Guest Post By Bianca Schwartpaul
Email Marketing is one of the most understated forms of marketing and has many advantages. It’s cost-effective, reaches clients directly and super simple to get started with. Email marketing is also surprisingly easy to measure.
But, most importantly, the success can be enormous if done right.
Email Marketing works when done right
Some people say no one reads newsletters or emails, but they’re utterly wrong. Over 3.9 billion people use emails daily and the trend is rising. Emails are accessible, as 46% of users open their emails via their mobile. A whopping 59% of customers agree that marketing emails influence their purchase decision.
However, there are a few key points to consider for success:
– Real subscribers
– Consistency
– Valuable content & Personalisation
– CTA’s
Real subscribers and opt-in’s
Email marketing success is dependent on subscribers or receivers. If they haven’t given consent to be emailed, they’re probably not interested in your emails. They even have the right to report you for spamming, which comes at a high cost.
The best way to gain subscribers is via an opt-in on your website or social media account. The opt-in should be an irresistible trigger or some kind of freebie as per these examples by Active Campaign. Alternatively, you can ask existing customers to give you consent to email them.
Consistency is key
Once your subscribers have subscribed it is important to inform them about the frequency of your emails. This builds trust and shows that you are professional.
But how often should I send emails?
Consistency is the key. If you have enough content to talk about each week and are able to write the content as well, then send an email each week on the same day at the same time. However, if you don’t have the time, then perhaps only send a monthly newsletter.
Depending on the industry, you may send more than one newsletter per week. But bare in mind that these emails should be of value to your subscribers.
Valuable & personable content builds trust
As already mentioned, the content should be of interest to your subscribers and not an opportunity to sell every item under the sun.
Would you buy something from someone you don’t know?
Bianca Schwartpaul
It comes back to trust. If you only know someone via their online presence, it takes time to build trust, so make sure that the content in your emails underpins your knowledge and expertise.
Another great way to connect with people is to share a little about yourself and your story. People love to get to know you and by doing so, they gain trust.
If you know your subscribers first name, personalise your emails.
What is a CTA and why is it important?
A ‘call to action’ (CTA) should be included at the bottom of every marketing email so that the subscribers know what to do next.
It could be something as simple as responding to the email, thinking about or buying something. Without a CTA, the subscriber reads your email and carries on with something else but if they are encouraged to take any action, they are more likely to engage with your email.
Hubspot is a great resource for CTA ideas.
About the author
Schwartpaul is a Virtual Assistant and owner of B Thriven. She loves to alleviate some of the pressures small business owners face, with her main goal being to help them transform their businesses so they thrive effortlessly.
Her two main areas of expertise are Email Marketing and Social Media Management. For Email Marketing she uses the well-known platform Mailchimp. To find out more visit https://bthriven.com/.