Have you ever been faced with the task of having to write an email promotion for your subscriber or client list, and then realized that you didn’t know what to say or how to say it? Or, you write, edit, write some more, edit again only to find out that your recipients did not even open the message? Well, I’ve been there, done that and here are a couple of fool-proof tips and techniques on how to write an effective email marketing campaign and get the results you want based on my trials and errors. I’ve made the mistakes for you so you don’t have to experience them. Here goes:
 
1. Start with the end in mind: Know exactly what you want your email campaign to do.
Effective email campaigns are design to have the reader/client/customer/prospect/lead/user do something specific i.e. sign up, click through, purchase, register, download, or simply inform. You should decide on the frequency ahead of time of how many emails you have to send out to get your reader(s) to do what you want them to do. A campaign should be a few or many emails purposefully written with actionable goals and metrics or standards to track your success. Easier said, then done, but you should know what I mean if you’ve tried at least once to build a list to market to.
 
2. Each email campaign should have a specific landing pages. I read a lot of email and oftentimes, I click through to the company’s main homepage and I have to search all around for what they originally wanted me to do. By the time I find what I was looking for, I’m surfed on to something else. Therefore, have specific landing pages for what you are promoting, with specific goals. If you want the reader to sign up, have a sign up button and nothing else. If you want the reader to buy, add your buy it now button and nothing else. If you want your reader to download something, give them the link. Don’t give them more to wade through. Wading leads to off site surfing. Your reader becomes interested in something else and quickly forgets you minutes after opening up your email.
 
3. Use powerful, concise subject lines when the you have an exisiting relationship with your list. Since email is the most cost effective, direct and efficient way to communicate with a large group of people, your list is more than likely getting messages from other SBOs and in some case, your reader might be receiving too many messages. Thus, your’s has to stick out. Try these subject lines when you want to get their attention immediately:
 
a. Awesome Deal!
b. Save this message 4 later! Important Message.
c. FREE Tips on ____________
d. Upcoming _____________. You Don’t Want to Miss Out.
e. Spread the Word For Me.
f. I need a response by________.
g. __tickets left. Get Your’s Now.
h. REMINDER:
i. Are your coming to __________.
j. I need your opinion on __________.
k. Must Read Now
j. Save __%, __days only or limited time!
l. We gave this away for free, do you want yours?
 
When you have an awesome deal, it has to be awesome. Can you write in short hand as you might when you text someone? Yes, readers are skimmers and you want your message to be opened up immediately. Spread the word for me suggest for the reader to forward to their contacts; you may, if your business models permits, offer an incentive for referral leads/sales/closings. When announcing an event, annouce least 30 Calendar days of before the event. People need time to plan ahead. then, send the reminder with more info so that the your event says top of mind.    
 
4. Make sure your message can be well received in both text and html formats. Email programs may automatically disable photos and html so that messages load faster. In some cases, readers may not have their html settings enable, which means your message looks like hieroglypics. Check what your message looks like both text and html enabled.
 
5. Keep your messages short. Too many articles or paragraphs in an email might encourage your reader to close the message before it delivers your promotion. Less is more. It does not mean you have to send less, but it helps to vary just how much you share or promote.
 
6. End with a powerful signature and Follow up with a phone call or some other form of personal contact.Your complete contact information, a word of inspiration, a call to action, your moto, a famous quote, etc. Change it up and keep it interesting.
 
Why do you have to follow up with personal contact? Oftentimes, you say to yourself, “Ok, I emailed her/him.”  We, myself included, assume that our prospects got our message, when in reality, it could have been buried under 50 other messages that took precedent in your contact’s life. This leads us to our 7 and final tip.
 
7. Call Again, Meet Face to Face, Email or Text.  Most people check email before 11 a.m. and a second time generally after 4p.m. Catch them early in the morning and early in the week, so that you can follow up with them with a phone call. Ask for their feedback. You might not have the infrasture or manpower to do so, but if you set up a routine, you’ll follow up with more people than what you can handle. When you start to ask questions, you’ll uncover your clients/customers wants and needs, which in turn allows you to customize your products and services to things that they would buy in the end.
As always, to your success. If you like this article, say so. If you disagreed with anything I said, say so.   I welcome your feedback.   
Advertisement