We’ve all complained about the slew of promotional emails in our inboxes. And yet, we want to get the word out about our business. Our content is worthwhile, we say. How could anyone think this is spammy? There’s a delicate balance to walk in your email marketing. Is there a way to create something that your customers will enjoy?
Image by RaHuL Rodriguez
I sew, and pattern companies email me a lot. I tend to open these emails. Most present a “look of the day” or something similar — one image, or sometimes a few variations on a look. If I want to see more or order a pattern, I can click through to their site. These emails don’t demand much of me. Each message only takes a moment of my time and gives me a chance to see an outfit I might like to make. At their best, these emails can be a fun, colorful break in my morning news alerts.
But I’ve also ended up on mailing lists I could not stand. I’ve unsubscribed from many email marketing campaigns that felt spammy. It doesn’t take long to realize that every “One day only!” sale fades quickly into the next day’s sale. As an email marketer, you need to keep in mind that your customers are more important to you than you are to them. Give your customers something they’ll like. Do not waste their valuable time. These are my top tips for effective email marketing:
Be humble. There is a limited amount of time that anyone wants to spend on brand emails, and we all get emails from a lot of brands. Recognize this and accept it. You can write chatty, informal copy, but don’t act like you are a person’s dear old pal. You’re not. People know you’re trying to sell them something, and that’s okay. Understand that you have just a moment to make a good impression, and keep your message short and sweet.
Don’t be obnoxious. A constant barrage of sales emails becomes background noise. So, instead of emailing your customers daily and year-round, consider a schedule that makes sense for your business. Perhaps you should send more frequent messages in a certain season, and only occasional reminders throughout the rest of the year.
Mobile, mobile, mobile. If you want your messages to get noticed, optimize them for mobile devices. Sixty-five percent of email is opened first on a mobile device. If yours doesn’t load and look nice on a smartphone, you’ve just lost yourself a whole lot of potential customers.
Finally, respect your customers’ choices to subscribe or unsubscribe from your mailing lists. It’s good business, and it’s the law. You can read more about the CAN-SPAM act on the Federal Trade Commision’s website.
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Want to learn more?
Effective email marketing is best when paired with a strong social media strategy.
Depending on your business, enewsletters might be a better tool than email marketing. Learn more with our enewsletter tips.
