Email Marketing 101 - 25 Best Practices
I suppose I can title this article "25 Email Marketing Mistakes I've Made."
But rather than focus on the negative, below I've outlined the best practices
I've come to adopt over the years. Hope you find something here useful.
Diversify your Content: If your entire email focuses on one product,
service, or topic, you risk alienating all but the few people who will be
interested. Unless you have segmented your database based on previous behavior,
do not send an email on only 1 topic. I consistently find that the click through
rate increases in proportion with varied content.
Don't Stress about Spam Words: Many experts will tell you to avoid
words like "free" or "sale". In my opinion, ISPs tend to be moving away from
content based spam filtering in favor of reputation based filtering. In other
words, your sending IP address and from email are more important than whether or
not your email contains certain words. Personally, I've used words like "free"
in the subject line without any affect on delivery rates.
Make it Readable with Images Disabled: Always take into account the
appearance of your email with images disabled. For email clients such as
Outlook, this is now the default feature. Even popular web mails like Hotmail
now disable images unless the sender is in the address book of the recipient.
The best tactic to create readable emails with images block is use an alt
description.
Create an Online Version: Always provide an online version of your
email for users having trouble viewing images. I've calculated from emails I've
sent in the past that around 5% of users will use this feature.
Don't Over or Under Mail: If you send too much, you'll get deleted or
marked as SPAM. Oddly enough, if you send once every 3 months you may have the
same problem. Keep your brand top of mind for your customers by finding the
perfect balance between over and under mailing.
Forward to Friend Feature: Many users automatically do this, but it
doesn't hurt to ask. First time potential customers can be very open to company
when it is introduced by a friend or colleague.
Subscribe Feature for Forwards: Make it easy for potential new
subscribers to subscribe if they receive your email as a forward. Include
somewhere in the body a subscribe link.
White List Reminder: If you want your subscribers to add you to their
white list or address book, you need to ask. Sure, not everyone will add you.
However, those who do are likely the people who care most about receiving your
emails and, therefore, you have the most to lose if your emails get flagged as
spam.
Unsubscribe at Top: I know what you're thinking, "At the TOP!?" Yes,
at the top. Lazy unsubscribers have a tendency to click the SPAM button instead
scrolling down to find the unsubscribe link. By placing the link at the top, you
might increase your unsubscribe rate, but that's better than an inflated SPAM
complaint count.
Single Click Unsubscribe: I generally recommend keeping the
unsubscribe as simple as possible. However, you may want to confirm the action
if you place your unsubscribe at the top of every email in case users click the
link on accident.
Privacy Policy: Always place your privacy policy at the bottom of
every email. Assure customers that you obtained their email address in a
legitimate fashion, and you will not sell their personal info.
Call to Action: Each section must contain a specific call to action
that avoids vague phrases like "click here." You'll be surprised how an
effective call to action button or link can improve your click through rate.
Mix Freebies with Products: Too much selling can burn people out.
Engage your subscribers with useful, free content. For example, if you sell home
theater equipment, send out an article on the explaining the benefits of newer
technologies. When you provide additional value to your customers with learning
resources, they are sometimes even willing to pay more for your merchandise. In
addition, strategies like this keep your brand top of mind.
But rather than focus on the negative, below I've outlined the best practices
I've come to adopt over the years. Hope you find something here useful.
Diversify your Content: If your entire email focuses on one product,
service, or topic, you risk alienating all but the few people who will be
interested. Unless you have segmented your database based on previous behavior,
do not send an email on only 1 topic. I consistently find that the click through
rate increases in proportion with varied content.
Don't Stress about Spam Words: Many experts will tell you to avoid
words like "free" or "sale". In my opinion, ISPs tend to be moving away from
content based spam filtering in favor of reputation based filtering. In other
words, your sending IP address and from email are more important than whether or
not your email contains certain words. Personally, I've used words like "free"
in the subject line without any affect on delivery rates.
Make it Readable with Images Disabled: Always take into account the
appearance of your email with images disabled. For email clients such as
Outlook, this is now the default feature. Even popular web mails like Hotmail
now disable images unless the sender is in the address book of the recipient.
The best tactic to create readable emails with images block is use an alt
description.
Create an Online Version: Always provide an online version of your
email for users having trouble viewing images. I've calculated from emails I've
sent in the past that around 5% of users will use this feature.
Don't Over or Under Mail: If you send too much, you'll get deleted or
marked as SPAM. Oddly enough, if you send once every 3 months you may have the
same problem. Keep your brand top of mind for your customers by finding the
perfect balance between over and under mailing.
Forward to Friend Feature: Many users automatically do this, but it
doesn't hurt to ask. First time potential customers can be very open to company
when it is introduced by a friend or colleague.
Subscribe Feature for Forwards: Make it easy for potential new
subscribers to subscribe if they receive your email as a forward. Include
somewhere in the body a subscribe link.
White List Reminder: If you want your subscribers to add you to their
white list or address book, you need to ask. Sure, not everyone will add you.
However, those who do are likely the people who care most about receiving your
emails and, therefore, you have the most to lose if your emails get flagged as
spam.
Unsubscribe at Top: I know what you're thinking, "At the TOP!?" Yes,
at the top. Lazy unsubscribers have a tendency to click the SPAM button instead
scrolling down to find the unsubscribe link. By placing the link at the top, you
might increase your unsubscribe rate, but that's better than an inflated SPAM
complaint count.
Single Click Unsubscribe: I generally recommend keeping the
unsubscribe as simple as possible. However, you may want to confirm the action
if you place your unsubscribe at the top of every email in case users click the
link on accident.
Privacy Policy: Always place your privacy policy at the bottom of
every email. Assure customers that you obtained their email address in a
legitimate fashion, and you will not sell their personal info.
Call to Action: Each section must contain a specific call to action
that avoids vague phrases like "click here." You'll be surprised how an
effective call to action button or link can improve your click through rate.
Mix Freebies with Products: Too much selling can burn people out.
Engage your subscribers with useful, free content. For example, if you sell home
theater equipment, send out an article on the explaining the benefits of newer
technologies. When you provide additional value to your customers with learning
resources, they are sometimes even willing to pay more for your merchandise. In
addition, strategies like this keep your brand top of mind.
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