Every time a fresh wave of Internet marketing statistics is published, we’re presented with reminders of just how powerful and influential e-mail marketing can be. Even in this day and age, it still has an enormous value. Or at least, in instances where it is used strategically and to its full potential.
Every e-mail that doesn’t prompt some kind of response or interest represents a wasted effort. There are thousands of avenues to explore when it comes to improving the effectiveness of marketing emails, but only a few actually guarantee results. In this instance, we thought we’d focus on what we personally believe to be the three most important of all, which are also some of the simplest:
- Design
- Direction
- Content
If you manage to hit the nail on the head with all three in perfect synchronicity, you are all but guaranteed significant website improvements. You have to of course first ask yourself a bunch of important questions, with regard to the purpose of the email, what you intend to achieve, who it is aimed at and so on. But once you know what it is you want, successful e-mail marketing is essentially built around these three core components of equal importance.
1. Design
Design is a big deal and has a huge influence when it comes to response rates. The more you get it right with design, the higher the likelihood the recipient will respond positively. A few obvious points of focus here include making written content as concise as possible, breaking things up with bullet points and images, incorporating social share buttons, including a very clear call to action and always, ALWAYS giving the reader the option of unsubscribing. A brief initial outline of the message, fast-hitting information communicating the key points and the kind of visual appeal that’s easy on the eye. There’s also much to be said for a colour scheme that’s cohesive with your brand/message.
2. Direction
What’s actually meant by direction is the direction in which you fire out your emails – i.e. who you send them to in the first place. Poor email response rates don’t necessarily confirm that there is anything wrong with the emails themselves. Instead, it could simply be that they are being sent to the wrong people. An email list should never be viewed as static and nor should quantity be prioritised over quality. 100 quality leads will always be better than 100,000 duds. As such, you need to put sufficient time and effort into the cultivation of a solid email list in the first place, in order for your emails to prove effective.
3. Content
Last but not least, the content of your email needs to focus entirely on one key facet alone – value. Logically, a recipient will only ever respond in a positive way if they feel that they can get something out of the deal by doing so. It’s unlikely they will give a huge damn about you and your on-going success – consumers are all about consuming…for themselves. The content of each email needs to strategically convey some kind of offer or instil some kind of need or want in the reader. Ideally, a need that only you can satisfy. Otherwise, you leave them in a position whereby the time they’ve read your email, they’re no better off than they were before.
If you feel it is time to get advice from internet marketers in Stockport, why not talk to our team today.
