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Sometimes we all get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the daily grind that we forget to take a step back. Yet, every marketing program needs to be re-evaluated from time to time. So, today we are going to go back to basics. Let’s take a\u00a0look at five “do’s and don’ts” for your email program!<\/p>\n
To start with, ask yourself: Are you fully leveraging your online customer file?\u00a0 It is best practice to stay in constant touch with your buyers although this strategy demands a strong cautionary note:\u00a0 Do everything you can to avoid instant banishment (yes, the \u201cunsubscribe\u201d link, followed by the dreaded \u201cdelete\u201d key) and long-term resentment towards your good brand name.<\/p>\n
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So, how DO you effectively use this great sales and marketing tool while avoiding email exile?\u00a0 Listed below are five major rules of email engagement:<\/p>\n
\u00a01.\u00a0Don\u2019t abuse the privilege.<\/strong><\/p>\n You have been entrusted with your customer\u2019s email address and, more than likely, a whole host of demographic information (i.e., company name, physical address, phone number, etc.) as well as the product(s) purchased.\u00a0 The goal is to evolve this level of trust into a more personal relationship and, ultimately, additional sales.\u00a0 Quickly learn the frequency your customers are willing to accept your emails before you fall into the nuisance category.\u00a0The best approach is to A\/B test your audience and see if more\/less frequencies negatively impact sales. \u00a0In the end, it\u2019s all about relevancy: timely newsletters, new product announcements, VIP offers, company messages\u2014anything that justifies the contact.\u00a0 Each email must have a purpose, not just a reason to keep your name in front of the customer.\u00a0 An honest self-assessment of your content will point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0Constant testing = Long-term success.<\/strong><\/p>\n You know your online customers better than anyone else. Are your emails more likely to be opened and viewed before working hours, during lunchtime, or in the evening?\u00a0 Many email marketers want to be the first one in the inbox while others prefer mid-morning when the targeted audience has extinguished all of the daily \u201cfires\u201d in their inbox.\u00a0 And don\u2019t forget to sign up for all of your competitor\u2019s mailings.\u00a0 Study their tactics as far as drop times and day(s) of the week.\u00a0 It\u2019s then up to you whether you want to potentially show up in the inbox with your competitors\u2014and face them head-on with your offer\u2014or avoid them completely and carve out your own unique space.<\/p>\n And then there\u2019s the testing phase:\u00a0 Never get too comfortable with your email deployment strategy.\u00a0 It\u2019s too easy to get lulled into a sense that Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9am are working and so you can move onto other challenges within the business.\u00a0 Most of your competitors are constantly testing these same factors and making the necessary adjustments to improve sales and customer satisfaction.\u00a0 Never get too comfortable.\u00a0 It\u2019s back to test, test, test.\u00a0 It\u2019s a never-ending discipline that will pay off.<\/p>\n \u00a03.\u00a0Develop compelling subject lines.<\/strong><\/p>\n The subject line determines your fate. It must be short, succinct, and attention-getting.\u00a0 You need to pique their interest and ensure the email content thoroughly supports the subject line. If the content does match the \u201cteaser,\u201d the mismatch becomes apparent within seconds and the recipient will hit the \u201cdelete\u201d button.\u00a0 There are many sources on the web for suggestions but you\u2019re essentially back to testing again.\u00a0 Be sure you have the tools to accurately evaluate bounces, opens, click-through rates and unsubscribes. To learn more about how to get the most out of your subject lines, read this great blog article<\/a>.<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0One size does not fit all.<\/strong><\/p>\n No matter how relevant the email content, your ultimate goal is to keep it short and sweet.\u00a0 Avoid excessive scrolling unless you have no choice. Try to keep every email a blend of eye-catching images and text.\u00a0 Be sure there is at least one call to action in every email to generate a visit to your website.\u00a0 And don\u2019t get locked into one format\u2014occasionally change your visuals to ensure your emails stay fresh and appealing and not too formulaic.<\/p>\n 5.\u00a0Promote your social media presence.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss out on this great opportunity to promote Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks to your customer base. It\u2019s all about making your customers feel like they are part of your family. Check out this article<\/a> for tips on how to incorporate social media into your email program.<\/p>\n Well, there you go. Five back-to-basic ideas that you should always keep in mind when it comes to email marketing. What “Do” or “Don’t” did we leave off? Leave us a comment and let us know!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sometimes we all get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the daily […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1443,1444,1453,1448,26,28,1452,1454],"tags":[409,416,421,731],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8221"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8221"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8221\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8945,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8221\/revisions\/8945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.123print.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}