Our customer support team receives questions every day from customers about how to improve and customize their online marketing strategy. We have compiled some of the most common customer questions in order to help you optimize your online marketing and make the most of your resources.
These posts are not comprehensive lists of every question we have received. They are instead a sampling of some of the most frequently asked questions.
Part 3: Email Marketing
Part 1 focused on website content. Part 2 answered questions about social media. In this post, we will examine email marketing.
Almost every company uses email marketing and there's a reason why: it works. It is an affordable, effective, profitable way to reach out to your customers and leads. A well-designed and compelling email marketing campaign will bring in up to $40 of revenue for every dollar you spend.
How do I get more subscribers?
Everyone is looking to expand their list of email marketing subscribers. Our team always, always advises our clients against purchasing lists of email contacts. Canada and many other countries prohibit businesses from sending email marketing messages to people who have not signed up to receive them. You could receive a substantial fine, and you're not likely to get any bites from that type of email campaign anyway. Who wants to open a spam email that they did not ask to receive?
Focus instead on building your subscriber list through opt in tactics. Simply ask people! Give people the opportunity to sign up for your email newsletters in many different places. Place simple online signup forms on your website and your social media pages. Bring signup forms to events and gather new subscriber information. Place signup forms near the point of sale so your cashiers can gain signups as people check out.
Tell people about the benefits of signing up for your email newsletters! What would make someone want to sign up? Whenever you are asking for signups, list clear benefits for people to review. Here are some examples of benefits you may advertise for your email newsletter:
- monthly coupons
- exclusive videos
- personalized promotions
- educational tips
- birthday promotions
- contests
- courses and ebooks
What are some basic guidelines for my email newsletter?
In general, keep it short! If you need to include additional information, a video or a signup form, don't put it in the email directly. Link to the content instead. This strategy keeps your email newsletter short and ensures that it doesn't get caught in any spam filters. It also enables your subscribers to learn more if they want to.
Craft an enticing subject line that makes the subscriber want to open the email. A subject line is like a movie trailer. Its purpose is to interest the viewer/subscriber, provide a sneak peek of what to expect, and make them want to watch the movie/open the email. The email subject line is your first chance to connect with subscribers. If you have a boring or confusing subject line, many subscribers will simply ignore or delete the email. Avoid spam trigger words that may keep your emails from ever reaching your subscribers' inboxes. View a full list of spam words here.
Place important content above the fold in your email. Subscribers should see this content immediately when they open the email, without scrolling. Place a prominent call to action in your email newsletter. The call to action should be a button or link which tells customers what you want them to do: sign up, buy now, try a free demo and so on. Customers won't spend much time reading your emails, so you need to keep them focused on the most important points.
Make sure your emails are mobile friendly! Most subscribers will be viewing the email on their mobile devices, so they need to display correctly and function properly across a wide range of devices. Many email marketing providers have responsive design so your content will adjust automatically.
Be sure to include an unsubscribe link in your emails so recipients can easily opt out if they don't want to receive emails anymore. Avoid subscriber annoyance and frustration, as well as spam complaints, by making sure your email has a simple opt out option.
How frequently should I send email marketing newsletters to my list of subscribers?
This one requires some testing, and varies from business to business. Think about how often you would want to receive them. If you are sending out stock market advice, you may be sending emails every day. If you are sending out promotional emails about your clothing retail business, you may only send every two weeks. It depends on your industry and your customers.
Test different sending frequencies. After each campaign, analyze your email reports to see how many subscribers opened and responded to your emails. If you don't get much interaction, test again. By experimenting, you will find the sending schedule that your customers respond best to.
Time of day is also important with email marketing. This is another aspect you need to test in order to achieve the best results. Most businesses avoid sending during hours when people are usually sleeping, such as between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Otherwise, these emails may get lost and never looked at. Businesses send at all times throughout the workday, evenings and on the weekend. Each business has their own unique time that is the most effective for them.
Want to try email marketing for free? Sign up for a free 14 day trial of SimplyCast's all-in-one online marketing and communication solution. Ask our friendly customer service team for a free no obligation demo to learn more.
