Putting Life Back to Your Email Campaigns
You’re looking at the email campaign analytics one day, and notice that your subscribers are barely interested on what you’re sending them. Only a small number of clicks registered, with not much traffic coming to your blog or website. Some subscribers choose not to receive emails anymore and new members are not forthcoming.
It’s time to liven up your email campaigns! Here are some ways you can increase your subscribers and make your existing ones more involved:
1. Solicit feedback and study the comments.
When thinking how to make your emails refreshing, conduct a survey with your subscribers. Ask them what they like and dislike about your emails. Data gathered from these questions can help you find what’s lacking in your campaigns. Call a meeting with your staff. Request feedback about the answers taken from your subscribers. Discussing new strategies with your staff will help you think of ways to make your content more interesting and engage your subscribers, too. Engage in brainstorming sessions and offer incentives for those who generate the most original and feasible ideas. This will spur healthy and friendly competition, as well as make you closer as a team.
2. Follow the leader.
It also helps to take examples from leading veterans on email campaigns. Subscribe to their newsletters with your personal email address and examine the content closely. Determine what elements specially attract you to click the links. It might be the attractive colors, well-designed graphics, the catchy subject line headers or the intriguing article titles. Pay close attention to how the content was presented. What style do you think will be most effective? Adopt the basics you think will work on your own content. Don’t copy everything you see! The techniques they use may not apply to your own situation; what’s worse is it will make your emails look like copies.
3. Experiment and evolve with new formulas.
When something doesn’t work anymore, it’s time for a change. Don’t be afraid to try new things. It’s up to you if you want to introduce changes first or do a complete overhaul of your emails. Ask your subscribers whether they like the new tweaks. Show them a link where they can key in their comments, reactions, and further suggestions. This will help you know whether your new strategy is effective or not. If your latest technique doesn’t work out, don’t be discouraged. This is a trial-and-error period for your campaigns. Whatever results you gain help you and your staff learn more about your target audience, their preferences and what attracts their attention. Putting what you discerned from your experiment will turn out more customized email campaigns for your subscribers.
4. Renew relationships with your email service provider (ESP).
Commercial ESPs provide email servers that allow users to send bulk email to their subscribers. Additional features may include receiving or storing messages. Reviewing any policy changes on your contract with your current ESP will enable you to see if you can request other features you may need. Inquire if you are eligible for spam testing, email customization, and more. This will make you more efficient in sending email and finding out whether your non-responding subscribers have marked your messages as spam.
5. Review the basics of email marketing.
OK, let’s face it. You’ve been performing email marketing for a long time, and might have forgotten some basic email rules. Test your skills and your staff with a random email marketing review. Explain your goal so they will not be confused on why you want them to test their working knowledge. This can evolve to a bonding session with the team, and don’t forget to offer rewards for the highest performer.
6. Keep your emails short and sweet.
A long email is a detriment to email marketing strategies. Keep in mind that your subscribers generally have low attention span and boredom threshold. They will not pay sufficient attention to content longer than 4-5 paragraphs, no matter how interesting your article is. Keep your email copy snappy and concise. Make at least three short paragraphs with the first one indicating why the subscriber should try this product so-and-so. The second paragraph will serve as your ‘call to action’ piece to encourage the subscriber to reply through call or email to inquire.
7. Use a personal tone.
Establish a rapport with your subscribers using a personal tone. Write as if you’re speaking to them in a conversation, and not as if they’re facing you in front of a stage. This will make them feel that they can approach or reply to you in a friendly way. Be careful, though, of sounding too personal like assuming things like, “This is perfect for your little ones,” or “Make your life better and happier with these suggestions…” This type of personal statements can turn off subscribers and make you come across as presumptuous.
Making subscribers feel happy to see an email from you is an integral part of email marketing. Do your best to maintain their subscription with beautifully presented and finely written content. Keep your emailing skills sharp and up to date with engaging articles.
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