Email lists are considered one of the most valuable assets for your business. Why is that?
Here are some interesting facts about email newsletters and marketing:
- According to a recent article on HubSpot, two-thirds of customers have made a purchase as a direct result of an email marketing message.
- Email is the preferred communication tool for professionals
- Click rates rise by an incredible 300% when emails contain videos!
We understand the power of email marketing and want to convert visitors to our site to subscribers, however, we guard our email addresses more so now. Whether it is because we feel bombarded with emails or quickly lose interest in the content, or we are more aware of data security when giving over our personal information.
So how can we ensure that our newsletter is not considered spam or a nuisance for our customers and instead add value, trust, and create long-lasting relationships?
A good starting point is to look at how your visitors have come to your site then target this avenue. When you look at the user-journey, how your visitor found your page within your site, (this can be done easily through Google analytics) you can help determine what is working. Was it via a social media platform, a paid-for advert, organic traffic, or a recent contest you hosted? This knowledge can help you formulate a marketing strategy.
Not only do you need some compelling content to attract your audience, but you also need to have a compelling reason for them to give you their email.
What can you give to your reader? Get into the mindset of your target customer and think ‘what is in it for me?’ Could it be:
- A Cheat Sheet into an area of your expertise
- An E-book
- A discount on their first order.
Whichever means you choose, remember the first impression is the last impression. Ensure when they sign up you thank them straight away after subscribing.
Quality of Your Lists
Not all email lists are the same. It’s better to have an engaged subscriber with little volume than a subscriber who gets every email but never reads them.
A good way to make your email marketing efforts a success is to segment your emails based on your user’s interest. Another way to ensure a quality list is to qualify your leads, perhaps simply by asking them what kind of content they want to see when they subscribe.
Tips To Improve Email Sign Ups That You Can Implement Now
Have a look through all your current messaging, are there places that you can encourage email sign-ups? Perhaps in your email signature, this is especially effective if you have a lead magnet.
How about on your website? Many businesses integrate an email sign-up into their checkout form, however, there may be other opportunities on your website. Rather than just an email opt-in on the contact page, perhaps there are other trigger points that your customer is interested in. For example a popular blog post where readers are already interested in your content, the Call to Action could be to sign up to ensure they get the follow-up blog piece.
Did you know the three most effective days to send an email newsletter are Tuesday, Thursday and Wednesday – and in that order!? The day you send the email and the time matters too. Think about your audience, when do you think they are more receptive to your content?
Other Ways To Grow Your List
Use social media. Your social channels are where prospects and customers are already interested in your product or service hang out. Posting great content, valuable insights, and friendly engagement can help you build your credibility and is a great place to entice and encourage them to join your tribe.
Make it super simple to get an email address – If you minimise the number of clicks they need make in order to subscribe, the greater the likelihood they will make that choice.
Test, refine, and test again. What works for some segments of your Email List is unlikely to work for all your subscribers. Your list will contain people at different stages of buying or interest in your product or service, so perhaps generate a different campaign to reconnect with your old audience.
Once people have given you permission to contact them, remember the purpose of your newsletter. Email marketing helps keep your subscribers and potential subscribers informed about your business or product without being sales-y. Your readers get to engage in your business on their terms. So next time you are writing your email copy, think about what’s in it for them. As a general rule content should be 80% informative and 20% sales focused, and always include multiple calls to action with click throughs to your website or place an order.
Do you have an Email List? How much time do you spend on your email campaigns? Are you getting the conversions that you want from your email campaigns, or are you struggling to build a list / find relevant content for your audience? The Marketing Shed specialise in helping small to medium businesses plan and implement marketing activity that is relevant to their needs. To find out more and arrange an informal chat click here.
