I’ve decided for this UBC stint, I will dedicate Fridays to talking about marketing ourselves better. In real life, I write for a childhood cancer research non-profit and e-mail marketing is a huge part of my job. As writers, we have to put our best selves out there not just as content creators, but as savvy marketing professionals. Before I write a word of content, a lot of my work includes thinking about an email strategy. So, here are 4 things to think about before sending your next email.
- First Impressions are Everything –You work so hard on an email and the last thing you want is for it to be ignored or worse—deleted. You want it to stand out among all the other emails, so your subject line needs to shine through loud and clear. Personally, I think the more creative the subject line is the better the open rate. Recently, I wrote an email promoting a culinary event and fundraiser in the heart of Chicago. I wanted to come up with something that would resonate with the readers and excite them about a great event in their city. My subject line was “For One Night Only – Eat Something Else besides Deep Dish Pizza.” The high open rate proved to be worth the extra time to think of an enticing subject line.First impressions make all the difference when it comes to email marketing. And you don’t want your email to send the wrong message.
- Have a Call to Action– All emails should have some kind of call to action or as we say in the biz – a CTA. Do you want your reader to take a survey, sign up for a course, make a donation? Also, make sure your CTA is visible to the reader. Don’t just create a link in the body of the email and expect people to find it. Create a brightly-colored button that they cannot miss. Make it as easy as possible for your readers to engage with you and take that next step.
- Respect Your Contact List – Your contact list is a valuable commodity and you will want to treat it as such. Are you managing your list by removing bounced email addresses? Did you add the new people who asked to receive your emails? Are your existing emails up to date? Also, take into consideration how often you are emailing people. There is a fine line between keeping readers engaged while not inundating them with too many emails.
- Timing is everything– Oftentimes, when you send an email is just as important as what is in the email itself. What is the sweet spot where people have time to open your email, read it and respond? Don’t be afraid to test out different times of the day and different days of the week. Lots of people read personal emails at night and on the weekend. Also, be considerate of time zones. When I email people on the west coast, I try not to send anything they would receive at 3 in the morning. 🙂
If you take these things into consideration, you will likely see an increase in open rates and hopefully grab a few more loyal fans along the way.What email marketing tips do you have? I’d love to hear them!