Does your email marketing effort go straight into the bin?
When you start to use email marketing, especially with some of the modern tools such as MailChimp, the temptation is to bombard the whole of your email list with information. You do this in the hope that they will give you some money, either by buying a product or donating some money, if you’re a charity. Hope can quickly turn to despair when there is little or no reaction and it is tempting to assume that “email marketing doesn’t work”. BUT before you throw yet another marketing tool in the bin, perhaps you ought to think why the email had no effect and how you can improve in the future.
What went wrong?
It could have been a number of things that mean your email marketing attempts flop. These include:
- A subject line that meant your email went straight’s junk mail folder.
- A subject that didn’t excite recipient enough to open the email.
- An email that contained nothing but images which the recipient would have to download to see.
- An email of just words, with no pictures.
- Nothing in the email to make them do anything (click on a button, link to follow).
- The email being received at the “wrong” time of day.
- Too many emails sent from you in a short period.
Have another look at your email from the eyes of someone who received it. Think about what you would have done with it? Then start to think how to improve next time.
Just getting someone to open an email is a success!
Think about how many emails you receive. I expect there are plenty you don’t open. So, when sending an email you need to think as the receiver and work out what will make them open it.
Stop the email getting put immediately into junk
This is the first step. It means you have to get the subject matter right. Most email applications have a junk filter on them which will automatically filter out certain words even before someone has added their own rules. Phrases such as “fund raising” are filtered out, so if you are a charity you need to use an alternative.
Make someone open the email
Once you know it’s not going into junk, you need to make sure it appeals to the recipient. MailChimp has some good advice on writing good subject lines. Think what makes you open an email. Is it a special offer? Does it have to sound intriguing? Is it from someone you know and trust? All three are valid.
Make people read your email
Catch people’s attention
You have about five seconds to catch people’s attention. Good images work, so you need to include some in your email. There is a “however” though: some email applications don’t show images immediately, the user has to download them. If you’re email is just pictures, then they will see nothing so make sure you include some verbal headlines too – ones that will make them want to download the images.
Too many words spoil the email
Don’t write long paragraphs of detailed information; people won’t read them! Also, make sure that you give them something to do as an marketing email without an action is pointless.
Give them headlines only and then take them off to your website for the detailed transaction: to read a blog, buy something, sign up, etc.
Choose when to send the email
People tend to read the items at the top of their inbox. If you send an email at midnight, how many more will be on top of yours before the emails are looked at in the morning.
These are just a few simple tips, but they will help you improve the chances of your marketing email working.