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In the past few years I have worked quite a bit with several companies in regards to their Email Marketing Campaigns. There have been several trends that I have noticed that seem to stick out like a sore thumb when it comes to actually having a campaign. I decided to come up with a list to help clarify some of the do’s / don’ts of Email Marketing
Have a Call to Action
This is EXTREMELY important. One marketer that I’ve worked with for a long time loves to refer to people as “dumb sheep” and his point in doing so is to make sure to remind everyone that there must be some sort of a command given (better known as a “Call to Action”…it just sounds better). Using the metaphor “dumb sheep” gives the impression that people generally wish to be told what to do and this concept is entirely correct. In every major advertisement on TV, Radio, Internet or even Newspapers there is a command given to let the customer know what to do. It has been proven over and over again that giving this Call to Action causes customers to actually do what they are being asked to, rather than just ignore the ad.
Brand the Email
As with any form of advertising you want to make sure that your company logo and tag line are present somewhere in the Email. Not only does this let the customer know where the Email is coming from (and not to Spam it) but it also creates Brand Recognition. Brand Recognition is the single most powerful tool you have in Advertising. The sooner a customer recognizes your logo, the better. This is the reason that major corporations keep advertising when in reality most customers don’t see a reason. Sooner or later a customer will become displeased with whatever product they are using and look to switch, and when they do, the brand recognition will come into play. For example, we have all seen the Geico, Allstate and Nationwide commercials. Those brands are at the forefront of our minds whenever we think about Auto Insurance. Why? They are constantly playing on Television, Billboards etc. Those logos, jingles and characters will always be in the forefront of our minds as long as the companies continue to advertise. As soon as someone decides to switch or consider a new Insurance Policy who will they call? The major corporations that have been advertising. These advertisements are not considered to be the same type as a Infomercial where the viewer is expected to immediately purchase the product. These forms of advertising are simply there to create a rapport with the customer over a long period of time.
Always include an Unsubscribe Link
This is also EXTREMELY important. Having an unsubscribe link will keep you from getting blacklisted, spammed, etc. It will keep your list fresh and with “warm or hot” leads and cut out the “cold” ones. Overall it is much better to have fewer “warm” leads than several hundred thousand “cold” ones. The “warm or hot” leads will actually purchase a product from you where a “cold” lead won’t even open the email.
Keep the Emailing to a minimum
I don’t know about you, but I cannot stand companies that send me multiple emails several times a week. I will immediately click the “Spam” button if the company begins to overwhelm my Inbox with too many emails and will no longer read them. The same concept holds true for sending out emails. A monthly or even a weekly Newsletter can be extremely informative and helpful, whereas a daily one can be overwhelming. Keeping the content down to just the most important points will help immensely. Users do not want to read through pages and pages of information. Instead, stick to bullet points and try to keep the information to a small paragraph with a “Read More” link if there is more which allows the user to decide which areas they would like to read more of.
K.I.S.S. Method
As with most things, keeping it simple is the best way. Most of us forget that the audience we are emailing to does not have the full knowledge or range of computer skills that we do so sometimes the flashy artwork is lost on that user. Try to stick to pretty simple layouts with just a couple of images and make sure to have a “Read More” link so that way you can add in the extra flashy stuff into the website.
Great stuff. Nice to read some well written posts. A long way between them.
This is a very interesting post. Where did you get your information from ? great
Many thanks for discussing such an informative article with all of us. I’ve bookmarked your blog will come back for a re-read again. Keep up the very good work.
This is a very interesting post. Where did you get your information from ? great