Bloomberg Businessweek
Posted by: Today's Tip Contributor on July 15, 2011
Ryan Allis, Chief Executive Officer; IContact, Morrisville, N.C.
E-mail marketing is an essential part of any marketing mix for businesses looking to further connect customers with their brand. When done effectively, e-mail drives a site’s return visitors and repeat customers, while also turning prospects into lifelong evangelists.
Here are some tips to help your business make the most out of your e-mail campaigns:
1. Make it permission-based. Only send e-mails to individuals who have opted-in to receive e-mails from your organization on the topic you are addressing.
2. Get to the in-box. Using an e-mail service provider that has white-list relationships with Internet service providers will allow your e-mail to get to the in-box of your recipients, instead of their spam folder.
3. Set up a schedule. Decide how often you will be sending your newsletter and commit to it. We see that a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly newsletter is usually best.
4. Make it worthwhile. In your e-mail—above the fold, and ideally in the subject line—address what the reader will get out of your e-mail. You usually have about five seconds to grab the reader’s attention. Include only valuable and relevant content and perhaps a coupon or special offer.
5. Include lots of links. The more links you include in your message, the higher click-through rate you will have.
6. Use a compelling subject line. Average open rates are 12 percent to 14 percent. Test different subject lines and send content that is most relevant to your subscribers. If you can get an open rate above 15 percent, consider yourself a winner.
7. Get social. Social media does not replace your e-mails. It allows you to increase the exposure of your e-mail content to a broader audience and to engage more deeply with your best customers.
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