Trends change quickly online, and crafting effective digital marketing means staying on the cutting edge. It’s equally important, however, to avoid neglecting “old” tactics that still deliver excellent results. Email is an old medium, at least in Internet years. It predates social media, Google, Amazon, and most of the other giants that shape today’s digital world. But that doesn’t mean you should put email marketing on a dusty shelf next to your MySpace account and your dial-up modem.
Email has lasted this long because it’s an incredibly popular medium that fits perfectly with today’s mobile technology. Checking email on your smartphone is just as routine as checking a missed call or text message. Most of us do it many times each day, almost reflexively. Email also fits seamlessly with your blog and social media marketing efforts. A well-crafted email newsletter is the perfect way to keep in touch with customers, offer special deals, and build lasting, mutually beneficial relationships.
Email Marketing By The Numbers
Still on the fence about creating an email newsletter? Let the numbers be your guide. Courtesy of Koozai Digital Marketing, the following statistics paint a clear picture of just how popular email marketing is today.
- Facebook and Twitter have huge user bases, but email has them both beat. Email has three times more users than Facebook and Twitter combined.
- Studies show that 66 percent of consumers have been motivated to make an online purchase by email marketing. In another survey, seven out of ten participants reported making a purchase using discounts or coupons found in marketing emails.
- Here’s the money quote, literally. Email marketing generates an average ROI of $44.25 for every dollar invested. Even if your ROI doesn’t reach such lofty levels, email marketing still has the potential to deliver major value for your marketing dollar.
How to Craft an Effective Email Newsletter, Every Time
Creating a powerful newsletter requires focus. Most marketing emails are centered on one topic – a sale, a new product, following up on a purchase – but newsletters are different. The best newsletters combine a variety of content into one package, and that’s where focus is key. Start by defining what you want your newsletter to be, then work on pulling together content that fits your definition. Developing a popular newsletter depends on your ability to create high-quality content.
- If you’re having trouble choosing the right content, try narrowing your focus. Go in-depth on one topic, instead of taking broad looks at many.
- The inbound marketing experts at Hubspot suggest making your newsletter 90 percent educational, and 10 percent promotional. That’s a great ratio. Your readers can find promotional content all over the Web. Providing educational content is what keeps them clicking each time your newsletter arrives. In that sense, educational content is promotional.
- Don’t overload your newsletter with content and graphics. Minimalist design and formatting work best for email, especially when you consider how many readers will be accessing your newsletter from their smartphone. Make sure to include alt text for any images that do make the cut.
- Create subject lines that pop. Creativity, humour, and interesting facts all work well, and give your readers a reason to click through. Don’t be afraid to be different.
- Set reasonable expectations when you ask readers to subscribe. Aiming high is fine, but only if you back it up with quality.
- Make it easy to unsubscribe. Yes, that means you’ll occasionally lose readers, but it’s a far better option than keeping people on your list against their will.
- Finally, make sure you integrate your email marketing with your blog and social media pages. Your blog is the perfect place to get subscriptions to your newsletter, and your newsletter is great for drawing attention to your other content. It’s like a little ecosystem, where each of your online properties benefits from the success of the others.
Website Design in Calgary By Emphasize
Your newsletter provides an excellent opportunity to show off the culture and personality of your company. It’s a way to connect with your customers on a deeper level, and ensure that you’re never far from the reader’s mind. You want to build lasting relationships with your customers, and an email newsletter is still one of the best tools for the job.
Email marketing is one important element of your recipe for marketing success. Learn more about your success recipe today, with help from the website design experts at Emphasize Design of Calgary!
