If you’re a business owner then you already know the importance of using email to stay in touch with your leads and customers. In fact, the marketing firm, Mailigen, reports that 89 percent of marketers gain new prospects through their email campaigns. In order to effectively reach your target market, your business needs to communicate in a way that will stand out from the rest and appeal to their needs and desires.
Social media plays a big role in your email marketing mix. In this example from Nonprofit Hub, including social buttons in your message can drive click through rates up by as much as 158 percent:
According to a recent report by Litmus, in addition to social media, there is a growing number of mobile users who primarily access their emails from their smart devices to It further shows 33 percent of these email accesses as being on iPhones. And TechCrunch reports that out of Gmail’s 900 million users, 75 percent of these people are reading their emails on their mobile devices.
Email marketing continues to be an important part of an online business building strategy with the inclusion of the latest techniques and audience preferences. People want to spend less time combing through their messages and get the information they need right away.
In an article on Inc, career coach Barbara Pachter references several areas entrepreneurs should pay attention to in order for their emails to be seen:
- A clear or concise headline – This is the first thing readers will go to when receiving an email. If your headline doesn’t grab their attention right away then chances are your email will be passed over and deleted. Address the concerns of your leads and customers right away, and don’t leave them guessing what the email is about.
- Use your company email address – Sending an email through services like Gmail or Yahoo can appear unprofessional and may even be perceived as spam. Use a professional email service provider which references your name and company email address so that your recipient knows that your business is a trusted source.
- Include a professional signature – This is the area where a professional logo, important links, and social media networks can all be put together. Keep this consistent with the design and fonts used in your email template. Most email services will include this information once it’s created in a template.
An eye-catching email design will be the next step in gaining more clicks and responses. But you will want to be strategic in your approach, and tailor your messages to each individual rather than sending out a general mass mailing. Include any professional graphics or videos that pertain to your topic, and include a special offer or something of value that will cause them to want to take the next step with your company. Here’s a great example from author and marketing expert, Kim Garst:
Notice there is a clear and simple message and an easy call-to-action, which encourages readers to grab their free guide right away. Once you’ve captured their interest, your business will be able to generate more leads and sales with these 5 steps:
- Include a snippet of content in updates: Instead of providing an entire article to your readers, include an image with a paragraph that will entice them to read more. This has worked very well for Buzzfeed, which have seen a 23 percent increase in referral traffic from these types of emails.
- Categorize or segment email lists – Inside each email software provider is the ability to create multiple lists. Your business can better focus on targeted groups based on information such as products or services, demographics, contest winners, ect. This will enable you to create specific, personalized messages to these lists based on interests, which will increase your chances of conversions.
- Create a series of automated messages – Now that you have captured your leads, it’s time to set up a valuable series of emails that will provide useful information that they can’t get anywhere else, much like an exclusive membership. This can be helpful tips, a series of videos, special offers, ect. These types of emails garner more click-through rates and responses.
- Have a set schedule – Ensure that your email marketing campaign is consistent with a clear expectation to your readers. This will build their level of anticipation and decreases the number of unsubscribes. You will want to test these out according to the specific times that your subscribers are opening and reading their emails, which can include location, profession and typical response times based on previous data.
- Include clever content and smart design – Once you capture a subscriber, your automation should include a personalized, catchy message that is professional and original. Include any links to free eBooks, reports or special offers, such as a deep discount to a conference or membership program. These types of transactional emails generate more sales than other email programs according to a report by Experian.
In order to retain subscribers and convert these into leads, your business should take advantage of the latest techniques and tools to reach the most customers. By personalizing your messages and creating them to stand out from the rest with links to social media, you can increase your opens rates and retain valuable subscribers that will be more likely to make a purchase than just a website visitor.
Susan Gilbert
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