Email marketing can be a powerful social tool. Many online marketers conceptualize email marketing in a somewhat strange way: If you send enough emails to enough people, it will get your name out there. Other common recommendations promote quantity and consistency over quality. The downfall with many of these email marketing campaigns is the “good enough” philosophy regarding the content quality. Make subscribers excited to see your emails instead of spamming your subscriber base by following some of the email best practices listed below:
1. Keep specific goal in mind
Sooner or later, your subscriber base will catch on that your exciting blowout sales actually refer to the discount section of your online store. Another aspect of making email marketing seem more like spam than quality marketing occurs when when subscribers are somehow coerced into subscribing. Offering fiscal incentives can build positive public perception for a short time even if the email marketing campaign is not a hit. However, making subscription mandatory to view a website is often counterproductive. First, prerequisite subscription can dissuade viewers from browsing your site. Second, you are more apt to get an email address meant for spam. Subscribers often have a difficult time getting excited about a business when they are not exactly sure what the business is.
2. Put a strong social element in email marketing
Think about the types of emails your target audience typically gets from their peers, family, and friends. Try to replicate the tone, length, and lingo typically used. Be the brand that your audience can identify with and connect with on a person-to-person level. Don’t worry about responding to every email from your subscriber base within the hour. Sporadic responses can be part of the allure for effectively building a community around email as shown in this case study.
3. Encourage conversation
Email has a very social element that is often overlooked. Encourage your audience to actively participate in discussions, contests, polls, etc. Keep the data flowing, and build a community around your brand. Try to keep almost everything relevant to the persona that initially attracted your audience to your brand. There is nothing wrong with sending an individual email to a single subscriber for a tactful, personal touch. Be the voice behind your brand.
4. Make sure everything works
Send an email to your personal account to double-check that everything works as it should. All clickable links should go to the correct website; all images should show up on your smartphone; and reading a mass email just one more time can help you make it perfect.
5. Write engaging content
It is important to recognize that engaging content does not have to be verbose. The content in an email marketing campaign can be as simple as an effort to reach out to your audience on a more personal level. Send industry-related jokes, factoids, or other items you might share via email in a personal context. Remember that email marketing campaigns should give people a chance to connect with the voice behind the brand. Be personable, but do not focus on your personal life per se.
Takeaway points
Do not settle for an email marketing campaign that is only OK. Strive to build a community around an engaged and excited subscriber base. Also, stop spamming people. It gets old.
Our guest post, by Dorian, is a Search Analyst at digital marketing firm, Wpromote and has always had a particular interest in content marketing and coming up with creative ways to help businesses grow.
