Do you view email marketing as a prehistoric advertising method?
You couldn’t be further from the truth! You and your business are missing out on a crucial content marketing tool if you think this way.
But tread carefully because spamming the world isn’t the answer either. This is why you need to understand the dos and don’ts of email marketing.
So how do you find the middle ground between effective content marketing and annoying spam?
Following a few fundamental rules for email marketing.
We’ve crafted engaging content for various industries and learned a thing or two in the process. It turns out there are a few core rules you need to follow to harness this powerful tool successfully.
Join us as we explain how to turn your list of leads into customers through effective email marketing.
Key Takeaways
- Email marketing is a way to introduce a product or service to new customers, stay in contact with existing ones, and encourage action.
- Successful email marketing involves personal communication and considering the recipient’s perspective.
- Setting clear goals and targeting a specific audience are important for effective email marketing.
- Creating a strong subject line and maintaining a consistent tone and design are crucial for successful email campaigns.
- Testing, analyzing data, and making necessary adjustments can improve the effectiveness of email marketing efforts.
What is email marketing?
In its simplest form, email marketing is a way of introducing your product or service to new customers. It’s also an effective way of staying in contact with existing clients and letting them know about updates to your brand.
More importantly, it encourages your recipients to take action and directs potential leads to your website.
Over the years, email marketing has become an effective way to keep your brand at the forefront of recipients’ minds. And if you look at the stats, the popularity of this type of communication is only increasing.
Abuse this line of communication, and you run the risk of staining your business’s name and destroying any potential for new customers.
It’s tempting to buy mailing lists online and use email marketing to let everyone know about your brand. Those who’ve opted for this route instantly regret the decision as it opens the flood gates to angry responses.
The key to a successful campaign is communicating with customers on a personal level and putting yourself in their shoes. More specifically, you need to follow a few email marketing dos and don’ts.
9 dos and don’ts of email marketing
Are you ready to breathe new life into your product or service and become the authority figure in your industry?
Here are the nine dos and don’ts of email marketing we’ve learned over the years that can make or break a business’s name.
Set up some goals
Before you start putting together a creative email and come up with a catchy intro, you need to decide on your future email campaign’s goals. Besides, how will you measure success if you’re not aiming at anything?
The following are a few examples of the most popular goals for email marketing:
- Gain new subscribers: Let potential customers know about your brand and what you offer. It’s the first time you’re introducing yourself and often sets the tone for the relationship.
Rather than asking for a sale, you’re proposing to have the solution to a potential problem. You’ll also gain the reader’s attention.
- Encourage engagement: Are you aiming to make new sales or shine some light on your incredible services? The main focus is to drive traffic to your website, increase the click through rate, and have people interact with the content.
For example, email marketing blog topics can increase your authority in your industry.
- Offer value to existing clients: Do you offer anything extra to keep readers interested when they subscribe to your emails? The goal here is to let your clients know about all the additional benefits and valuable content they can access.
- Attract old customers: Got any new updates or changes to your services? With these effective email marketing campaigns, your goal is to boost traffic, reach your target audience, and bring old customers back.
It’s crucial to keep people in the loop, especially if a change to your product removes previously mentioned main points.
- Encourage engagement: Are you aiming to make new sales or shine some light on your incredible services? The main focus is to drive traffic to your website and have people interact with it.
For example, email marketing blog topics can increase your authority in your industry.
- Offer value to existing clients: Do you offer anything extra to readers who subscribe to your emails? The goal here is to let your clients know about all the additional benefits and content they can access.
- Attract old customers: Got any new updates or changes to your services? With these email marketing campaigns, your goal is to boost traffic and bring old customers back.
It’s crucial to keep people in the loop, especially if a change to your product removes previously mentioned pain points.
Who is your target market?
When it comes to the dos and don’ts of email marketing, targeting a specific audience rather than everyone and anyone is key.
Imagine how unprofessional you would look if you sent a message explaining what you do to an existing customer. Not only does it make your business look incompetent, but it could also lose you a client.
Figuring out your specific target market helps you structure your continent in a far more effective manner.
It also allows you to determine the optimal email marketing tone and pertinent information for the particular topic. After all, you need to demonstrate your knowledge and give the reader a reason to trust you.
Technology is your friend
There’s loads of powerful online software that assists with putting together an effective email marketing campaign. These tools provide useful features like analytics, automation, and integration between your CRM and subscriber database.
These applications can make your life much easier. They can create lists that target specific audiences, schedule drip messages, and keep tabs on potential customers.
While content still requires a personal touch, a streamlined application allows you to expand your business quickly while retaining your bespoke status.
Content is king
While there are a handful of vital dos and don’ts of email marketing, you shouldn’t ever overlook its contents. You must ensure everything that’s said is truthful and you’re able to support any claims made.
Use easily understandable language to maintain the attention of all your readers, especially customers new to your industry. It also allows you to get right to your point without having to explain any complex phrases.
The rise of email marketing has also brought about an explosion of spam to personal devices. Some words and promotional language trigger red flags and instantly send your message to the trash. Avoid using terms like:
- Congratulations
- Cancel at any time
- All new
- 100% free
- Earn money
- Act now
- Do it today
Make your content personal and address your reader by their name. Not only will this technique catch the eye of the subscriber, but it’ll also improve the chances they open the mail.
Remember to check everything multiple times before sending it off. A spelling or grammar mistake can easily ruin your image and message. If you’re not confident with writing, consider having a content writing agency like us craft engaging email marketing for you.
Size matters
Nobody wants to read an entire thesis to understand your sales pitch. Your customers are just as busy as you are, so respect their time by cutting to the chase. Keep email marketing content short and sweet.
You should always put yourself in your reader’s shoes before signing off on a campaign. The point is to catch their attention and make them want to read it.
Do your emails stir a bout of excitement and positive emotions when you read them? Do they make you want to whip out your wallet?
No? Then why would they have that effect on your readers?
Avoid adding any fluff to your email marketing. Rather direct the readers to learn more about a subject in a more detailed blog. This technique ensures your approach is straightforward and also drives traffic to your site organically.
Don’t smother your clients
Out of all the dos and don’ts of email marketing, nothing destroys a brand’s name more than spam.
Many startups fall victim to this mistake by inundating their subscribers and potential leads with copious amounts of emails. It’s all about maintaining a balance between patience and persistence.
Maintain email drip campaign best practices by separating messages and their follow-ups by a minimum of one week. Anything more, and you run the risk of someone reporting your email address as spam.
It’s also imperative that you add an unsubscribe option at the end of your email marketing messages. Not only is it a legal requirement in some countries, but it also prevents you from annoying a neutral party.
It’s not an art project
Did you know that too many images used in an email can severely delay its load time? By using a bunch of infographics and pictures, there’s a good chance you end up losing the interest of a potential client.
Some mobile devices even disable pictures to save data.
Like your content, the trick with email marketing campaigns is to keep them simple and easy to understand.
Don’t forget to ask
What good is acquisition email marketing if you don’t ask the reader to take action? It’s like giving out your business card without any of your contact details.
Pointless.
After describing an issue and offering an effective solution, always add a link to your product or service. Interested readers and potential customers can then navigate to your site and find out more. Avoid adding too many links.
Never sell out your customers
One of the fundamental email marketing dos and don’ts to practice, even after successful campaigns, is never to sell contact details. You’ve earned trust from your subscribers, and the last thing you want to do is betray them.
Selling your client’s email addresses is also illegal and can lead to a swarm of lawsuits and fines.
Tips for building an effective email campaign funnel
Besides utilizing our nine dos and don’ts of email marketing, there are a few extra steps you can take to increase your odds of success. It’s important to stay true to your brand’s identity and never use a shortcut or generic emails in the hopes of quick profits.
Below are some of the tips that have helped us build an effective email campaign funnel time and time again:
- Keep your message personal.
- Stay humble when it comes to your abilities.
- Don’t oversell and avoid adding too much information.
- Never buy or sell a leads sheet.
- Maintain email drip campaign best practices by not spamming subscribers.
- Don’t use automated software to send the same message to thousands of new clients.
- Use a writing agency like Grassroots Content to produce original emails with fresh content, according to your goals and target market.
- Always get a second pair of eyes to proofread your emails.
A sales funnel with a personal touch
Sticking to our dos and don’ts of email marketing ensures your brand gets the recognition it deserves. These guidelines help you build and maintain a personal connection with your customers and make them feel special.
Successful future campaigns rely on your human touch and understanding, not an automated robot. You’ve got to target the right audience with pertinent information that’s easily digestible and holds their attention.
Contact us if you’d like some help putting together and executing a successful email marketing strategy that drives up your sales and site traffic.
