10 secrets to great email marketing - Part 1

10 secrets to great email marketing

The debate about snailmail versus email rages on between the old timer marketers and the new age digital marketers. This article is going to give you the inside word from a digital marketer's perspective on how to increase your response rates and generate a multitude of leads.

1. No mistakes!

Broken links and broken images are an instant detraction from what you are offering. Not only does it damage the image of the company but it also disables the customer from accepting the offer. For example, I once received an email with an offer in it for a conference, but the link to sign up to the offer did not work. Instantly this reflected very poorly on the company and a valuable customer was lost.

2. Make it a quick message for a quick medium

You have 3 seconds to grab your customer's attention otherwise they can just press delete or move onto the next email. When you play tennis and someone hits the ball hard to you, usually your instant reaction is to hit the ball hard back. This is the same with emails. The message is transferred quickly and people tend to read and discard them quickly. You'll find that potential buyers rarely reread a newsletter they have received over email.

3. Send more than one email in the campaign

After you have sent your initial email with its offer send another one a week later saying that the offer has almost expired. You need to weigh up the number of times you do this with how annoyed the receiver will get. Keep doing this until you feel there is nothing more to be gained. This creates urgency for the reader and anyone who does not want to receive the email will just remove himself or herself from the mailing list.

4. Email link to websites

Your call to action is crucial. Direct buyers to a website or to reply to the email. Ensure that your offer is clearly displayed and it is clearly understood how to accept the offer. You will receive much faster response rates if you link to a website instead of asking the buyer to pick up a telephone and call you.

5. Reply to your responses

A quick response to your emails is going to ensure that your hot lead turns into a sale. Unlike with other mediums the time between when your offer is delivered and when it can be acted upon is very short. After receiving an email you can effectively purchase, book, apply or register for anything on the internet in a matter of clicks. This speed is required in returning to your leads as they will expect you to receive their email in your inbox as soon as they send it. As a rule, your response time should not be longer than 12 hours.

6. Give me a reason to refer

At the bottom of your email put a small blurb. "If you know of anyone else who would be interested in this offer please forward them this email." It is very logical for someone to do this, although it is surprising the difference this small blurb makes. Give your customers a reason to refer a friend and you will see an even better response rate.

7. Layout of the email

Understand how your audience is going to read their email. People who use Outlook Express will generally view your email in this small box. What that means for your email is that it needs to convey its message in that little box and give them a reason to scroll down.
It's the same with hotmail browsers, you only have a small window to display your message. Ensure that your offer can be quickly seen otherwise the buyer will browse to the next email.

8. Tune into WIIFM

The WIIFM (What's in it for me?) station is a favourite station when it comes to accepting special sales offers. Ensure that your buyer has a clear and simple way of accepting your offer. Click here to receive a free case study.., Reply to this email to receive a free copy .., Place your name in the form to begin your registration process.

9. Flashy images vs Text

There must be a balance between images and text in email marketing. Preferably more text than images. Images are slow to load and people tend to just read what they are looking at. One image plus a single link with the call to action in actual text is ideal .

10. Clean Subjects

Ensure that you have a subject line that is catchy enough for your email to be opened and relevant enough for the email to be read all the way through. Some possible subject lines are:
Questions, "Are you struggling to find clients?"Great Adjectives "Exclusive unveiling of the new product"

For more information on email marketing campaigns, contact Fred Schebestafred@freestylemedia.com.au