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Email Rules!

Jamie Allebach
Jamie Allebach Chief Executive & Creative Officer

Email—it’s simply one of the most effective digital marketing tactics today, and with good reason. Despite the insurgence of social media as a form of communication, email still rules! Here’s why:

  • It’s direct, one-on-one communication
  • It’s reliable…most people keep their email addresses for years
  • You can connect with users across any device…desktop, tablet, smartphone, watch
  • People use their email to connect with their social networks: Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

Consumers want to hear from you via email. In fact, according to a recent report from Mintel (Email Marketing l 2016 Trends), 4 in 5 consumers prefer to hear about offers and deals through emails. MarketingCharts also has reported that consumers rate opt-in emails as one of their top purchase influencers especially among Millennials.

5 Types of Effective Emails:

  • Promotional
    An offer. A coupon. Contest, sweepstake, or giveaway. If your audience has opted in, give them an incentive to stay. Reward them. 84.9% of consumers are opting in to receive offers and discounts.
  • Self-Interest
    What’s in it for me? Other than promotional, there are plenty of other self-interest oriented emails that will entice your audience to open…educational, informative, fun facts, inspirational, recipes, etc. Find out what interests your subscribers.
  • Curiosity
    Pique their curiosity—their interest. Ask questions. This will really increase your open rate. Just don’t go to the well too often with this.
  • Urgency
    This can be a powerful subject line. A deadline. “Act NOW” is the message. Nobody wants to miss out.
  • Product News
    Your audience should be the first to know about new products, flavor profiles, seasonal offerings, etc. Keep them informed, they did opt in.

THE SUBJECT LINE WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOUR EMAIL OPEN RATE:

GO BY THE NUMBERS
Subject lines that contain numbers outperform similar lines without. For instance: “5 steps to better nutrition,” will always outperform “Ways to better nutrition.” People simply like an easy to follow formula.

KEEP IT SHORT
Most people quickly scan subject lines to decide if they’ll open or ignore the email, so don’t expect subscribers to dig through your subject line to figure out if they’re interested. Keep your subject line to 50 characters or fewer.

ASK QUESTIONS
Questions pique curiosity, as we said above. They also feel incomplete on their own, compelling people to want to fill in the blank. Using a question will inspire readers to open your email in search of an answer, for instance: “Are you getting the proper nutrition?” Or, “Want to know the secret to great nutrition?”

MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT
If you have something new and exciting to share about your business or organization, channel that enthusiasm into your subject line. Sharing an announcement will make your email subscribers feel like they’re the first to know and will motivate them to read on for all the details. “Exciting news on better nutrition.”

BE UNIQUE
Offer something that they can’t get anywhere else, or at least make it seem that way. “Exclusive New Nutrition Information,” or “Try our new patented formula for nutrition.”

4 Ways to Build Your Subscriber List (See, I got you with the number)

  • Join The Club. If you don’t have a club, start one—everyone wants to belong. Have it prominently featured on your homepage and promote via social media.
  • Engage Your Subscribers. Have them participate in surveys, product ideation and sampling. Make them feel special and they will become brand ambassadors. They should be the first to know things—even before social media fans and followers.
  • Drive Consumers to your Club with promotions. Incentivize consumers with a prize or giveaway, and collect their email, as the cost of entry. Tip: Always drive them to a landing page, and have a simple sign-up form.
  • Advertise and they will come. Social media, digital display, even traditional advertising.

One more final tip: With some social media platforms you can now integrate and leverage your consumer email subscribers with your fans, and people with similar interests. For instance, Facebook Custom Audiences can match your email database with Facebook user profiles and allows you to serve ads to your subscribers, or a sub-segment of the group. You can also create a ‘lookalike audience’ based on that data set to reach people with similar interests, behaviors, job titles, etc. This is marketing GOLD!

Get serious about email marketing this year—it will pay off.

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