If you are just starting out on your online business or your online coaching journey, then you’ve probably already been presented with multiple sources of evidence about the effectiveness of email marketing. But chances are that these sources are written by people who have something to gain from email marketing or email software.
I’m not that person. The truth is, email marketing is hard, and most of it gets deleted before it gets read. But that’s not to say you shouldn’t do it. It’s simply to say that you should take the time and effort to do it well.
With that in mind, I’ve got some hard-won secrets from pros around the web of tactics and strategies that have the potential to take your email marketing from the trash to the “must open” list.
Imagery
Since the first recorded human languages were based on cave paintings on walls and hieroglyphs on pyramids in Egypt, it’s probably not surprising that our brains are hard-wired for images. Images result in better email campaigns. It’s been proven time and time again. For brands like Patagonia or DJI (the “Apple” of aerial drone companies) this gives them a clear advantage: a library of beautiful, compelling imagery to use in their emails.
But even for other brands, well-chosen, professional images can give your email marketing a unique branding element. Does it take time to find these images? Yep. Is it worth it? Absolutely.
Personalization
If you know your subscribers’ names, then you need to be using them in email subject lines. This simple act can have more impact than any other single tactic. A high-quality email marketing client or customer relationship management (CRM) platform will help you do this effortlessly. If you don’t know subscriber names, that’s ok; you can still personalize by location, local holiday, event or even sporting team. Anything that increases familiarity will get you noticed.
Calls to Action
A call to action is the most important part of the email, and often the one that is done the most poorly. This single thing is the way you build the bridge from the inbox of your recipient to your website or business. A useful trick to get great calls to action is to start with your desired action and work backwards from there to the rest of your email. So, if your call to action is to get people to your website, then your email could be “Seven of the best strategies to boost your email productivity”. The email itself could contain the first four, with the call to action to your website being “to see the final three, head on over to MyWebsite.com”.
A high-quality CRM software tool will help you manage your email marketing and mailing list in a way that can turn it into a business asset that generates leads and sales. One that I would have no problem recommending is Active Campaign, which is simple, responsive, and professional. With my link, you can access a 14-day trial, so have a look at what it can do for you today.
