Email marketing is not dead. In fact, according to agbeat.com, 4.24% of people who click into your website from an email marketing campaign will buy something. That explains why some sites are so relentless (and annoying) in trying to win your click through.
A recent study done by the Direct Marketing Association claims that email marketing has an ROI of $57.25 for every dollar spent. So let’s dive right into 5 commonly asked questions you may have during your quest to become the best at email marketing.
1. How do I write a good subject line?
All good emails start with a stellar subject line. If your content is good the subject line will naturally come to you. Likewise, when you tell your readers exactly what they’ll find inside the email, it helps to entice them to open it. Be honest and direct. Your subject line is a preview of the content and should be treated as such.
Other Tips:- Include your company name
- Think of it as a call to action
- Imply positive benefit
- Steer clear of “spammy” sounding subject lines
2. How do I ensure my email does not land in the spam folder?
One of the most frightening thoughts for any email marketer is the idea that your important message could possibly end up in the recipients spam folder. The absolute best way to ensure you stay out of the spam folder is to work off of an opt-in email list, meaning someone has told you they’d like to receive your content.
You should also be following these best practices:
- Identify who you are in your sender name
- Make unsubscribing easy as pie
- Segment your lists and cater content to each one
- Cleans your list biweekly
- Don’t over send!
Generally speaking, it’s a great idea to avoid phrases such as: Free, Instant, Double your money, Sex, XXX, Win, Cash, Bonus, Membership, Free Offer, Call Now, Rates, $$$’s, Success, etc.
ALSO, BE CAREFUL TO NOT OVERUSE THE CAPS LOCK AND EXCESSIVE PUNCTUATION!!!!. IT WILL CAUSE ISSUES IN YOUR DELIVERABILITY RATE.
When it comes down to it, avoiding the junk folder is relatively easy and If your recipients are expecting to receive your email you should be in good shape.
3. Should I buy an email list?
While purchasing an email list may be tempting, no one likes to receive unsolicited emails. Even if you purchase a list that is 100% opt in, they haven’t opted in to hearing from you. When you choose to market to these lists your spam rates will go through the roof, as the recipient will hit the mark as spam button without hesitation.
You won’t be doing your deliverability score any favors by purchasing lists and marketing to them, in fact, you’ll be hurting your email marketing campaigns in the long term.
The majority of email addresses on purchased email lists have no idea of the following:
- Who you are
- How you got their contact information
- What your company does.
That’s not exactly the best first impression to make!
4. How Do I Grow My Email Marketing List Organically?
Now that you’ve talked yourself out of ever purchasing an email list, you can focus your energy on building email lists organically; meaning people are opting in to hear from your company.
One of the best (and easiest) ways to grow your list is to create an offer. Visitors give you their email in exchange for content that they’re interested in. Once you have their email captured you can add it to your list and market to it.
There are many other ways to bolster your email list:
- Host a webinar
- Promote an online contest
- Create remarkable content
- Gather them at events
The best part about these tactics is that they are not complicated or very difficult to implement.
5. How Often Should I Be Sending Emails?
It all depends on your content and the preference of your subscribers. A newsletter should be sent monthly to start. If you’re a business that relies on online sales to make money, daily or weekly promotional materials may be appropriate. You won’t know for sure until you run some tests to decide how much enough is.
For business owners, email marketing remains a major strategy and can pay dividends very quickly. The true challenge is building a relationship with your visitors to ensure your messages are being read.
--
Emmett Hughes is an account manager at Stratus Interactive in West Chester, PA. In his spare time he enjoys Philadelphia sports teams, collecting rare vinyl and spending time with his friends and family. Find Emmett on Google+