5 Steps to Successful Email Marketing
I’m posting this article PR Web sent over because looking at my email inbox right now I can see a lot of musicians & e-blast companies need improvement in this area. Not only do you need a good blast program like Mad Mimi or Fan Reach, you also need the know-how. In addition to the following tips, here are a few catch phrases to avoid using in email subject lines unless you’re aiming to land your email blast straight in the trash/spam folder:
ANYTHING IN ALL CAPS – you might as well be typing in invisible font if you use all caps – nobody sees it. ALL CAPS is also extremely unprofessional and you’ll come across as an amateur.
“New Music” – There’s so much “new music” in my inbox daily I’d rather you tell me there’s “No New Music” in this email. I might actually open it then. This also applies to “Download Now”, “Click Here to Download”, “Brand New Artist”, etc. Anything similar to these words are automatically viewed as spam.
“Must Read” – You shouldn’t have to say something is a must-read – interesting subject content will grab people’s attention and make them want to read. Take a few minutes and come up with a catchy title, and better yet, only send content people genuinely want to read. Show don’t tell.
“Looking for Help” – unless you’re emailing the Red Cross, nobody cares if you need help. Plus this just sounds like one of those “send me all your personal & bank info and we’ll send you a check” scams.
Anything with curse words – keep it professional folks.
5 Steps to Successful Email Marketing:
1. Create a Plan –
- Know the goal of your email BEFORE you send. Who are you trying to reach and with what information?
- Get to know your audience. Are you talking to customers or prospects? Are you reaching out to industry experts and peers, or to followers of your brand? What do they already know? Why would they want to hear from your brand?
- Be purposeful. When you know who you’re talking to, the goal of the campaign becomes clear. Are you rewarding existing customers with a special deal or promotion? An introductory offer may be your route, for example.
2. Build a Contact List
Get permission. To avoid being relegated to the spam folder, get permission to send email. Include sign-up buttons on your webpage or put a sign-up book out if you have a store location. Use incentives to get customers to sign up.
Set up auto-responders. These can welcome people to your list, send out birthday reminders and special offers that go out on specific days.
Keep your list up to date.
Segment your list. You can divide it geographically, demographically, or by purchase activity for greater relevancy.
3. Craft your Message and Image
Keep your message simple. Get to the point, and quickly.
Be yourself. Write as if you’re having a conversation, and don’t be afraid to let the personality of your brand shine through!
Put your company name in the “From” field.
Use a compelling subject line. Avoid using all caps and phrases like “Click Here!” or your message will go straight to spam.
Check your formatting. Check that everything appears as you’re expecting in the body of the email by sending a test email to yourself.
Have a clear call to action. What do you want the reader to do? Tell them, and then make it easy for them to do it!
4. Hit ‘Send’ (after doing your homework)
Experiment with timing. Ideal timing of your messages will vary depending on your business and customers, so finding your groove may take some test runs.
Be consistent in frequency. As a rule, don’t overdo it so that people feel like they’re being stalked, but don’t go for months without sending an email.
5. Analyze and Improve!
Track your results. This is essential to making each email campaign more effective than the last.
Test to identify what works. Vary your subject lines, send time, and frequency to find what works best for your brand and customers. Test one variable at a time.
Don’t measure everything at once. Three straightforward measurements to start with are bounces, open rates, and click rates.
Benchmark against yourself. Compare your results to your own previous campaigns, not to competitors or industry averages.
Look for trends. Identifying trends in your data will point you towards what is connecting with your audience.
