An article in Selling Power had this to say “ The average consumer receives over 300 emails a week”.
How will you make sure that yours not only stands out, but sells?
Successful small businesses use email as a cost effective, flexible tool to build their brand, drive sales and strengthen customer relationships. But as inboxes get more cluttered and spam continues to test people's patience, getting customers to click on your email and buy what you're offering means doing a few key things:
1. So, where are you from?
In today's spam filled world, it's critical that consumers recognize your email as coming from a legitimate source. According to a DoubleClick Study, the "from" line of an email continues to be the most compelling reason to open it. Be clear—not clever—in your "from" line, so people immediately know the source of the email. Consumers respond best to companies and brands that they know—and trust.
2. Make your subject line a stand-out.
As soon as a customer knows who the email is from, they need to know, "why should I bother opening it?" Use the subject line to tell the reader what you're offering in a compelling way, in seven words or less. For example, "Get 10% off our new summer products" is better than "This month's update."
3. Give a call to action.
So they've opened your email, now what? Your emails should include a clear, compelling call to action. Some examples include, "Register now for a chance to win," "View our exclusive online products," "Buy now and get free shipping." You can better engage your customers by telling them how to interact with you.
4. Get to the point.
The bullet point, that is. Shorter is better. Replace long paragraphs with short copy blocks, catchy headlines, and bullet points that provide an at-a-glance summary of what you're offering. If they have to search for it, chances are they won't take the time to find it.
5. Encourage them to pass it on.
Give your customers a reason to pass your email on to friends and colleagues. Offer relevant content, free downloads, or even coupons that they can forward. This type of viral marketing will help build your brand and business quickly.
6. Sell, survey, satisfy.
Emails can do more than sell. In fact, emails that show customers that you care about what they think create more profitable, revenue-generating relationships for the long run. Use your email newsletters to occasionally survey your customers and get their feedback. How satisfied are they with your products and services? Where could you improve? What other products do they wish you offered?
7. Make it easy to subscribe/unsubscribe.
When people sign up for your emails, only ask for the information you really need. Long registration forms are a turn-off and make your emails more about you than them. Importantly, include a prominent, clear opt-out function and keep your email lists up to date. If a person unsubscribes, promptly take them off your list.
8. Timing is everything.
When you send your email can be as important as what it says. Send your email at the beginning of the week or beginning of the day, when people are fresh and less overwhelmed. Emails sent during the day take a backseat to work demands and distractions, while emails sent on Fridays get buried in the weekend inbox and are more likely to get deleted.
9. Test it.
Before you send out your email, do you know that it works? Do the links take you where they should? Can you complete a test transaction? You only have one time to make a first impression with your customers, and with email, every impression counts.
10. Use your own customer list first.
Should you buy a 3rd-party email list, or not? While you may want to make yourself better known quickly, it's better to start with the people who already know you. While permission based emails get an average response rate of 3.2%, eMarketer, a New York City research firm, notes that using your own internal customer lists can result in 10-20% response rates—or higher. If you haven't started to gather your own customers' email addresses, start doing it now.
