Industry experts still maintain that email marketing is a really effective way to keep in touch and engage with your contacts. It’s a vital part of any business marketing toolkit, but which dedicated email marketing platform is the best?
If only there were a simple answer to that question! Especially as the number of applications seems to increase each time I research the market and, as competition is fierce, they all have different features to promote.
So, you may ask, if starting with email marketing is so confusing, why should I bother?
Shouldn’t I just keep posting to social media instead?
The short answer is no!
Or certainly do both as email marketing is another pillar to add to any business marketing plan. Just think, the information you will send by email can be re-purposed and posted to social media too!
The ever-changing algorithms introduced by the social media providers means it’s difficult to keep-up and ensure your posts are actually being seen. Also remember, you don’t control access to your followers and could lose them if the social media platform is shut down, or your account is blocked.
When you email your contacts, you have full control of your subscriber database, what updates you send to them and when. These people, your audience, fans even, have chosen to give you their email address so are interested in the information you share. If-not, they will unsubscribe, but don’t worry if they do! Just think, you really don’t want subscribers who are not interested in your content, so let them go. A few really engaged followers on your list is so much better.
Which is the best email marketing platform for my business?
Your particular requirements are specific to you, but you do need to identify which features are important for your business and it helps to have a goal in-mind. If you’re really serious about growing your list, then it may be best to opt-for a paid plan from the outset, one with all the features you will need to manage a large audience. This will also avoid the necessity, and potential hassle, of transferring your data and contacts from one platform to another at a later date.
A great resource for reviewing the various email marketing applications is the free comparison tool at – https://www.emailtooltester.com
The blog on the Email Tool Tester website provides some comprehensive platform reviews and comparisons between the applications too!
Or, download my FREE guide on:
‘How to Choose the Best Email Marketing Application’
What information should you share with your contacts?
- What do you like to read, to receive in your inbox?
- Which newsletters do you look forward to receiving?
- Which have you unsubscribed from and why?
- What do these emails have in common?
While you’re researching providers, learning how to use the platform and setting-up email templates etc begin to take note of the messages you are receiving. There’s no reason why you can’t learn from others if you’re struggling for ideas. However, never plagiarise and copy content directly, but do adapt topics for your own business and write about these in your own style.
Remember that you are developing or maintaining a meaningful relationship with your contacts. They trusted you with their email address in exchange for receiving great information and answers to their questions.
Some topics and ideas for emails are:
- your story and information about your business
- a look behind the scenes
- detailed information about the products your sell
- hints and tips relevant to the services you provide
- share one really useful tip per message
- ask questions and compile answers from the responses received
- testimonials and product or user reviews
- details about the favourite apps you use and why
- a summary of any news or articles featured at length on your blog
- notifications and links to expert interviews and guest articles
- produce step-by-step tutorials, or a link to instructional videos
- list articles such as 12 tips to [insert your subject here]
- pertinent updates relevant to your sector or profession, details of new legislation etc
- create curated content from the web, or a round-up of links to other blogs and articles
- send notices for upcoming holidays, your own, national and public
- announce anniversary celebrations and special offers.
Google for ideas and check out the blogs of the various email marketing platforms.
Consider investing in a resource such as Raelyn Tan’s toolkit of 204 ideas for emails, which is great value for the price: https://happysubscriberstoolkit.com
Keep a record of ideas that either pop into your head, or that you see on other websites. Jot down in a Google doc or note in Trello. It’s a good idea to use a content planning calendar anyway, to keep track of your blogs and posts.
How often should I email?
I did watch a webinar where the experts stated that daily emails were the best, however, personally I feel that’s too often. I often unsubscribe if I’m receiving too many messages, but perhaps an update every day may work well for you and your business.
There’s no hard and fast rule, other than, once you start, do be consistent. Whether monthly, weekly or daily, ensure you send your email on a regular basis. Perhaps a particular day of the week is best for your followers, or you plan to be creative and send Monday Motivation; Tuesday Tips; Wednesday Words; Thursday Tech or Friday Fun updates etc… We’ve all seen these!
Don’t discount a weekend either. A particular virtual assistant trainer sends out newsletters on a Saturday as most of her audience are in full-time employed work, but with a desire to start a business. Therefore, the weekend is the best time to catch the attention of her audience as they are not at work so have more opportunity to read these informational emails in their spare time.
How should I structure my emails?
Unless you’re selling products, don’t include too many images, certainly no-more than a third of the total space. Keep it simple. There are many variables to how the format of emails will be seen, depending on which software has been used to create and send the message, the recipient email client used (Outlook & Gmail etc) and the device used to view (PC, tablet or phone etc). Some people (like me) have their system set-up not to automatically view pictures and so choose whether to do-so, whilst images may take too much time to download to a smartphone when not connected to Wifi. Do complete the alternative text for all images so the description is visible, even when the pic isn’t showing.
A different expert advised that even the header image is unnecessary, especially if just showing a logo and not being sent from a large company. There’s also strong evidence that plain text updates work well too, but avoid composing over-long messages. Remember that people have a tendency to skim-read so too much text together may be quickly glossed-over.
Use the drag and drop builder in your chosen application to create different blocks with a headline and short summary. Numbered or bullet points also work well. Change the background colour too to break-up the content segments, but do keep to a palette of just a few colours. Don’t be tempted to use too many fonts or coloured text either as this can look messy and unprofessional. Maintain continuity by selecting a suitable shade from your brand for call-to-action hyper-linked text that diverts to an external site. Be creative if using buttons and don’t settle for the default ‘Download’ or ‘Click Here’. Check the statistics after sending to ascertain which links were the most popular and accessed the most.
Don’t attach files to the message or embed videos. Use a screenshot image of your video and provide a clickable link to external online storage or an appropriate site instead.
Choose a sender name that your readers will recognise, usually your own or business name, and a subject line that piques their interest, without being too salesy or spammy! Producing a good subject line is a science in itself, but the main email providers often cover this topic and provide guidelines in their blogs.
Alternatively, try a subject line generator such as:
https://sendcheckit.com/email-subject-line-tester
or
What if I don’t have a list of contacts?
Be patient as list building is an ongoing and potentially long process. We all have to start somewhere, but don’t be tempted to buy a list of emails. You need engaged followers, so a small audience who are interested in you and your business is far better than lots of people who will likely just unsubscribe. Remember too, that most email marketing platforms charge by the number of contacts you have, so an uninterested list may well be costing you.
Note that to adhere to GDPR, you do need express permission to add a contact to your mailing list. Receiving a business card at a networking meeting doesn’t provide authority to go home and just add that contact to your audience! Send a personal follow-up message and ask if they would like to receive your regular news and updates.
Ensure your chosen email marketing platform integrates with your website and create a newsletter sign-up form to include GDPR permissions. Even-better, produce a lead magnet to encourage people to provide their email address in exchange for a useful free download. Lead magnets include checklists, FAQs, guides, white-papers and e-books which can quickly be created in Word, Google Docs or Canva, then saved to PDF.
Promote the freebie everywhere! On your website, in social media posts and also provide the link in your social media profiles and header images. Spend a little time researching other ideas as many online entrepreneurs provide information on list-building.
Keep in regular contact with your audience
Once your new follower has signed-up to your newsletter, or downloaded their freebie, they will expect to hear more from you. This is where consistency in sending regular emails is necessary. Streamline this process by creating an initial welcome sequence of a few messages to be sent out automatically, over a few days or weeks, once the sign-up has been made.
Go for it!
Block out some time to compose an email and send it. Or, get-ahead and write a few messages at once, then batch schedule them in your email marketing platform to send at a regular time each week or month.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need any support with your email marketing.