Olivier Choron
Why targeted newsletters always win
Are you struggling to fully grab the attention of your subscribers? Do your email newsletters receive a low open rate? Here I will show you how to change this. That’s right you will soon have an expression like this…
I have over 20 years’ experience in developing and implementing channel programmes in the high technology sector, and three years ago I launched my very own targeted newsletter platform, newsondemand®. So I would like to take a little of your time to share my knowledge of how to create a targeted newsletter that boosts engagement levels, and actually gets opened.
The basics- Dear Fred
Yes I know it may sound obvious but you wouldn’t believe how many of you still don’t follow this simple rule…
ALWAYS address the person you are sending the email to, for example Dear Fred. By doing this you are already making your first connection with the recipient. It becomes more personal, and less spammy.
So why are you currently sending untargeted emails? Is it because of time, lack of content, price or inspiration? Perhaps when you consider why you’re not doing it, you can come up with a solution to change this. Such as deploy a cost effective email marketing programme, or outsource an email marketer?
Time
There are many programs open to make this task just that little bit more straightforward, whether it’s mailchimp, Marketo, or perhaps our own solution newsondemand. It really depends on who your audience is and how targeted you would like your emails to be. Channel marketers for one really see the benefit in using our product, as our platform makes it easy for them to create a single email template, which then automatically alters the content depending on the preference of the receiver. For example if the receiver is only interested in digital marketing then the newsletter would adjust so they would only receive content about this. BUT it all really depends on what you deem suitable for your brand, so have a look at some of the programs I have suggested, and see if they may be of help to you.
Location
Have you considered where your recipients may be located in the world? The reason why I ask this is, for me I am less likely to notice emails that for example are sent to me in the evening, as I have other priorities, like unwinding. And by the time I have reached these in the morning they are at the end of my emails. So obviously it makes sense to send emails at a time which suits your recipients, such as at 10am in the morning; a popular time for engagement. One trick I have also learnt is don’t send emails dead on the dot of e.g. 10am. Think about it, if the recipient is organised they will probably have a plan, such as a meeting scheduled. But I bet they are finished or finishing a task at 9:45. Send it at a time they are most likely to have a few minutes spare. What’s stopping you from conducting some A/B testing to decipher a time which receives the best results?
Language
Do all your recipients speak English? Is this there first language? If you are French you would much rather read content in French and would certainly feel more engaged with it. Let’s face it your recipient does not have a lot of spare time to read and engage with your email. So make it easy for them. Put the content in their language. Yes it will be more expensive and less straight forward, but this is where programs such as newsondemand come in, being a cost effective solution to boost ROI for your email marketing. Why not do a pilot test in one other language, and roll it out to other languages if you notice a positive effect.
Topic
So what do your recipients want to hear about? Obviously your product/s, but what else? Brainstorm some ideas that would complement your offerings. Perhaps for example if you operate within the technology industry, innovative technologies that have recently come on the market would be desirable to your reader? If you’re struggling for inspiration, consider signing up to a competitors mailing list and analyse what you like, dislike and what could be improved. This will provide you with a rough template of what you should include.
With my experience, targeted emails always win. They get results and they deliver valuable engagement. So follow these steps above and you will receive the results your emails deserve.
Are you still not convinced? Conduct some A/B testing first and test it for yourself. Good luck!
Want to hear more about the effectiveness of targeted newsletters? Register for this webinar.
(145)
