As a medium of communication, you may call Email antique but the fact remains that email marketing is the most effective marketing tool with an excellent ROI unmatched by other tools. Statistics show that a dollar spent on email marketing yields 36x returns which is fabulous by any stretch of the imagination.
A simple email is the best way to communicate with the target market directly. For the email marketing campaign to be effective, you will need to observe certain Do’s and Don’ts which are discussed below –
Do – Get your target audience right
It is critical to know your target audience before you start flooding them with emails. Make sure you have a fair idea of the buyer persona you are targeting. You can collect email addresses from those who visit your website by getting them to subscribe by clicking on a button. This would give you the initial list of contacts which you can build on later in the email marketing campaign.
Do – Have a structured plan in place
An email marketing campaign cannot be a spray and pray operation. For the campaign to succeed, you will need to have a complete plan. You should have some preset goals for the campaign. You will need to decide whether the objective of the campaign is to attract new subscribers, increase engagement with the audience, keep inactive subscribers up to date or inform all subscribers about the latest product offerings.
Do – Decide on the type of email
Before you shoot off an email you must have a fair idea of what information you wish to convey to your audience. Do you want to provide them with a monthly update about your business? Do you want to promote your new product offerings? Do you want to highlight a special offer and spread the word? Do you want to send birthday wishes to loyal subscribers and offer them something special? You can check out great email marketing examples to decide on the format you want to use.
Do – Create headlines that can grab eyeballs
The headline is the defining point of the email and determines whether the reader will click on it, simply ignore or relegate it to trash. So you will need to make sure that the headline is catchy enough to attract the attention of readers. This can surely give a kick to your email marketing campaign.
Do – Stick to the point
The attention of viewers is limited and your email must be able to communicate clearly in as few words as possible. A long rambling email consisting of only text will probably be ignored and most probably not be read till the end. It is important to keep the email short, sweet, and interesting. You can take the help of technology to schedule your emails, segment the audience by demography, respond faster to customers, and more so that you can do more with less.
Don’t – Overdo the email routine – That will lead the mail to the trash
Nobody likes to be bombarded with emails on a daily basis. An irritated viewer will just mark the mail as spam and with it will go your chance to engage that customer. So, have a proper plan in place and send your emails on a periodic basis without overwhelming the audience. Always wait for a reasonable period before sending a follow-up email.
Don’t – Forget to tell them what to do
An email which merely provides information without providing a clear call to action is of no use as you won’t get the traction you are looking for. You have to include a CTA at the bottom of the email to ensure that the reader acts on it. Ideally, you should provide the viewer with a clickable link that will lead them to your website for further information.
Don’t – Write very long emails. Keep the content crisp and concise.
Never forget to keep the email short and compelling. It is a waste of time and resources to write long emails that cannot hold the attention of the viewers. Make sure your email body can be read in under a minute.
Don’t -Fail to add your physical address
To give an air of legitimacy to your email, you shouldn’t forget to add your physical address. It could be the address of your registered office along with your contact details. It will make it easy for the customers to contact your business if they are interested.
Don’t – Misuse your subscribers’ data
Never share your subscribers’ data as it is illegal. It is unethical and you could even get prosecuted under the cyber laws.
Wrap-Up – A successful email marketing campaign can lead to resounding success for your business. There are several examples of email marketing successes in the case of famous brands. Whether it is a personalized email message to your loyal customers or sending promotional offers or just keeping your customer base updated regarding your business. It is a direct interaction with your customers unlike other marketing tools and it is up to each business to make the most of this opportunity. Remember you never get a second chance to make a great first impression. So, make use of this efficient, personalized, and cost-effective email marketing tool and give your brand the take-off it deserves.