 E-Newsletter
- 4 Tips to Getting Them Read
By Kendra Wright of Wright Strategies
Through trial and error we have found four useful tips to
make email marketing more successful. If these four tips are followed, your
email campaigns are more likely to be opened, ensuring more lead generation for your
company.
1) Create a Punchy, Action-Oriented, or Time Restricted Email
Subject - It is important to instill a sense of urgency or importance in
your emails.. Consider the announcement, “You are Invited to a Secret Sale Tomorrow
from 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.” The reader feels special; they have been selected as part of an
exclusive group. There is also a specific time and date range for the sale. The reader
cannot put it off - they have to look now. Conversely, let’s say this company sends
out the same email with a different subject line, “Summer Sale Offers Savings.”
Everyone loves a bargain, but there is no sense of urgency or importance when viewing the
email.
Remember the subject line in your email campaign is the first thing a
reader sees. Make sure the first impression compels the reader to open the email.
2) Spam-Free Zone - Some basic rules:
Don’t be misleading. Your emails “from” and “subject line” must
be accurate. Give an easy way to unsubscribe, provide fast suppressions of opt-outs, and
include the sender’s physical address. Try these tips on how to build your spam-free
list.
•The best place to collect email addresses and permission is on
your company website! People on your site are predisposed to receive information
electronically, so email is the perfect mechanism for them. To increase email address
sign-ups include a sign-up box on your website’s home page.
•Add a “join our mailing list” link in the signature of
every email sent to clients, business associates, friends, and family. The link should go
to your home page where the sign-up box is prominently displayed.
•Create a “forward to a friend” link. Draw extra
attention to this link by pointing it out in the text of your email. As the email gets
passed along, friends will join the list.
•Have a guest book in the office or store. Include an enticing
offer, like email-only sales promos or a draw, to increase sign-ups.
•Offer a sign up at tradeshows and events.
•Make sure your web address and an invitation to join the list are
on all printed materials, including invoices, statements, brochures, coupons, etc.
•Add it to other marketing efforts -- like advertisements.
3) ACTION, ACTION, ACTION - An effective
newsletter not only informs and educates, it also provides a call to action. For example,
you are sending out an e-newsletter for an online cooking club. You are probably sending
out recipes - a great way to inform and educate. Your newsletter already has a purpose. If
you leverage the recipes and add a call to action, you are more likely to get responses
from your email. For example, ask your email subscribers to submit their own version of
this recipe for a “Twisted Chocolate Chip Cookie Contest.” The winner receives a
great prize. Calls to action arouse interest in your product or service. They also allow
for you to have a built-in purpose for sending the email.
4) No Frivolous Emails - Finally, to ensure your
email campaigns are effective and opened, pay close attention to what information you are
sharing in your emails. If you send out unnecessary information weekly you are going to
lose the interest of your email list. Make sure you are providing information to help
people. Sending campaigns and email newsletters are more effective if done somewhat
infrequently. People tend to get peeved when they open their email inbox and have received
15 emails from one company over a one-week span. Take a look at what you are emailing and
ask yourself if it educates and informs your audience.
Nothing in life is a guarantee, but using these four steps gives your
email campaign a better chance of getting opened; therefore, leading to sales for your
company.
Kendra Wright, CEO of Wright Strategies, started
MailMentum, an easy to use e-marketing tool designed to help growing businesses. Kendra
may be contacted via email at kendra@mailmentum.com
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