As we wind down the year (the decade!), many of us are already thinking about 2010 and how to improve business and increase sales. If you are just starting out with email marketing, here are a few really simple ways to grow your business.
1. Invite customers to sign up. When a customer completes a purchase, invite them to sign up for your newsletter. Don't trick them or sign them up without permission. By sticking to this simple practice, your list will grow for sure.
2. Invite everyone to sign up. Offer free shipping or special offers to anyone who signs up for your newsletter. Make it worth it to them.
3. Promote whitelisting. When someone signs up for your newsletter, give them clear instructions for adding your newsletter's "From" address to their address book. That makes it less likely that your email will land in the junk folder.
4. Write a good subject line. Don't use the word "Free" in your subject line if you can avoid it. Write a clear and compelling subject line like 'Purchase Before Dec. 15th - No Shipping Charges'.
5. Include your company name in the subject line. Since customers already know of you and most likely trust you, make it easy for them to spot the email.
6. Put your main offer or promotion above the fold. Make sure that someone previewing your email in their email client's preview pane can see and act on the offer right there without any scrolling. Don't make them hunt for it.
7. Email regularly. Send out an email at least once a month. If your customers start abandoning the list, you might be sending too often. The most important thing is to make sure you stay in touch with customers and don't let them forget who you are.
8. Use a reputable email provider. Use SimplyCast of course! We have strong relationships with most service providers to make sure that you don't get blacklisted. Basically, that means more of your emails will get to where they should.
9. Include a clear unsubscribe option.
10. Include a clear forward to a friend option.
11. Include your company's physical address in the email. This builds trust and proves you are legit.
12. Include easy ways for customers to share your email on social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
To learn more about SimplyCast's email marketing service and how we can help you grow your business, try us out today or contact our sales team for more information.
Happy New Year everyone.
