to give your reader some kind of incentive for opening. Some examples include contests, specials, or insider information (industry education).

• Send it in a timely manner- You spend time copy writing and designing a newsletter, so you want people to open it, right? Monitor the frequency of your messages and don’t send them too often. No one likes to get too many emails. If you send e-blasts weekly, provide your readers with an option to only receive them monthly if they wish to do so. Secondly, send your company emails at times people will read them (i.e.- try to avoid holidays and weekends).
• Complaints and bounces- You will inevitably receive complaints with email marketing; however, you should monitor these complaints and bounces (or emails that are not delivered properly) and try to avoid them. Make sure there are no duplicate email addresses in your system as receiving duplicate emails will often give readers reason to complain.
• · Proof your work- Send yourself test emails to make sure your newsletter reads and functions (clickable links work) properly. By inadvertently sending typo riddled work with broken links you’re conveying the message that you don’t care enough about your customers’ time to send them quality, useful information.

Email marketing can be a very valuable marketing outlet if used strategically. For examples of our newsletter marketing, sign up for our newsletter or view past newsletters online. Be sure to visit the rest of our website to learn about our services and other marketing tips. Also, be sure to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.