Email marketing has long been overlooked or written off as a primary way of communicating with one’s target audience. With the advent of incredibly thorough email sorting algorithms in gmail and other email clients, it has become increasingly harder for marketers to reach their audience through email. Although all is not lost. There are ways to optimise your email marketing strategy to ensure that it gets read by your key audience. And also that you have an effective and air-tight email to go out. Here are some of the key important things to remember when planning your email marketing campaign.
1. Timing is everything
Key take-aways from a recent eConsultancy webinar were based on the data from 9 billion Mailchimp emails –yes you read that correctly, 9 billion. Emails that are sent over the weekend have a much higher click-through rate compared to emails sent during the weekdays. Also, unsubscribe rates tend to peak on a Tuesday. Presumably people are grumbling and upset that the working week has only just started and so get trigger-happy so to speak. The same goes for both B2B and B2C emails.
Along with this, you should consider sending eNewsletters in the early morning. The Mailchimp survey revealed that click-throughs peak between 6 – 7 am (local time). Unsubscribes also peak in the morning and peak late in the evening when readership presumably nods off.
2. Optimise for mobile
Email marketing surveys indicate that 80% of email recipients read their emails on mobile devices. So it’s important to not alienate these readers by providing eDMs that are unable to be read on mobile devices or aren’t optimised for small screens.
3. Hyperlink often
It is also critical to include relevant links in your e-newsletter. According to the eConsultancy webinar, it’s important to use loads of relevant links to your website or social media. This directly correlates to a higher click-through rate. Data also demonstrates that the no. of unsubscribes also falls as the number of links increase in the email, possibly because the unsubscribe link is harder to find.
4. Avoid spam words
Have a look in your spam box for the common trigger words that are often the catalyst for being black-listed into the spam folder.
5. Create continuity
It’s important to serialise or categorise your regular email correspondence. So Newsletter 1: October 2014, Newsletter 2: October 2014. You get our drift. This makes it easier for recipients to archive, keep or search for your emails when necessary.
6. Send them regularly
When you send out e-newsletters once in a blue moon, recipients will feel confused and often unsubscribe straight away, as they don’t recognise your correspondence. Instead focus on sending regular emails once per week or once a fortnight instead of once a month.
7. Your newest subscribers are your best
There are benefits to nabbing new subscribers. They are more likely to click-through and read the entire email and they are less likely to unsubscribe.
8. Give your subscribers special offers
This is an important one. By offering the occasional incentive you ensure that people aren’t going to unsubscribe. They are going to stay abreast of your news if you offer them a reason for doing so.
9. Ask people to subscribe, not share
Anybody who receives a shared e-newsletter probably won’t read it. Also, social sharing means that it is one-off interaction. A much more effective way is to ask people to follow you on social media and subscribe to your blog or newsletter. This ensures that you are building a much more sustainable and long-term relationship.
10. Tips for e-newsletter copy
Make it scannable and keep it brief and succinct. Nobody really properly reads their emails anymore. They scan because they have so many other more pressing things they should be doing. In order to make writing scannable write in the following way:
- write in short sentences and statements.
- Use shorter paragraphs and highlight key points in bold.
- Don’t overdo the bold type as this will overwhelm the reader, use this sparingly.
- Use only one idea per paragraph
- Use bullet point lists but keep each point to one sentence or one line and nothing more.
- Succinctly and briefly outline your idea in a statement instead of a long sentence or paragraph. This will make it much more likely to be read.
Total Marketing Australia specialise in creating complete 360° marketing campaigns for businesses. This includes email marketing that is compelling and interesting. In the lead up to EOFY now is a fantastic time to consider a dynamite email marketing campaign to engage with your clients and bring in new business. Speak with Total Marketing Australia to find out more today!
