Email Marketing Tips
So now that you've signed up for newsletter software, what do you want to do with it?
Do you...
Want to cultivate existing customer relationships?
*Never stop letting customers know that they're appreciated.
*Surveys show that you care about their opinions.
*Allow subscribers to contribute to your newsletter.
*Do periodic contests, giveaways.
*Mention clients and their successes with your product; link to their websites.
Want to build your customer base?
*Jump on every opportunity to grow your list (with permission, of course).
*Always have a "forward to a friend" option.
*Create word-of-mouth buzz about your newsletter in and out of the office.
*Highlight your successes tastefully in some of your newsletter articles.
*Start a referral program.
Want to be viewed as an expert in your field?
*Write enewsletter articles that speak to your expertise. If you SHOW someone how credible you are, you shouldn't have to tell them.
*Build a resource center on your website or blog with interesting, informative articles and white papers.
*Make your newsletter archives searchable on the web. Most newsletter software programs, including MNB, allow you to publish to the web.
Before sending out an e-newsletter, do you make a list of the things you wish to accomplish with your message? Defining your goals beforehand will help you lay out a structured course of action for each email marketing campaign, allowing your subscribers to easily follow a clear path that brings them through to your end goal.
Know in advance the actions you wish your readers to take, and frame that path with compelling content. Whether you're using your newsletter to provide readers with information, be it in the form of white papers or case studies, or you are promoting a new product to drive online sales, each message will be formulated much differently--from start to finish--depending on your goals. The subject lines, the content and the call to action buttons can take many different forms based on what you wish to get out of your campaign.
The call to action is a link or a button that tells subscribers what they need to do to take advantage of some offer detailed within the email. While a call to action is pretty straightforward, the page that it links to must be optimized so that the reader reaches the information promised quickly and easily. Simply linking a call to action button to your home page usually isn't good enough, unless the offer is detailed right there.
When someone clicks on your call to action, you have their undivided attention. If they have to look for the info on your site, they will probably leave instantly. Don't force them to dig around--put it right in their face. The landing page should reiterate the offer in the call to action, providing further details if necessary. At this point, it should be a walk in the park for the subscriber to reach the end goal of making a purchase, downloading a file, contacting a representative, etc.
While the focus of a call to action landing page should remain on the offer, the page should also link back to your site's home page. Try not to clog your landing page with additional offers and information that distract readers from the original purpose. Such distractions could lead them astray, causing them to leave your website entirely.
Defining a structured course of action prior to sending out your e-newsletter allows you to design a clear pathway for your recipients to follow to your end goals. Do this and you will likely see an increase in open, click-through, and conversion rates.
Occasionally, we'll use this blog to discuss industry-specific email marketing techniques. This week, we're focusing on real estate--an industry that, due to the subprime mortgage mess and housing slump, is in a state of peril. Now more than ever, it's important to aim for e-newsletter superiority. Your agency probably has lots of beautiful houses for sale, right? Yeah, well, so does every other real estate firm. How can you use your e-newsletter to set your business apart from countless others?
Here are a few tips...
* Provide a custom-tailored housing catalog. Don't cut corners by merely promoting your top listings. Highlight the homes valued within each recipient's price range. If you really want results, segment your lists based on your subscribers' preferred features, amenities, neighborhoods, etc. Give them what they want, rather than providing a general list of properties that mean nothing to them.
* When prospective customers are serious about purchasing a home, give them a reason to contact YOU over all of the other agents in your area. Show them how you will get them into a new home faster, cheaper and smoother. Once you convince them to contact you, make it easy for them to do so.
* It's OK to use your newsletter as a listing catalog, but make sure you add value with other information as well. Include buyers' and sellers' tips, and perhaps a look at real estate news in your area, as well as nationwide. Deliver interesting and informative content that is going to assure readers that you're a leader in your industry AND you're not just trying to drive a sell.
* Provide insight into the seller's perspective. How can you get them out of their current home fast and at a desirable price? What will you do to facilitate the sell that others in your field can't?
* Finally, consider providing virtual home tours within the body of your newsletter. Use streaming audio and video to show homes at the click of a button! Ask us how we can help you do this...
Studies consistently show that sending the right message to the right person at the right time significantly drives email marketing ROI. Ensuring that you receive what good email marketing promises to deliver requires a number of smart tactical approaches on your part.
Here are a few ideas:
1. Start with a healthy internal list. Building a qualified lead database takes time. Maximize data collection efforts on AND offline as frequently as possible.
2. Send regular emails to your robust internal list to cultivate customer loyalty and establish an on-going dialogue.
3. Now more than ever, consumers expect relevant messages that speak to them personally. Divide your lists based on common groups, preferences and interest categories.
4. The key to leveraging the benefits of list segmentation is tailoring your offers and messages to each specific group.
5. Adapt the frequency of your mailings based on specific contexts--like holidays or even shifts in the economy. For online retailers frequency should be increased, for instance, in the weeks and months leading up to major holidays.
6. Maintain list hygiene. Each quarter, cleanse your list of non-openers, non-clickers and non-buyers who consistently fail to respond to even the most targeted campaigns.
7. Have customer service and sales staff "piggy-back" on transactional emails between list members. This is the perfect opportunity for a sell or even an upsell. Use any emails your customers are CERTAIN to read as free rides to drive a sell.
8. Test email subject lines and offers incrementally to see which elements perform the best, and with whom. More than any other vendor group, online retailers must understand the importance of A/B split testing in using creative variables to boost sales and stay ahead of the competition.
9. Nothing in e-commerce or e-marketing is ever static. Keep your eyes on the shifting landscape. The only constant is change, and marketers should be ready to implement new tactics in response to new conditions--never lockdown your website or email campaigns. Pay attention and be prepared to make changes on the fly.
For every email marketing action, there is a reaction.
This is where MyNewsletterBuilder's robust tracking feature comes into play.
As a member of MyNewsletterBuilder, you have access to a wealth of real-time data measuring the effectiveness of each email marketing campaign. These stats will help you analyze recipient response and benchmark your current campaign results against previous ones. Use these data to segment your email lists and refine your campaigns based on the wants and needs of your subscribers.
Here are some values measured by our convenient tracking feature. With our easy-to-read reports, you'll get both whole numbers and percentages for most values.
* how many recipients opened the email
* who opened the email
* how many people clicked links
* who clicked links
* which links were clicked
* how many emails bounced
* how many people subscribed/unsubscribed
* who subscribed/unsubscribed
