email marketing - the dos, the don'ts and the dodo
TRANSCRIPT
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Emails are low cost, easy to create
and can be used to send to many,
many recipients all at once.
More than 132 billion emails are forecast to be sent daily by
the end of 2017 – so your business is under pressure to
grab attention quickly with them.
But how do you ensure your business’s emails stand out?
We’ve identified the dos and the don’ts for you when it
comes to email marketing.
And you’ll find out what the dodo is all about!
Introduction
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20 times more cost-effective than traditional media.
But to boost it even further, are you considering some of the
basics when it comes to effective email marketing?
Do have a clear vision of why you’re sending an email
• With each email, think about the recipient. Why should
they open your email? What’s in it for them if they do?
Identify the reason and purpose for emailing.
• Set a goal that you wish to achieve with this email. Don’t
stress if you don’t succeed – just think about what you
can improve with your next one.
Email is said to be
The Dos
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It’s imperative to keep testing your emails to see what works
best for your target audience. Think about the following:
Subject line: try short vs long copy; adding in
personalisation vs no personalisation; or posing a question
vs making a statement.
Sender name: are more people likely to read your email if
sent from a recognised name vs your company’s name?
Timing: try sending on different days of the week and
different times of the day to see if there is a time when your
audience engages with your email more.
Email length: does an email with less content work better
than a long email that goes below the viewing window?
Layout: whether it’s use of imagery, copy or how many links
you have on your email, consider changing the layout to see
what works best.
The Dos
Do test, test, test!
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Do think mobile and tablet
With more than 50 per cent of emails opened on mobile,
it’s vital that yours are responsive to smartphone and tablet
screens - not just desktop.
Do segment your audience
By segmenting your audience and/or creating personas, you
can tailor and personalise your message to suit the people
you wish to talk to – ultimately improving results.
Do add email to your content calendar
Although email isn’t strictly ‘social media’, if you’ve got
a great piece of content why not showcase it by sending
it via email?
Do keep an eye out for competitor’s emails
Sign up to receive your competitors’ emails - this way
you can see what they’re talking about and how they’re
communicating with their (but potentially your) audience.
The Dos
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Here are some considerations of what to make sure you
don’t do when it comes to email:
Don’t include more images than copy
• To avoid spam filters, the recommended ratio is 80 per
cent text to 20 per cent images. Not all spam filters work
the same, but; most email programs will block the
automatic image downloads by default.
The Don’ts
Given its cost-effectiveness
and scalability, don’t let your
email marketing efforts go
to waste.
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Whether it’s visiting your website, phoning a contact number
or clicking on a “read more” link to your new blog, make sure
you have a very obvious call to action.
With each email, think about the recipient. Why should they
open your email? What’s in it for them if they do? Once
they’ve read the email, what’s the next step you want them
to take? Is this clearly laid out for them?
The Don’ts
Don’t send an email without
a clear call-to-action.
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The Don’ts
DON’T sit and rely on old data
It’s good practice to cleanse and regularly update your data
to ensure you’re targeting the relevant people with your
marketing. Remember that B2B emails are on an ‘opt-out’
policy in the UK, so don’t be afraid to target more business
contacts.
DON’T put a timeframe on your newsletters
If you already send out an ongoing newsletter or bulletin to
customers, don’t include “monthly” or “weekly” in its title
unless you’re absolutely sure that time and resource will be
allocated to undertake this. Using the vaguer term “regular”
instead reduces pressure on you.
DON’T panic too much about ‘unsubscribes’
An ‘unsubscribe’ isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It usually just
means the unsubscriber is not interested in what you’re
sending them. Therefore it’s an easy way for your data to be
cleansed - meaning that your emails will only be sent to
those that are interested…
Quality over quantity!
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The Don’ts
DON’T send an email without a prior test send
Before you release an email, make sure you send yourself
several test copies to certify that images are all correct, copy
doesn’t have spelling or grammar mistakes, and links go to
the right place.
And one final don’t - DON’T take anyone’s guidance on
email as gospel, even ours.
If you do take one thing from this blog, it’s that the most
important consideration is that emails need to be tailored to
your audience.
Work with your email provider to develop your own best
practices based on your audience’s behaviour.
If you keep this in mind, you’re onto
a winner!
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Why the Dodo?
Because it’s alliterative and helped to create a stand-out title –
which is what your subject heading needs to do too, in the
right way.
Using the right language isn’t just important to avoid your email
ending up in the dreaded spam or junk folders. It also helps
your email get read.
Before you send your email, why not test your subject line
using this tool which predicts the likely open, click and bounce
rates.
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It’s fair to say that emails are unlikely to become
extinct (like the dodo) any time soon.
So with people receiving hundreds of emails a day,
you need to make sure your content stands out in a
time where people are constantly digesting
information and marketing messages.
For help with your email marketing, call us on 01962
893 893, email [email protected] or
tweet us @RemContent.
www.remarkablecontent.co.uk