With everyone so focused on social media anymore, you might be thinking:
“Is email marketing even worth it?”
Believe it or not, the answer is a resounding YES!
3.8 BILLION people around the world use email to communicate, and that’s great news for email marketers.
Email, as many of our most successful Users have said, is one of the most effective & invaluable tools for reaching & connecting with your audience.
Now, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t pose some challenges. Today’s average internet users have become a bit suspicious of online sales.
Even those who have shown interest in a product don’t particularly like to have it forced upon them. Think of how many people are using ad blocking software & how freaked out they get about retargeting.
Because of this aversion to advertising, you must be careful with how you shape your email marketing campaigns.
Done right, you can generate tons of sales & build a successful online business. But, if you fail…
You risk losing sales & subscribers, or even having your emails marked as SPAM. Yikes!
So, today let’s talk about some email marketing do’s and don’ts so you can profit from the email list you’ve worked so hard to build.
DO: Have a clear goal in mind before you hit ‘send’.
What is the purpose of your email?
Are you trying to generate traffic to your website? Inspire a purchase from your proven buyers? Build trust by giving away valuable information? Build excitement about a forthcoming product launch?
You should always know the exact purpose of your email before you send it. Emailing blind is a sure way to tank your email marketing campaign.
DON’T: Jump on the SPAM Wagon
The United States government passed the CAN-SPAM Act back in 2003 for a reason. It’s illegal.
And beyond that, people hate it.
It makes you look unprofessional, uncaring and, well… sleazy.
If you want to avoid looking like a spammer & the possible legal issues that could result from that, make sure you follow these guidelines:
- Only collect contact information & send email to people who have given you their permission to do so. This is extremely important! Should you contact or collect private information from people without their expressed & verifiable consent, it could result in big problems for you. Not only could you be subject to legal ramifications, but it could lead to the termination of your JVZoo account.
- Use double opt-in to confirm a new subscriber’s desire to be on your list.
- Make it clear who you are in every email you send and include several ways to contact you: email address, social media account, phone number, address, etc.
- Avoid sending a ton of emails over a short period of time. This is the quickest way to get people to unsubscribe.
- Speaking of unsubscribing – make it easy to do! Include a clear ‘unsubscribe’ link in every email and don’t make it difficult to remove oneself from your list.
DO: Use Email Automation
You became an internet marketer because you wanted more time-freedom, right? So, don’t let yourself become a slave to your marketing tasks!
Aweber & GetResponse both offer automation tools to help you make email marketing a less time-consuming process.
Here are just a few of the things you can automate to make email marketing easier:
- ‘Welcome to my list.’ & ‘Sorry to see you go.” emails
- Reminders for product launches, events, and upcoming sales
- Follow up emails for customers
- V.I.P/Loyalty Rewards emails
- Behavior-triggered emails, such as those that are sent when a customer abandons their cart or hasn’t logged in for a while.
- Surveys
DON’T: Bore your subscribers
When people read an email from you, do they hear the words in their head as the voice of a Peanut’s parent? “Mwaa Mwaahh Whaa Mwaaa Maaa Waaaaaa.”?
That is definitely not what you should be going for.
The last thing you want is a bunch of people on your list who click delete before ever even opening your message. But, that’s just what they’ll do if you bore them to death.
Or, even worse, they’ll simply unsubscribe in order to avoid you.
Use catchy subject lines & be sure that you provide engaging, helpful content with a minimum of sales pitches.
Perfecting the art of email writing can be tricky. One of our previous blogs on effective email writing offers some excellent advice on that.
DO: Be Mobile Friendly
Most people nowadays use their cell phone to access the internet, and that includes reading email.
AND, if you’re not sending emails to accommodate them, you could be missing out on a lot of revenue.
75% of mobile readers will delete a message if it isn’t easily opened and viewed on their device. Don’t risk that happening to yours!
Most autoresponders use auto-responsive templates, which means that they will automatically adjust to the device they are being viewed on. But, just in case, be sure to double-check using your own mobile phone or tablet before sending.
DON’T: Make everything about you
Your subscribers didn’t subscribe to your list to constantly be reminded of all your accomplishments.
Sure, they’re happy for you. But, what they really want is an answer to their problem.
They want help.
So, give it to them!
Focus on how you can be of service to the people on your list and it will do wonders for your email marketing efforts.
DO: Use a strong call to action
The most expertly-written email in the world won’t do you much good if you don’t ask for the recipient to take some type of action.
Remember the purpose for your email that we spoke about at the beginning of this blog?
Don’t forget to ask for your subscriber to click through to the product, service, or website that you’ve been referring to in your email.
If you’re on JVZoo’s list, you have seen some great examples of strong calls to action.
DON’T: Forget to be honest and transparent
From the moment they join your list, your subscriber should know exactly what to expect from you.
Make it clear what the purpose of your list is, what type of content they’ll be receiving, and how often you’ll be sending emails.
This type of honesty is greatly appreciated by people who have become bombarded with veiled intentions and empty promises.
The integrity of your business and yourself as an online business owner will only work to your benefit. And, because of it, you will see that your conversion rates will increase while your unsubscribe rate will decrease.
While this is not an all-inclusive list of the do’s and don’ts of email marketing, it will certainly get you off to a great start!
Need more help in building your email list? Join the JVZoo Academy HERE, and check out these premium sellers on JVZoo:
