The Importance Of Email Marketing Content
Posted by Michael Herman
The Importance Of Email Marketing Content
Email marketing is fantastic because emails are an incredibly inexpensive mode of communication. We can send hundreds, if not thousands of emails per dollar so it’s ok to have a dismal conversion rate right? After all, if you throw enough mud to the wall, some of it will stick! Not so. A large percentage of companies who use email marketing still have hideous conversion rates. So awful are their conversion rates that they actually lose money on the enterprise and quit email marketing altogether. Big mistake!
Bad Content, Bad Sales!
You have probably heard the ‘content is king’ maxim 1,000 times and if your email marketing campaign is faltering, perhaps you need to hear it 1,000 more! The modern consumer has internet access virtually all day long but your target audience probably has better things to do than read a bland, dull email that doesn’t make them feel as if it is a worthwhile expenditure of their time.
Rules?
What is good content? There are no hard and fast rules barring the usual ‘avoid spelling mistakes and make sure the email looks like it was written by someone whose first language is English’. The reason why there are few set rules is because emails are supposed to be an individual experience. Those who read the email need to feel as if it is they who are being specifically spoken to. When you are thinking about content, ask yourself what is important to your subscribers. Think about their age group, interests, hobbies and the products they have recently purchased.
Ask Questions
But I don’t know what my subscribers like! Ask and you will receive! Create a survey and send it to your subscribers. Ask them what they would like to see in an email. By doing this, you will make your subscribers feel as if they are an important part of the process. Alternatively, you can try different content on a regular basis. For example, you may write a newsletter style email one week and a ‘how to’ piece on the following email. Use analytics to find out if one email type was more popular than the other.
Above all, you need to be honest and ask yourself: Is this email worth reading? How do your subscribers benefit from reading this email? The most successful emails will also be worth sharing. You can write all the flowery prose you like but if there is no substance to your email, readers will soon unsubscribe or stop opening your emails. The bottom line is: Content ultimately makes or breaks your email campaign so pay more attention to it and spend less time on trivial matters.
Triple Email Marketing Results With Split Testing!
Posted by Michael Herman
Triple Email Marketing Results With Split Testing!
A recent study showed that split testing improved click through, email opening and purchase rates by over 190%! Email marketing providers such as Digital Street Inc. offer split testing which means you can upload multiple versions of one broadcast and send them to different areas of your database. After a few days, you analyze the results and compare them.
You should also set up conversion or sales tracking too as these are the results that matter most when it comes to your profit margin. Failure to do this means you will only be analyzing open and click through rates. Although these are important statistics, they do not tell you how much money your email marketing campaign is making. Once the test has been completed, you can use the better performing version in future emails. This version can then be used against another in future tests as you constantly seek improvement.
What can I test?
You can test just about any type of content though there will be occasions when you only wish to test one aspect of your email marketing plan. Choose from the following when testing:
- Headlines
- Subject lines
- Product images
- Landing pages
- Calls to action
Timing is Everything
Content variations are not the only thing you can test. For example, you could decide to send the same content at different times of the day or days of the week. You could also send content to different segments of your customer base. Most companies choose to use half of their customer base to conduct experiments on but if you feel that this is too risky and you don’t want to alienate your subscribers, you could test your new emails on 25% or even 10% of your audience provided you have a large enough base. Testing on too small a group will make the procedure almost irrelevant.
Is Split Testing Worth The Effort?
When you consider the fact that it can treble your sales rate, it is undoubtedly a productive use of your time. In fact, if you are currently with an email marketing service provider that doesn’t offer split testing; you should leave them and find one that does such as Digital Street Inc. It is possible to conduct the process manually by downloading your subscriber list, conducting some spreadsheet magic and uploading multiple lists that can be used once. However, the same vendors that don’t offer split testing also tend to prevent new lists being imported. You simply must utilize split testing and if you contact Digital Street Inc., you can watch your sales rate treble in the space of a few months thanks to this innovative method of finding out what works best in your emails.
Involving The Consumer In Email Marketing
Posted by Michael Herman
Involving The Consumer In Email Marketing
Having a degree in psychology is not necessary when it comes to creating a successful email marketing campaign but it would certainly help! One of the most important things in any marketing drive is writing copy that has the ability to get inside someone’s mind. How often have you read web copy or a marketing email that really gets your attention? Generally, consumers are subjected to the same gimmicks and fluff and quickly grow tired of it. Email marketing’s sole purpose is to make sales and in order to do this; you have to gain a person’s attention.
RAS
Creating a subject line with an incomplete thought is a terrific way to begin. Did you know that our brains are designed to go crazy at the thought of incomplete information? The brain’s reticular activating system (RAS) ensures that we aren’t satisfied until we complete a puzzle. How often have you half-remembered some trivial information and went mad for hours trying to remember it all? If you can craft a subject line such as: ‘Did you know that small businesses increased their revenue by 80% when they…...’ you could gain a person’s attention and cause them to open the email?
There are a number of other ways to trigger the consumer’s RAS within the email. Involvement devices work well in copywriting and also in email marketing. Ask the reader to write something down because this sends a signal to their cerebral cortex which tells them to pay attention. So instead of having a prospect read the email while half-asleep, you automatically gain their interest.
Ask A Question
Another terrific involvement device is to create a very quick survey in the email, perhaps even one question, and get the recipient to answer it. Make sure that the question you get them to answer directly relates to whatever it is you’re trying to sell. Perhaps you could also get your email recipients to take part in a poll, the result of which is of real interest to your members. Such an action gives your mailing list a chance to interact with you and have their say on something that may be of importance to them. This certainly makes a change from the litany of begging emails they receive on a daily basis.
Activating the RAS of prospects is only one small psychological device you can use to increase your conversion rate through email marketing. You need to make customers feel like they’re being heard. This can make all the difference when it comes to making sales.
The Real Value Of Customer Surveys
Posted by Michael Herman
The Real Value Of Customer Surveys
You may now know how to create customer surveys but you could be questioning their value. Well, marketing research shows that keeping existing customers is a lot easier and cheaper than gaining new ones. There are a host of clichés relating to the world of marketing:
Gaining a customer can take months or even years while losing one can happen in a split second
It’s 400% more expensive to get a new customer than keep an old one
If you retain 2% of your customers, you’ll save the same money as if you cut 10% of your costs
These may all be hackneyed sayings but they’re invariably true. Customer surveys are incredibly valuable because they reveal the mindset of your clients. Surveys can actually show you that certain customers are thinking of leaving you. Above all, customer surveys help you get to know your audience better and are one of the best forms of marketing that you can do. When you read any advice about marketing, you’ll always find that locating your target audience is a great time and money saver and is one of the first pieces of advice you’ll receive.
Hear Their Concerns
Companies often forget that customers love being listened to. Being asked for their opinion really pleases customers and they will often react well to such an invitation. From a consumer’s point of view, there are few things more frustrating than not being heard. When you send them a customer survey, at least they know that someone is listening.
Negative And Positive Comments
One of the main reasons why companies avoid sending customer surveys like the plague is because they are afraid of negative feedback. No one likes being told that they’re not good enough but negative comments can actually benefit your company if taken in the right spirit. While there will always be a few troublemakers who post nonsensical criticism, there are often valuable comments posted by dissatisfied customers. Such criticism could actually uncover flaws in your business which have escaped your notice. Now would be a good time to fix them!
Finally, customer surveys can be extremely uplifting for companies if they receive positive feedback. There is nothing more rewarding than having a random customer extol the virtues of your business. A positive comment can transform a gloomy winter morning where nothing gets done into one of the year’s most productive days.
With a customer survey, you are getting into the minds of your customers. You are not omnipotent so it’s necessary to gain a greater understanding of your clientele. By doing this, you will discover what your company is doing well and where it is going wrong. When you find out about problems with your service, you can fix them and further improve your business.
Avoiding Spam Filters
Posted by Michael Herman
Avoiding Spam Filters
When email marketing, you have to be careful not to get your message tossed into the junk folder. The amount of computer viruses and scams that take place online means that people who receive emails are wary. The CAN-SPAM Act became law in 2003 and had a number of revisions added in 2008. The Act is designed to fight against spam, viruses, pornography and other internet problems. Also, email servers have become more vigilant and have added virus and spam filters which block out unwanted emails. Some of these filters are so powerful that even legitimate emails can be blocked. Clearly, this would be a disaster to your email marketing campaign, so what can you do?
Filtering
Once upon a time, getting your email opened was the single most important thing in email marketing. In the modern era, getting your email delivered is even more vital. No longer can you assume that everyone on your mailing list will receive the message you send. The filters in email programs enable people to add emails which contain certain words to their junk mail list. It’s also possible to create a blacklist which blocks emails from certain senders. You need to be aware of this if you’re planning an aggressive email marketing campaign. Too aggressive and you will be blocked forever.
They’re Only Words?
When you’re creating emails, you have to avoid the use of certain words. Obvious words and phrases such as ‘Free’, ‘Winner’, ‘Investment’, ‘Sale’ and ‘Cash Bonus’ should not be used. Most email programs will filter out messages with these words. In actual fact, there are hundreds of words and phrases that should be avoided to guarantee that your email passes spam filters. Terms like ‘big bucks’, ‘get paid’ and ‘call now’ may see your message blocked by filters. You should also avoid the use of $ signs, exclamation points and words that are all capital letters. Failure to do this will see your messages go to the email equivalent of purgatory and never get opened. You can use symbols between words to beat the filters. For example, say ‘ca^sh’ instead of ‘cash’.
If you’re worried about the email you’re sending, there are dozens of content checkers online which will tell you if the email will potentially be blocked by spam filters. It should be noted that there is no program online that is 100% accurate. Most of them only check emails against the filtering rules of certain spam filters. This is why you should leave out a word or phrase if you aren’t sure of its validity.
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