Email is such an important part of any startup's marketing strategy, but it's so rarely ever done correctly. And with the wealth of tools, tips, and resources currently available, it only makes it harder for budding entrepreneurs to learn what makes a successful email marketing campaign. Luckily, however, this guest blog post outlines some of the biggest insights that founders can use to make sure their email marketing campaigns are tough to beat.
Statistically, over 122 billion emails are sent every hour. That’s a ton of emails, so it’s understandable if you believe your startup needs a little something extra to stand out from the rest. After all, there’s a lot to compete with. In this article, we’ll be exploring the most recommended do’s and don’ts that can maximize the opportunities gained through your email marketing campaigns.
DO's
1. Automate Your Services
As a startup, you’ve already got a lot on your plate to deal with. By automating your email service, using tools like MailChimp, you can save yourself a tonne of time and money. You'll want to keep in constant contact with your customers, while also segmenting and strategically targeting these groups. A professional email service can definitely be a huge asset for achieving this.
2. Be Precise
Your readers are probably receiving countless emails every day, and they won’t have time to read essay after essay. Use tools, such as State of writing, to keep things short and to the point. Stay on message, don't ramble on and avoid using too many buttons. Whirlpool demonstrated that paring down their calls to action from four to just a single one boosted clicks by 42%. Customers don't want to have to navigate through what they're 'supposed' to do, they just want to be told what to do.
3. Be Personal
When writing your emails, you’ll receive a higher rate of feedback if you remain personal instead of being formal. Everyone wants to feel as though they're being acknowledged as an individual, so lumping them into a generic pool of responses doesn't help achieve this at all. Adding a more personal touch can help immensely. This can be something as simple as segmenting your email list into groups of potential customers, first time customers and repeat customers – or even going one step further and targeting customers with new products they may like, because they've already tried a specific product.
4. Include Calls to Actions
Calls to action are the most effective ways to get email readers to your website, turning them into leads. Ensure that you include them throughout your emails. Don't go overboard on the number of calls to action or the complexity of them – keep them simple, straightforward and easy to navigate .
5. Use Template Tools to be the Best
There are a ton of email template tools out there to ensure your emails look their best and are most responsive. Use tools such as Litmus and Template Toaster to achieve high-quality emails that your readers will love. Keep things clean, uncluttered and easy to follow, so that recipients know exactly where to go and what to do.
6. Create Engaging Subject Lines
The subject line of your email is what will draw people in to opening them. Ensure that you invest an appropriate amount of time creating killer headlines that your readers won’t be able to resist. Avoid using caps lock in this area. As a rough guideline, it’s recommended that you only write subject lines that are a maximum of 50 characters. Ask a question or add an element that makes them feel enticed to open your emails. Getting your reader past the subject line is half the battle – so don't overlook this seemingly small piece of the puzzle. A bad subject line can break an email, regardless of how good the content is within it. If it's not enticing enough, it just won't be opened. Take the necessary time to create and test the most effective subject lines.
DON’TS
1. Not Track Your Emails for Performance
Tracking your emails and receiving statistics back on how well they are performing is vital if you want to improve your email campaign. Use tools, such as Mad Mimi, to complete this task easily. It's essential that you're monitoring how well each of your email campaigns is performing, so you know if things need to be adjusted to see better results. If this data is readily available to you, there's no reason why you shouldn’t be taking full advantage of the information it's offering.
2. Use Complete CAPS LOCK in Your Emails
As you know, using caps lock is the internet version of shouting. Nobody likes to be shouted at. Avoid at all costs. It generally comes off as aggressive and confrontational when all caps are used, so it's a good idea to just avoid this from the start. People don't like being yelled at or being told what to do, so even though your all caps subject line or email may garner more attention from the start, it won't be positive attention for the mostpart.
3. Send Poorly Designed Emails
If you picked up a magazine that was poorly laid out and looked ‘messy’, you’d instantly put it back down. This is the same with emails except your readers will just delete it. Use online tools, such as Target Hero, to create beautiful emails that your readers will fall in love with. Macy's fell victim to a poorly designed email promotion, offering an extra 20%, 15% and 10% off, but not specifying what discounts were valid with each product. Confusing designs built into an email can turn a customer off immediately.
4. Take Risks
Not everybody is born to be a natural writer. As a startup, if you’re sending poorly written emails, you’re instantly discrediting your business, and you will be doomed to fail from the start. Instead of risking your emails, if you have any doubt, use a copyrighting tool, such as Ox Essays or Paper Fellows, to have them written by a professional writer. This ensures your emails are the best they can be, maximising your opportunities. You don't want to lose credibility with your customer base by putting out a poorly written message, so trust the professionals at an online writing service to put together a cohesive and well-written message.
5. Send Emails Full of Errors
Similar to the consideration above, if you send an email that is riddled with mistakes and grammatical errors, your readers won’t want to read it, and it will destroy the credibility of your startup. If you’re not confident in proofreading your own work, upload to proofreading services like Resumention who can do it for you. And, it's always best to have an actual person review your writing, rather than an automated checker, because a person will read things in context and can pick up on awkward sentences. Keep your reputation in tact, by seeking out the professional proofreading services of a specializing company.
6. Forget to Refine Your Emails
No matter what you’re writing for your startup, the chances are you won’t get it right the first time. Once you have created the first draft for your emails, ensure that you take a break and return with a fresh pair of eyes. This will help you locate mistakes in your work which you can then edit to ensure that you are communicating the message you want to send. This will also help you to pick up sentences that could be considered offensive or rude, another aspect you’ll want to avoid
Alternatively, have your work editing by a professional writer at editing services such as Big Assignments.
You should also be testing things to see what works, and what could use some fixing. What an embarrassing mistake Verison was faced with, when they sent out a mass email with an error in place of the recipient name. Not only does this show their lack of attention to detail, but it also demonstrates an absence of personal touch.
7. Send an Overwhelming Amount of Emails
It’s easy to get carried away with your emails while want to build up your customer base quickly, but, by sending too many emails, you’ll be pushing away potential customers who are simply sick of seeing your company pop up in their inbox. Create high-quality content that your readers will look forward to opening. When it comes to receiving messages, customers don't want to be bombarded with quantity – instead, they want fewer, higher quality messages. Give them information that's useful and welcome, and they'll be happy to keep accepting email messages from you.
This is just a brief insight into some of the most important dos and don’ts for small start-up businesses. With a lot of your email marketing campaign, they’ll be a lot of trial and error, but you’ll want to minimise this as much as possible. Be smart with your campaign, and you can be sure that you’ll maximise your success rates in the quickest time possible!
If you'd like even more expert startup advice, the Founder Institute is accepting applications in cities around the world. Apply today!
Gloria Kopp is a digital marketer and a business consultant from Manville city. Now she works as a content manager at Grade On Fire writing service. Besides, she is a regular contributor to such websites as Engadget, Huffingtonpost, Essay writing services, etc. Gloria also enjoys writing her Studydemic bog and share writing guides and advice with writers and educators.
