Email Marketing Tips
I have been learning about email marketing lately and here are a few tips for you!
#1What do you think email marketing is really about? Why do we send emails to our audience?
The primary purpose of your email should either to
● Update
● Educate
● Engage
Your audience
Emails are the tools we use to deliver time-sensitive and relevant information to the audience.
A recipient should always have some context- why they are receiving a particular email. If the information is not time-sensitive, they will procrastinate opening the email and eventually forget about it.
Should the copy be long or short?
● A short copy clearly states the purpose of an email in a couple of sentences and has a sense of urgency.
Eg:
Hi
I've recently published my book on the Wiccan creed. You can have a chance to avail a free copy within the next 24 hours if you sign up here!
GET ONE HERE
Thanks! -
● A long copy is educational/information. It educates your audience about what they
will get as a result of availing your offer/reading your email.
Eg:
Hi
I'm sure that you already know about me publishing my first book last month. If you don't, no worries! I have got you covered.
I have been thinking about writing my own first book ever since I was 16. Last year, I finally took a break from work, sat down, spent many nights writing my first draft of my book "The Wiccan Creed" and guess what, my editor hated it! It broke my heart. She suggested about 300 edits. I didn't give up! I knew I had the potential. So I took another 6 months and made all the edits she needed. You know what! It made the book 15x better!
I also went an extra mile to make this book a bit more accessible to you. By signing up here, you have a chance to win a free copy within the next 24 hours!
If you have been fascinated with Wicca ever since you were a little girl like me, or you live in a family of witches, or even if you just want to explore what witchcraft really is, you need to buy this book now!
Trust me! I have used every single card in the deck to make this book the best one you will ever read on this subject.
BUY NOW
What you'll learn from this book?
What is the Wiccan Rede?
Who came up with it?
What does it imply?
Does it limit you or empower you?
How relevant is it in your craft?
How understanding the true meaning can change your practice for good?
Click here to stand a chance to win a free copy within the next 24 hours!
Love,
What works? Long or Short?
Both!
Always mix things up!
Regardless of the length, the quality of the copy should always be the best you can write.
If you're not in the right frame of mind to write, take a break and try again.
● No one wants to read a 5000 word essay in the emails. Always be precise.
Many people don't like reading long copies. They just skim through their emails. While, others want to know what you really are offering when they read a copy intended to sell something.
They want to know if there's a catch involved. The purpose of an e-mail is to reach and appeal to as many people as possible. Always experiment with the length of your copy.
#3 What really gets someone to open an email?
I used to think "Subject lines".
But I just learnt it's not what really gets someone to open an email.
Then, what is it?
TRUST!!
A recipient is more likely to open an email if they recognize who it's from.
● Always keep your own name/nickname as the sender's name.
Even Hubspot uses "Michelle from Hubspot Academy" in the sender's name to show that the sender is an actual person, not a machine.
Avoid using emails like donotreply@gmail.com.
Keep with email copy and design consistent with your branding.
● Always use an email header something that readers will recognize eg: your logo. And, end an email with your signature style. Use your photo, or signature as a footer.
● Your emails should be relevant to your niche.
Eg: if your business is about shamanism, your headlines and/or email copy should not be about free shoes. Your reader will probably think that the email is spam.
#4 Top 5 Subject Line Best Practices
After a receiver checks the sender of the email, they usually read the subject line.
A SUBJECT LINE DOESN'T NEED TO BE CLEVER. IT NEEDS TO BE RELEVANT TO THE
RECEIVER.
1. Address the reader
It needs to address one of the receiver's concerns. If your list has hundreds or thousands of people, try to segment them.
Segmentation can be done based on
● Their age
● Demographics
● Income and budget
● Interests
● What they find entertaining
● The content they engage with/respond to the most
● Which of the lead magnets they have signed up to.
As I mentioned in the beginning, we use emails to deliver relevant and time-sensitive messages. For example, you can make specific campaigns to address different line ups, portal or astrological events to give them the information about each event. This way, they will be more prompted to read the message because they need the information.
● If you talk about the spiritual meaning of the fall in summer months, hardly anyone will read that.
To create relevant emails, you need to do your market research, interview people about their concerns (or check what people want on social media) and what they think they need to tackle with the issue. Even if you think you know better based on your expertise, always address what they think first.
2. Personalize the email
People are more likely to open the emails that directly address them.
Try to use their first name in subject lines and at multiple places in the copy.
Many email marketing tools will have the option to do that. Personalization can be done based on the segments of your list.
3. Use action and power words
Your headlines should inspire your audience to read.
Eg: ● How To Celebrate Samhain?
VS
3 Empowering Ways To Celebrate Samhain
● 11/11 Portal Message
VS
11/11- Your Life Can Change Today! Here's how!
● Are you a gifted telepath?
VS
Easily Send A Telepathic Message To Your Soulmate Today!
Consider using a headline analyser for your subject lines!
Also test your subject lines as often as you can!
4. Be specific and consistent
Your subject line offers what your email copy delivers.
Instead of using generic subject lines (which may also lead to your email ending up in spam folders), be as specific as you can.
For eg:
● I have a surprise for you!
VS
My Halloween costume will make your jaw drop!
People are too busy to care about the surprise. But, they definitely want to see you wearing a funny costume.
Also, your costume should be the main highlight for the email. If the discussion about your costume doesn't last after the first 50 words and you continue to ramble about the product line you want to launch on Halloween(unless you're wearing your product lol), people will not read the rest of the email. It's not what they clicked on the email for.
5. Be clear and brief
If your subject line is too long, it will get cut off(specially in mobile phones, where most people
will find your email). Stick to 90-150 characters.
● Your subject line needs to clearly summarize the purpose of the email.
● If it's persuasive but click-baity, the reader may click, but they will feel cheated and will
not read the email. Your open rates may be high but click through rates will be very low.
#5 Who is the sender?
1. The sender's name should be the one that readers recognize.
2. Your reader should feel that the message is from an actual human being, not a bot/machine.
3. Your name will personalize the conversation.
4. Include your pic/signature/nickname on the bottom of the email and your brand name and logo on the top.
5. Make sure that you reply back when people respond to your emails. It will boost your engagement.
#6 What makes a good email design?
Your color choices/email template should be consistent with the rest of your branding strategy. If you use pastel colors in your social media copy, make sure you use the same color scheme in the email.
Images in a copy should be consistent with the content. If you're promoting an ebook, you should include an image of the cover page or a video unboxing the package.
Keep the design should be as simplistic as possible. Your design should support your copy, not try to compensate for a bad copy.
● The design shouldn't be very complicated or it wouldn't load in your reader's phone. No one wants to see a bunch of hidden elements or images/videos that wouldn't load.
#7 Personalized Content
Your email copy should not give a speech to a diverse audience. It should directly address your buyer's persona/customer avatar.
1. Do some market research about what your audience wants. Participate in facebook groups and reddit communities to see what people are actually talking about regarding your area of expertise. Check what people message you THE MOST about. Always address what people who fit your customer avatar think, what bothers them, what they think about and what they think needs help. Make sure to be clear about the purpose of each email.
2. Mention why the email is relevant to the readers in the first paragraph to make sure you get quality leads.
3. Use their names using the software you use as often as you can.
4. Develop content and campaigns based on your segmented list. Try not to send the same copy to your entire audience, unless necessary.
#8 What is your value proposition?
Your value proposition justifies why a buyer should consider investing their time/money in your company.
Make sure to mention your valuable proposition in the first two sentences of your email.
1. Address what you offer and what difference it will make in the reader's life.
2. Why should they click the links you have included in the email?
3. Include statistical facts that they can verify easily. Statistics tell your audience that you have done your homework before sending them an email. Make sure that you are not just making up the numbers. If they can verify what you are saying from trusted sources, it will improve your credibility.
4. Provide context. Mention what prompted you to craft the email they are reading. This will help them get on the same page as you.
#9 How to easily write effective CTA?
I used to think that a CTA was about using persuasive words. Again, it's about if you're linking to something that your audience wants.
1. Always do the research about what product/service/resource is relevant to your readers at any given time.
You will be easily able to identify which of your products is relevant to your audience based on your primary research about what people actually want to talk about.
Make sure to make clear CTA.
Eg: ● Click here
VS
Click here to avail a 30% discount on your next purchase.
● Buy Now
VS
Buy your copy of my new book and stand a chance to win a personalized note from me!
2. Always include a CTA early in the email so people who don't like long copies can engage with you.
3. Your buttons should always be bold and distinct. If your background is blue, the button needs to be red. Always use warm colors in your email buttons to encourage your audience to click on them.
4. Your button copy shouldn't be very long. Always use action words in your buttons. Communicate what people will get when they click on the button in 2-3 sentences prior to the button. Make this text bold.
5. AN EMAIL SHOULD HAVE ONLY ONE CTA. Send separate emails if you have more than one purpose of sending the email. Including multiple offers in one email will only confuse your audience.
6. If you have a secondary offer, it should always complement the primary one. If your email copy is about finding a soulmate, don't include a weight loss course as a secondary offer. It's just not relevant to the audience reading the email. Perhaps, make a separate email about why weight issues are making the audience feel unwanted.
#10 The last section of your email: Social Share, Privacy Policy & The option to Unsubscribe
1. Always encourage people to follow you on your social media. Mention your social media handles in your copy.
2. Towards the end, always include a link to privacy policy so people will know what you are using their emails for. If you're emailing someone for the first time, even if they willingly signed up to be on your list, include a button for them which they can click to read your privacy policy. Make sure that they trust your right from the beginning.
3. People should always have the option to opt-out of receiving emails for you. Otherwise, you're breaking the CAN SPAM regulations, and can be liable to paying a fine. An opt-out option will also help your readers feel safe while reading your email.
You can also be creative about giving them an option to opt-out. Internshala (a company that lists internships for Indian students) uses: "Not keen on career commitments? Unsubscribe"
Something I have also seen people use is "Want to break up with me/us? Unsubscribe here"
Try leaving a similar note that people will find tok cute/interesting to go against and unsubscribe.
Also give them the option to manage their preferences instead.