Creating effective emails

Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to get a company’s message to the desktop or smartphone of your target customer. According to the Direct Marketing Association, 66 percent of consumers have made an online purchase after receiving a promotional email.

It does take work and discipline to build an effective list of buying customers. Here are 10 tips to follow:
 

1. Tell them what they can expect. You don’t want people subscribing to the newsletter unless they are interested. Tell them exactly what the content will be, what they can learn and how often it will be sent. This is one case where there should be no surprises.
 

2. Get them to “opt in.” Ensure that customers want to get the newsletter. Sending emails to people who don’t want it will cause complaints. Never use anyone’s email address without their expressed permission because it is against the law.
 

3. Send relevant content. Anything sent should show off your company’s expertise. Content that customers’ value will be more effective over a long period of time. Remember that “content is always king.”
 

4. Don’t be tricky. Honest communication will get loyal readers. Don’t use unrealistic or false promises to increase readership or open rate.
 

5. Make it short (but not too short). Keep the email to a single subject and a few hundred words. As a result, customers are more likely to read and act on it now. Don’t make emails too short (less than 50 words) because they will be marked spam.
 

6. Keep visuals simple. If you are going to use pictures, limit the number and the size. Remember that most emails are now open on slower cellular connected mobile devices. If a video is being used, link to it. Don’t have it in the main body of the email on auto play.
 

7. Use an email marketing system. This will make it easier to send and track the content that is sent. It will also prevent you from emailing people who don’t want the newsletter. Common tools used are MailChimp, Constant Contact, AWeber, and Infusionsoft.
 

8. Track what happens. Email marketing depends on metrics. Use these marketing apps to track open rates and behavior of customers who receive the email. Track which content works the best with your customers.
 

9. Build frequency. The most common question asked is, how often should a newsletter be sent to a subscriber list? The answer depends on how often they want to hear from you. I suggest starting out monthly and increasing it to weekly. Research shows that weekly emails have higher open rates than monthly ones if they have a set and consistent schedule.
 

10. Make sign up simple. Collect the minimum amount of information: name, email, phone, company name and perhaps service interest. The more information you attempt to collect, the lower the number of signups. Place a subscription box on your home page and offer something free if they sign up. This box can read “Send me news” or “Help is on the way.”

Barry Moltz helps small businesses get unstuck. www.barrymoltz.com