With the slew of emails you know your clients receive daily, it can be daunting to create something eye-catching and effective. Concentrate on the basics for the best results with your email marketing messages. You need to get attention in a crowded inbox, make a connection in your message and direct the recipient’s next move with your CTA:
Here are four tips to help focus your thoughts into a clear, concise and effective email:
- Target your message: It may go without saying, but it needs to be said, do not send SPAM. Put together a list of contacts who want to receive your email. People who know you are much more likely to be interested and click through than people who have never heard of you. Also, only email the same message to all contacts in your list. Segment your contact database into groups and send a series of emails specifically addressing each group's specific needs.
- Use the recipient’s name: You don’t want to look like a form letter or mass email, even if you're sending an automated message. Use the word in your email marketing message's salutation and the subject line.
- Be true to your title: You risk severely disappointing your hurried reader if your promise isn't forthcoming in the email. You could get an unsubscribe or worse. They may hit "spam." The call to action and the link’s destination/landing page must also be specified in line with the subject.
- Think small: After all, that’s how many people view your email—on a small smartphone screen while on the go. So keep your email short, and don’t go wild with images. Although you’re not absolutely limited to 140 characters like Twitter, do get to the point quickly. If you must go long, place your first CTA near the beginning. Get to your value proposition for the reader almost immediately. With a simple, to-the-point message, it’s easier to keep the prospect’s attention and quickly move them to conversion.
- Add a personal touch with images or video: Rather than sending a lackluster email, engage audiences with visual content such as relevant images or videos. A photo or video can add humor by making fun of a situation, relating to audiences, and perhaps making the receiver laugh. The idea is to get people to visit your website, contact you, or set up a meeting.
- Include one, specific CTA: You may repeat the call to action at a couple of points within the message, but remember to explicitly tell the reader what you want them to do next. If possible, work on why they should! If you must use a secondary CTA, make sure the preferred link is the one that’s repeated and greatly emphasized.
How are you creating email messages that your audiences love? Do you have any methods for increasing your click-through rates? Please share your stories in our comments section.
For more email marketing tips that get results, contact Colosi Marketing.
Image via Dollar Photo Club.
