Karen Repoli — August 14, 2017 — August 14, 2017
TeroVesalainen / Pixabay
When I first dipped my toes in the internet marketing game, the prevalent catch phrase was, “the money is in the list.” All the gurus were telling us it was the way to internet marketing millions. So we all tried to build our lists as big as possible. I impressed on all my new clients that we had to put their opt-in box at the top right of the site and create an impressive “ethical bribe” to entice visitors to share their contact information.
Then a few years ago, the words “email is dead” started floating around. What?! No, t couldn’t be! I’m happy to say email marketing is not dead but alive and well. It has simply evolved as any tactic does (or should) to stay in pace with the needs of our audience. We’ve moved away from looking only at the numbers. Now, email is concentrated on providing customer-centric experiences. Our communication should be more personalized and relevant to our readers.
So how do we make your email efforts rise to this new standard?
The first thing is to remember that email is just another way to talk to your customers.
The people on your email list have either received a freebie from you, purchased from you, or in some other way “know” you. Speak to them in that manner rather than in a formal nature. Many of them probably joined your list via your social media platforms. If you’ve interacted with them there, and then are formal in your email correspondence, they are likely to think you don’t value them and that they’re just a number.
Don’t be dull in your emails.
(Unless you are dull.) Add your own personality to your messages. Even if you use template email messages, editing them to reflect your tone and voice make a lot of difference in the amount of customer engagement you’ll receive. You should concentrate on talking to one person. If you created an ideal customer persona, craft your email as if it’s a personal letter to him/her.
Storytelling is one of the most powerful content marketing tools in your arsenal.
After all, haven’t we all enjoyed stories since we were a child? When you tell a story in your emails, you instantly connect with your audience and establish a rapport. It quickly enables your reader to define how much you understand their interests and needs and how your product or service can help solve their problems.
Tell stories to your audience that lead them to make the conclusion that they need to buy what you’re recommending to them. Stories can be case studies, your own story, or other client stories. When they see real life examples, they’ll be much more connected to the content. To learn more about the viral power of storytelling, read this post on Jeff Bullas’ blog.
Focus on becoming a trusted resource to your readers before you make a sales pitch.
Have you seen the Capital One commercial where Jennifer Garner is talking to a friend in a coffee shop?
This is a perfect example of how you need to inform, educate, engage, and inspire your readers toward action. Jennifer does all three without making a hard sell pitch.
When it is time to make your pitch, craft clear calls to action.
One way to do that is to focus on only one call to action per email. If you give your readers too many choices, they could be confused and take no action.
Include your CTA link in more than one spot in your email. If you mention the product or solution, link to it, don’t wait until the end. That way the moment your reader is ready to click through, they can do so without searching for the link.
Always optimize for viewing on mobile devices. Why?
53% of emails are opened on mobile. “Mobile phones are now the most common devices to access emails. According to 2016 research, the sweet spot for email length was between 50-125 words for optimal effect.” Source
Send your email in text format and HTML format.
Not everyone likes getting images in email because they may have slow internet or may not have the latest form of technology. Know your audience so you know what works best. Most email programs will allow you send both and let the end receiver choose how to view it.
Follow all SPAM laws.
I really thought everyone knew this. However, I recently learned that since all the hoopla died down in 2004, those new to the internet marketing world may have missed the memo. Breaking it down to the very basic, you can’t send bulk emails to people who have not opted in. Period.
It’s imperative that you learn about these laws in your country and in any country, you are marketing to.
If you have delegated email marketing to some dark corner as ‘something to do when I have time’, dust it off and put it to work. You may well be pleasantly surprised.
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