You already know that content marketing has changed over time, but what hasn’t changed over time is the presence of email marketing. Remaining steadfast as ever, email marketing is still one of the strongest tools you have to hit your target market. Email marketing generates 50% more sales than anything else.
But the chances are you’re doing it wrong. Most companies are doing it wrong, and it’s all down to a few simple mistakes. The sad thing is most companies don’t even realize that they are sabotaging themselves.
If you’re going to pump up your digital spending this year, here are some things to get in order before you start to throw money at the problem.
Segmentation is Second to Godliness
Okay, this may be a slight exaggeration, but it comes pretty close. You have a big email list and you’re ready to start a big campaign. But what you really should be doing is segmenting your email list and cutting the number of people you’re sending each campaign to.
Most businesses have a generalized audience that needs to be shaved down. Not everything is going to be relevant to every subscriber on that list. And if you keep sending messages that people don’t care about they are going to just unsubscribe. The effects of list segmentation on your conversion rates are unbelievable.
Power Words are Not as Powerful as You Think
The old world of Internet marketing was one where you yelled at people to click on this or open that. Conversion rates weren’t that important because the goal was simply to hit as many people as possible. But times have changed and this is no longer going to win you any fans.
Forget about inserting as many power words into your subject line as possible. Yelling at someone to open your email will get it thrown into the spam folder. Concentrate on informative subject lines. Tell them what your email is all about so they can make a decision whether to click.
In fact, don’t just forget about power words forget about anything that the Internet marketing brigade of yesteryear came up with.
Where are You Getting Your Subscribers From?
And there’s another thought that not enough companies consider. They don’t think about where they are getting their subscribers from. All they want is a huge mailing list that they can throw around with a grin on their faces. But a big email list doesn’t matter. It’s how you use it that matters.
Think about where your subscribers are coming in from. If you’re pulling them in from ill-fated social media campaigns, or even worse buying them, you’re putting yourself in a bad spot.
Remember that if a subscriber doesn’t open your mails they have no place on your list. And with most mailing list platforms charging you based on the number of subscribers you have it’s really costing you money. This is not a victimless action.
Optimize for Email Not Just For Websites
Listening to someone go on and on about why you need mobile optimization for your small business has gotten tiresome. And so it should have because not enough people are doing it. But optimization is not just about your website it’s about your emails. You should be working with an email provider that converts your campaigns into mobile-friendly campaigns.
The rise of mobile means most people are using mobile devices and they are still going to be accessing your emails from their mobile devices. Nothing gets someone to unsubscribe faster than an email that doesn’t open just because you’re trying to access it on your iPhone.
Now What Happens?
So you’ve got a great email that you think your email list is just going to love. That’s great and they may very well love it, but that’s not the end of the story. Think about what happens after they read that email. Do they just close it down and go on with their day?
Of course not. It has to take you somewhere. You should have a great call to action at the bottom of every email. It should be part of your sales funnel. Every email should send the user to something else. This can be to a product page, a blog, or even to another list where they have the chance to sign up.
It’s up to you but you have to send them somewhere.
On a side note, don’t try to send them to multiple places at once. Multiple calls to action will only lead to confusion. And the chances are they’re going to do neither. Keep everything focused.
Last Word
These tips will help you to get the most from your email marketing campaigns. What do you think is the biggest mistake you can make with an email marketing campaign?
