Entries Tagged 'email marketing' ↓

Email marketing is possibly the most important and effective marketing tool available to businesses today. It offers a way of regularly communicating with your customers to give them up to date information, telling them about new products and offers. Within seconds you can communicate with thousands of customers simultaneously – and that’s very powerful.

I have written numerous posts about email marketing in the past, such as:

How to build your email marketing list

Email marketing – Welcome

How to be an email spammer

How to become the King or Queen of email marketing

Consistent  email marketing

10 words that will make people open your email

Email marketing – When’s the best time to send?

Boost your email open rate

So this time I want to address a question I am frequently asked by clients…

How often should I email my customers?

As we all know life is rarely simple, so you can probably guess what my answer is going to be….it depends.

Not very helpful I know, but it really does depend on your business type. What’s right for one person isn’t necessarily going to be right for the next. You have to find the right balance for you. Take a good look at your business and the products or services you offer – the frequency of your emails will dependly largely on:

• What you are offering your customers
• Who your customers are
• What you have to say

Common frequencies are quarterly, monthly, bi-monthly (i.e. once every two months), twice monthly, weekly and sometimes daily (or multiple times per day).

To help you out, here is a short guide to email frequency:

Quarterly

The businesses that opt for a quarterly mailing usually don’t have a vast amount to say. Perhaps their products or services don’t change regularly and they don’t have offers to make. Although some would argue some contact is better than none, I struggle to see the point of only making contact once a quarter. By leaving so much time between communications you run the risk the recipient forgetting who you are.

To be quite honest, if you are considering quarterly mailings I would think very hard about it. There’s almost no point in bothering.

Monthly

Many companies go for the monthly option because it is regular without seeming intrusive. Often the businesses who opt for this frequency don’t use their newsletter/email to sell things. Normally they are more concerned with imparting valuable knowledge on the recipient. Giving away great information regularly is an excellent way to build and strengthen relationships with your customers.

As a copywriter I send out a monthly newsletter which offers my readers hints and tips on copywriting, marketing and social media. It is free information that I am giving away and I never sell through it. By the way, if you want to get on the mailing list visit my website and sign up.

Twice a month

This is a compromise for those companies that want to make contact more than monthly but don’t have enough to say to make weekly contact. One of the benefits of this frequency is you can alternate the type of content you email. One could be giving away information whilst the next could be an offer on one of your products. That way your reader won’t feel as though they are constantly being sold to.

Weekly

Weekly emails are often sent by stores looking to sell. Whether they are High Street chains or independent shops, weekly emails enable them to communicate offers and new lines quickly and easily to their customers. Plus being retail outlets it won’t come as a surprise to the recipient that they are being sold something.

So these are the most common frequencies used. There are companies that email daily or even multiple times per day but you’d have to have a lot to say to be able to keep that up.

Keeping up with your chosen frequency is important. Your customers will grow to expect their next newsletter/email so if you have to miss one for any reason (e.g. holiday etc.) make sure you let them know. Just a simple one liner to say there’ll be no newsletter this month but service will resume as usual next month will keep them informed.

If you are not already doing it, give email marketing a try. Coming up with a constant stream of ideas and content can be a challenge, but the results make it worth while.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter

Tweet This Post

Email marketing has been a revolution for many businesses.

It has given them an opportunity to market to thousands of people simultaneously and in a very cost effective way. Not only that, but it is also measurable – you can see who’s opened your email, what they did after they read it etc.

But, as a copywriter, one of the hardest aspects of email marketing is coming up with a subject line that makes people want to open the email. It is the do or die. If you can’t get people to open it, you not going to sell them anything.

Creating subject lines takes a lot of work and in my previous post 10 Words That Will Make People Open Your Email I shared with you some powerful words that would help boost your open rate.

But the best way to determine the effectiveness of any subject line it to test it. Split testing is often used – send one group an email with one subject line, and then send another group the same email but with a different subject line. But how about using social media to test their effectiveness?

This, I will admit, was something I’d never actually thought of until I read a post on BlueSkyFactory’s blog. In How to use social media to boost email marketing open rate, Christopher Penn describes how he used Twitter to help determine the effectiveness of an email subject line.

If your Twitter following resembles the demographics of your email marketing list, why not try it out?

If you do, bookmark this post and come back and tell me how you got on.

Tweet This Post

Everyone knows that the best way to market to your customers is by building an in-house email marketing list.

The fastest way to get your email marketing started is to use a bought-in list. But the problem with that is you are sending unsolicited emails to people who may not even be interested in what you have to say. Therefore the chances of your campaign being successful are slim.

By far the best way to market via email is to build your own list where people have opted in. That way you know that your email messages won’t be met with hostility.

That’s all well and good, but how to you build your list? What techniques can you use to get people to sign up?

Well, that’s where this little list comes into play.

12 Ways to Build Your Email List

Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

1. Trade shows and fairs

If there is a trade show, fair or exhibition you attend regularly, have a sign up list with you on your stand. Then, as you engage and interact with your customers, you can ask them to sign up so they are the first to hear about your news and offers.

2. Shop event

Whether you are a retail outlet or if you have offices, why not have an open evening. It could be to launch a new product, celebrate a business milestone or just a new season event. Again, make sure you have a list available where they can sign up for your newsletter and email offers.

3. Public speaking

It may not be your favourite activity, but we all tend to get roped into giving a talk at some point. Use this opportunity to promote your newsletter. Weave into your speech mention of your newsletter and how they can sign up to receive your latest hints, tips and offers.

4. Prize draw

No one likes to think they’re missing out on anything. Offer your newsletter subscribers a free monthly draw. If there is a chance of getting something for nothing, people will sign up.

5. Packaging

If yours is a business that ships products out to people, make sure you have something within the packaging that mentions your newsletter. Make signing up more tempting by telling them of your email only offers. If they think it is in their best interests to sign up, they will.

6. Twitter

OK, let’s just get one thing straight, Twitter is not to be used for spam. Twitter is about engaging with your followers but there is no harm in mentioning your newsletter occasionally. Just make sure you don’t over do it. Perhaps if you have an email offer coming up, you can mention that: “sign up for my newsletter and get the latest email offer”.

7. Business cards

Business cards are often under utilised. They are seen as only being useful for passing on your contact details. Use the back of your card to tell people what you can do for them and include a call to action to sign up for your newsletter.

8. Email signature

Another under utilised tool. By simply inserting a hyperlink in your signature with a CTA to sign up for your newsletter, you are increasing your list building opportunities.

9. Something for nothing

Don’t we all like that? Getting something for nothing is always a great motivator so give something away in return for their signup. It can be an eBook, white paper, industry report, even a discount off a first purchase. Whatever it is, make sure it adds value.

10. Make the most of your bounce backs

Email addresses change, and most of the time people can’t remember what newsletters they’ve sign up for. So the first you’ll know about it, is when you get your email message bounce back. But don’t just delete it from your list, send out a postcard asking for their new email address.

11. Make it easy to opt in

Don’t hide your sign up box. Make sure it stands out. And to maximise your chances, include it on every page of your website.

12. Pass it on

Your email recipients are a great marketing tool in their own right, so use them. They are bound to know someone else who would be interested in what you have to say, so make sure you include a ‘forward to a friend’ button. Also, make sure when it is forwarded there is an opt-in form included in your communication somewhere so they can sign up immediately.

There are a few suggestions to get you started. Do you use any other techniques that I’ve not touched on here? If so, why not share them with us? Email marketing is a powerful tool that all businesses should be utilising. Building your list is one of the most vital aspects and by following these simple techniques, you’ll build a quality list, fast.

Sally Ormond - freelance copywriter

Tweet This Post

If you are using email marketing as part of your internet marketing campaign – well done.

It is probably one of the fastest, easiest and most productive forms of marketing when used in conjunction with an in-house mailing list.

The best way to get your new subscribers to warm to you, is to welcome them when they sign up.

Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? So why are so many of you failing to do it?

As soon as someone signs up, they should receive a welcome email from you. This serves several purposes:

Your email welcome

Branding

Make sure your welcome email is branded in line with your company’s personality. Sending out the email immediately after sign up will mean your company name will be fresh in your new subscribers mind. Seeing an email with your livery will ensure they recognise it, welcome it and (with a bit of luck), read it.

Value

It should also add value to your new relationship. Thank them for signing up and restate the benefits in doing so. Even though they’ve probably read these there’s no harm in reiterating them.

This is also a great opportunity to thank them by including a special offer. Perhaps a money off coupon, free report or something along those lines. This will show that you value their subscription.

Expectations

Your subscribers will want to know what they’ve signed up for. Although this would have been covered at the sign up point, it’s good practice to tell them again. Let them know what they’ll get from you and how often.

Cross promotions

If you are a business that has more than one mailing list, this is a prime opportunity to offer your other newsletters. But make sure you ask them to opt-in to the other lists, you can’t just add them.

Technical bits

Of course, to ensure your email is fully compliant, you must also ensure it contains features such as:

• an opt-out link
• your company’s physical mailing address
• a link to your email preference centre (if relevant)
• refer a friend link
• a link back to your website.

Ask them

This is also a great time to ask them what they are looking for. Not only will this show you as a caring company that listens to its subscribers, but it will also give you a valuable insight into what people want to read.

Sending a welcome email is your chance to set out exactly what your readers will get and an opportunity to discover what they want to read.

Start your relationship off on the right foot and they are likely to remain a subscriber longer. And, retention is the name of game.

Sally Ormond – freelance copywriter

Tweet This Post

There are three things every email marketer wants to achieve:

• They want their message to be delivered
• They want to establish a relationship of trust with their mailing list
• They want their emails to be read

But, if you want to become known as an email spammer that won’t be important to you. You won’t care about your recipient. You’ll go out of your way to send annoying emails. You will want them to unsubscribe from or block your messages.

To help you become a spammer extraordinaire, just follow these tips:

1. Never use a real name

Don’t you just hate it when you get emails from real people? Wouldn’t it be better to conceal your true identity?

Who cares if your email shows it’s come from Sally Ormond or Briar Copywriting? It would be much better to use something like ‘Bulk’, ‘List’, ‘Blank’. The recipient will never guess it’s a spam email with a senders name like that.

2. Make sure your subject line rings alarm bells

Subject lines that make sense are so boring. It’s much better to use something nonsensical – Brodie tell freelancecopywriter.com – fab! That tells the reader absolutely nothing. Of course, if you really want to get their attention THERE’S NO BETTER WAY THAN USING CAPITAL LETTERS!!!

3. Don’t send it to real people

Do you really want to spend time making sure you have a real person’s name in your recipient’s email address? Of course not. Just sent them out to generic addresses. Yes, some might get stuck in spam filters but there’ll be some that get through.

4. Use catch phrases where possible

Why waste your time trying to come up with a strong subject line that is informative and eye catching? Go with the good old ‘free’, ‘cheap’, ‘GUARANTEED’, ‘no obligation’. It’s not as if your recipients are going to be bright enough to work out we only use those words to make them open our emails.

5. Don’t worry about the quality of your copy

People always bang on about making sure you proofread everything. What’s the harm in the odd spelling mistake, punctuation balls-up or grammatical error? They’ll be so busy they won’t even notice.

6. Don’t get cocky

If you’re confident in your writing you’ll make your reader think you know what you’re taking about.

Keep it vague. Use words like ‘I was wondering’, ‘perhaps you could’ – I mean, it’s not as if we want the reader to take action is it?

7. Send it to anyone

I’m not into all this sending information only to those who are interested. How do you know if someone is interested or not? I mean, it’s like those emails you get from SEO companies. It’s not like they’ve got time to check to see if the company they’re mailing out to is on the front page of Google or not is it? OK, so the copywriter we emailed was on the front page for the term ‘copywriter’ but I bet there are some terms they’re not on the front page for. That’s why it’s important to be vague in your email – specifics will only cause problems.

Why do you need to know this?

If you want to become known as a spammer, these 7 tips will help you.

But if you want to avoid that particular tag, remember:

• always use a real name in the sender field
• ensure your subject lines make sense, are informative and don’t use capital letters
• send your emails to a real address including a persons name
• avoid catch phrases and words like ‘free’ ‘cheap’ ‘GUARANTEED’
• make sure you proofread before sending out your email
• write with confidence, if you want your reader to take action, tell them
• make sure your email only goes to those who would be interested/or would benefit from your product/service

Tweet This Post