Making a GREAT email campaign

An email campaign is a successful marketing tool, if used correctly. Nobody likes to receive spam or a mailshot that is just a clear sales pitch. An easy answer to a successful marketing campaign is to keep it simple and make it interesting, with an attention grabbing-heading.

If planned correctly, it can drive traffic to your website, increase your client reach, and ultimately increase sales.

1. Help now and sell later ~ don’t approach email marketing as an opportunity to make a sales pitch. Use your email messages to provide useful information. Customers will come to rely on you as an industry expert and a source of useful and interesting information.
2. Regularly update your list ~ email list subscribers who no longer open your messages are wasting your time and money. Take time each month to ‘cleanse’ your list. Keeping your list clean will help guarantee that it’s as effective as possible.
3. Subject lines ~ subject lines are more important than you think. People tend to open emails based on their subject line. Keep it short and snappy. Make it interesting.
4. Timing is everything ~ the time and the day that you send your email can considerably effect read rates.  Make sure you get this right. Aim for early / mid-week. Avoid Monday and Friday if possible.
5. The best content is free content ~ it can be anything; great tips, a free template and consumers love a free lunch or a free drink with a meal purchase. You know your trade ~ how can you add value?
6. Make contact as interactive as possible ~ there is such a thing as too much; think about your goals and objectives for the campaign. Don’t bore your reader ~ Keep it simple. Try to incorporate a call to action in your campaign.
7. Write in an approachable, personal manner ~ give your campaign a human element. Too many impersonal and formal emails are received.
8. Produce quality content over quantity ~ use punchy wording and interesting headlines. ‘Less is more’ ~ But also give the reader something beneficial in terms of information.
9. Break up your content with images ~ everyone enjoys visual emails rather than plain text.
10. Only use permission based email marketing ~ only send email marketing to people who have agreed to receive them and personally given you their email address.