E-mail marketing is one of the most effective yet underutilized ways to promote a business. In order to maximize the success that your business can achieve, it is important for you to have a solid e-mail marketing strategy. This article provides several useful tips that will help you create or improve your e-mail marketing campaign.
Minimize traditional email marketing activities during the holidays. Customers are preoccupied with family and friends, and are less likely to be paying attention to business email. Your odds of ending up in the spam box are considerably higher, which could have longer term implications for your bottom line. The major exception to this would be a business directly related to the holiday activities. Otherwise, give yourself a break and enjoy some downtime yourself. Business will be back on track in a day or two.
When sending a email as part of your marketing campaign, do not use a casual font. You want customers to take your product or business seriously, and they probably will not do that with an uncommon font. Pick out a font that is well known, such as Times Roman Numeral, Arial or Verdana.
Consider using a template that allows for each recipient to receive a personalized message in the greeting. People respond more favorably to emails that address them personally, and are less likely to reject the message. This personalization is simple to accomplish, and will grow a greater relationship with your customers.
Slowly build your contact list. Start with those who have already appreciated what you offer and then move on to areas where you can engage your prospects. It can take a while to pick whom should be receiving your emails, but it’ll be worth it in the end to build a reliable contact list.
Try using fewer graphics in your email campaign. Many email readers block graphics, causing some people to miss the information which is not available in text format. Also, many spam filters use quantity of images as a variable in determining if a message is likely to be spam.
Get creative with your email designs to find out what works best. Send out a few emails with content and links that differ in their fonts and text color. Play around with image positioning, including buttons and logos. After you’ve sent the emails, find out which ones had the best click-thru rates. Stick with those for the time being, but change it up on occasion to see if you can find a method that works even better. More click-thru rates equate to more sales.
To use email marketing to build confidence in your company and products, avoid turning your emails into gimmicks. Don’t tarnish the professionalism of your image by using irritating tactics like writing all in caps or incorporating symbols like dollar signs. Most importantly, never talk down to your customers or make grossly exaggerated promises about your products.
Avoid using exclamation marks as crutches in your emails. If you want to express a sense of urgency or importance, use the structure of your sentence and the words you choose to to make that impact. Overusing this form of punctuation can turn potential customers off and make your message seem insincere.
Proper branding of your business includes a good email marketing strategy. For this reason, try designing a template that incorporates your logo, special fonts, or colors that are on all of your business collateral. This will make you instantly recognizable to your readers.
Avoid adding someone’s email to your list without their permission. The people you add will be left angry, leading them to report your email and cause you a headache. You might also get removed from your service by the email service provider for spamming.
Your company’s email subscription form should explain the types of emails and information your subscribers will receive from you. Tell people how many and what kinds of messages they’re signing up to receive. Your subscribers should not be surprised then by the emails you send.
Grab the attention of your reader. Finding the right approach may take some experimentation. If some aspect of your campaign isn’t working, change it as soon as possible. Even if you discover an area that works, always test new techniques which can be learned online or some other location.
Let customers know what to expect from the get-go. When a new subscriber opts in, send an immediate confirmation email that details what the customer can expect to receive from you and how often you will send emails. Filling customers in upfront can prevent future opt-outs and complaints and keep subscribers active.
Before sending any promotional emails to customers or potential customers, be sure to get their permission for contact. Email is a powerful tool, and consumers hate when it is misused. Any email contact that isn’t initiated by the consumer feels to them like spam. Your customers must agree to receive additional emails from you, even if they have made purchases in the past.
Getting accused of spamming can kill a web-based business quickly, so double-check that a visitor wishes to opt in to your mailing list by creating a confirmation procedure. This amounts to sending new subscribers a validation email that aims to confirm that the right email address is subscribing to the list. The email that you send should have two links: one that refutes the subscription, as well as one that confirms it. Customers will be grateful for the security and it will be helpful for them to know that your emails are spam.
E-mail marketing is a great way to promote a business. In fact, it is one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to market. For your business to truly achieve its maximum potential, it must utilize e-mail marketing strategies. Follow the advice provided in this article, and begin implementing or improving your e-mail marketing campaign.
