Recently, I've heard a few people say email is dead. They are wrong.
Even in the world of overflowing inboxes, it is still worth your time to reach out to your customers through email.
Email campaigns are an effective way to provide value, connect with your customers, and share more about your business. With an email campaign, you are sending out marketing content on a specific schedule with the intention of increasing your customer’s awareness, trust, and interest in your business.
As our team at Rough Draft Solutions starts to dig into our email campaign strategy, we thought we’d share some tips!
11 Dos and Don'ts for Your Next Email Campaign
1. Do take advantage of the opportunity to personalize your message.
Since the content isn’t published on a public page or site, you can cater messages to each of your customers’ needs. Tell stories, ask questions, get personal. Here are some tips on how to walk the line between being professional and personable!
2. Don’t be late.
If someone subscribes, don’t wait a month before you send something. By that point, your potential customer will have forgotten about you and what you can do for them. Keep their interest while you have it. We suggest setting up automated systems so they get a message or a freebie right away!
3. Do keep the content of your messages relevant.
Make sure the information in your messages is tailored to the needs and interests to your customers. Ask yourself if the content is worth reading. If you’re sharing info about your business, make sure it is clear, concise, and focused! Don’t clutter your customers’ inboxes with junk.
4. Don’t forget to have a goal.
Make sure you have a goal for each email message as well as your overall campaign. What do you want your readers to do? Download something? Sign up for a webinar? Call you? Whatever it is, make it very clear and easy for your customers to see and do! And don’t worry, you don’t have to have a full-fledged marketing team to come up with the right goals!
5. Do use hyperlinks.
Connect your clients to your business in more than one way! Make sure you make it easy for your subscribers to learn more about your business by providing links to your social media accounts, website, and blog. Don’t hesitate to point them to where they can find additional information!
6. Don’t make your messages very long.
There is a difference between an email campaign and an online newsletter. An email campaign is designed to be a quick message that delivers a bit of value and keeps you on your customer’s mind.
7. Do provide your contact information.
It would be silly to provide all sorts of valuable information and forget to sign your name! Make it easy for your customers to contact you and get in touch.
8. Don’t forget to test it out before you send it out.
Test trials are crucial to a successful email campaign. They are the best way to catch formatting mistakes before it’s sent out to your entire clientele. Pay attention to the details! Check your message on your phone, iPad, and computer.
9. Don’t forget to proofread.
Test trials can detect formatting mistakes, but grammar errors and typos can only be noticed if you take the time to proofread. Don’t be sloppy. Make sure your message is error free! (Here are some blog posts with our best grammar tips!)
10. Do spend time analyzing your results.
It wouldn’t make sense to invest in an email campaign if you aren’t going to track your results. Make sure you know how many people are opening your message, forwarding it to friends, and reading it consistently. As the girls at Think Creative Collective say, be sure to tweak & repeat! (Tweak what’s not working and repeat what is!)
11. Don’t get discouraged.
It might take a bit of time for your email campaign to take off. But don’t worry, all of your hard work will pay off. Literally! Focus on being personable, relevant, and helpful and you will be amazed at the response you get!
So what do you think, will you try your hand at email campaigns? What are you most concerned with in regards to getting started? What kind of content do you think will provide the most value?
Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas on how businesses can improve their next email campaigns in the comments below!
Need help with creating the content for your email campaign? We've got you covered!
