A targeted, opt-in e-mail marketing list is the digital equivalent of beachfront property - something you can use to generate income, month-after-month, in almost any industry or economy. But, far too many companies waste opportunities (or worse, lose subscribers with each mailing), simply because they don't know how to use the names they have.
With that in mind, here are five short but effective tips for making the most of your opt-in list and making email marketing as profitable as possible:
1. Keep your messages short and crisp. The cardinal rule of e-mail marketing is "keep things as brief as possible." If your message or newsletter even looks like it could take more than a few minutes to read, there is a very good chance the recipient will delete it before going any further. Your subscribers are busier than ever, so work at constantly refining your messages until they are is brief and crisp as possible.
2. Use consistent themes throughout your e-mail marketing campaigns. That doesn't just mean keeping the same look, fonts, and color scheme (although that's a good idea, too). There should be a theme, or set of topics, that runs through your e-mail marketing campaign. That way, customers know what to expect from you, and you get a chance to reinforce the ideas or questions that are most important to them.
3. Give information first, and your offer second. How often do you look at the advertisements in magazines before checking out the articles on the cover? That's the way your recipients feel about the content you send them. If it's too focused on selling them something right off the bat, they may lose interest. So, the key is to hook them with an interesting article or piece of advice first, and then get to your marketing message later.
4. Go beyond the expected with your content. It isn't enough to simply fill your e-mail newsletter with "articles," or "content." With all the different choices potential buyers have available, they could just as easily point their attention elsewhere. So, invest the effort or money needed to come up with original topics and writing that your customers can't help but notice. That's the one thing that will always earn you a few minutes of their time.
5. Always give recipients a next step to take. While being interesting and easy-to-notice might be job number one, keeping your campaigns profitable is just as important. So, after you've accomplished these other steps, make sure that there is always a next action that readers can take to get more information or buy from you. One or two clear requests should be enough to make a noticeable difference if the rest of your newsletter is targeted and well thought out.
Want help creating more effective, compelling, and profitable e-mail marketing campaigns? Contact us today and schedule a time to talk - we will be happy to walk you through our process and show you what we can do for you.