Email marketing has so many attractive features that make it a great way to reach customers and to bring them to your business. Email marketing can be inexpensive, lucrative and can even help the environment by saving paper. Whatever your reason for choosing email marketing, you will find useful information about it in the article below.
An excellent tip for email marketing is to follow up with some type of update on your products or services that you are providing. For example, you could add a “buy now” feature onto your email. The ending of your email could inform your readers to keep in mind the up-sell as well.
Develop a consistent format and schedule for your marketing emails. By doing this, your customers will learn when and what to expect. Find a professional template that suits your business and used it every time. Alert your customers to the most relevant information at the beginning of the email.
Minimize traditional email marketing activities during the holidays. Customers are preoccupied with family and friends, and are less likely to be paying attention to business email. Your odds of ending up in the spam box are considerably higher, which could have longer term implications for your bottom line. The major exception to this would be a business directly related to the holiday activities. Otherwise, give yourself a break and enjoy some downtime yourself. Business will be back on track in a day or two.
Include special offers and promotions available only to recipients of your emails. Email marketing makes your readers feel more valued, as well as encourages them to invite friends. As a matter of fact, utilizing referral programs can be a terrific way to increase your customer base.
Be predictable in your emails. Send them on a specific schedule. Make sure you send something at least monthly, this will help keep your customers interested. If you can send emails on or two times a week, that is even better. Test out which days give your site the best responses, and then use these days as your normal days to send emails.
Color is important, even when it comes to email! Your email messages should have a consistent color scheme that is both professional and easy to read. This is especially important once you start designing more advanced, HTML rich messages. If you are unsure about making your own selections, a little Internet research can point you towards excellent color schemes.
Use the right font for the right message. Your font should be indicative of your style and email message, and not convey a message that you don’t wish to send. Choose one that is simple and popular, rather than one that you think is really cool, but not everyone may have.
Cause email previewers to work in your favor by using preheader material. Use a preheader, it is a highlighted piece of text at the top of your email. Most email companies show the preheader directly after the subject line and it can be used as a real attention grabber.
Allow for conversation through your email marketing message campaign. Ask questions of your subscribers, or posit thought provoking queries. The responses will make your readers feel like they are part of a relationship instead of marketing targets. The responses you get will help you know where you are going right, and you might discover useful information about your base.
When you are following up with your site’s clients, a great tip is to include a free report on your follow-up email. Include a link on your email that invites your clients to click on it to begin. The ending P.S. could urge them to try out these samples that are provided.
Be persistent. Studies show that it takes a minimum of 7 to 8 impressions before your advertisements will take effect on a potential customer, and it could take many more. You need to touch base with your customers at least once every few weeks, and assume they will not buy your product or even click your links for several iterations of messages.
Use plain text. Plain text emails will be received as more personable and HTML can be more difficult for some people to read. Some email readers may even prevent the delivery of HTML, depending on user settings. Plain, simple text will always be easy to read and very well received.
Be honest and upfront when your readers subscribe. Let them know how often to expect emails from you, and what type of information will be contained in them. It is important to be truthful here, you don’t want your customers to be annoyed if they end up with more emails from you than they expected.
Try using holidays and important events to your advantage in your email marketing campaigns. For instance, if it’s Valentine’s Day, try incorporating things like candy, flowers, hearts and other related imagery or designs. Your readers should enjoy the creativity and festiveness of your messages around special times of the year.
Be sure it’s easy for your subscribers to update their email address on your list. If a customer changes their address but still wants to receive your mailings, you don’t want to lose them. Provide an easy link within your marketing emails where they can update their email address, and you will retain more customers.
No doubt email marketing works on so many levels. It can be one of the most cost-effective ways to reach out to the largest amount of people all over the world. Take the advice and techniques that are offered in the article above to help you design an email marketing plan that works for you and your business.
