Use Email Marketing to Build Your Online Influence
Have your email marketing campaigns been ineffective lately?
Would you like to see more growth on your blog and social networks?
As your business attracts new subscribers the golden opportunity to build relationships and present valuable offers can be used to increase your traffic and grow your social media fans and followers despite the latest algorithm changes.
Email marketing will not only help you maintain your current subscribers, but can also be used to nurture your prospects and invite them to participate in giveaways, join a professional group on LinkedIn or Facebook, provide valuable and exclusive offers, and much more.
According to a study by McKinsey & Company, email marketing plays an important role in attracting more brand followers:
This is especially true of emails that include the first name and then thank their subscribers with a personalized message as shown in a recent article on Hubspot.
In order to reach the most visitors you need to appeal to their emotions as well as make it easy to open our messages on any device. Here are several ways you can attract new subscribers and encourage them to follow you on social media.
Write an attractive headline
The first point of contact between your business and the reader is the headline. Take your time to write the best hook for your audience, which should grab their attention right away and appeal to their needs or desires. Constant Contact recommends that you should always include your brand or individual name, as this is something your subscribers will recognize.
They also recommend a shorter, more personalized approach that compels people to take action and includes honesty, which is based on a study by Adestra:
Place the focus on your readers
During the early phases of your email campaigns it’s important to appeal to your readers first. What tips or webinars could be of value to them? Can your business offer a free training session that doesn’t include a high pressure sales message? Later on as you establish a relationship you can move on to include important updates, product or service announcements, or information about your company without being too pushy. The bulk of your messages need to be about the reader and how your brand or business can best meet their needs. Here’s a great example of offering a free report for those interested in becoming a speaker:
Measure the response rate
Most email services include statistics on how well your messages are being received — some even include suggestions on how to cut down on being flagged as spam. As you take a look back at your history you will soon discover which campaigns get the most clicks and views. Take note of the topics that garner the most attention, and which emails have a low open rate.
Promote separate campaigns
Let your audience know right away what your business is offering them by creating separate campaigns. It’s tempting to write emails that contain too much information and are not focused on a targeted message. Give your readers something to look forward to in a series of emails with a call-to-action to share on social media.
Fewer graphics and more text
As you are designing a template take into account that your emails will most likely be read on a smaller screen. Instead of too many graphics use rich text and bold keywords to help your reader follow along and digest the message in bite-sized chunks. Keep the message short, and to the point in order to improve your chances of them taking action like this example:
Segment your messages
This is especially important if you are selling as a B2B — segmenting your subscribers for your target market will help you focus on those who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer. Create separate lists of subscribers for each of your campaigns such as book launch or product announcement.
Include links and icons to your social networks
Organic growth on social media has been diminishing over the last couple of years, and so brands have needed to be more creative in attracting a larger audience to their networks. Like it or not advertising is here to stay, and this will become a growing trend. But you can still improve your numbers by including icons and links to your profiles as well as sharing buttons inside your email message.
With the right focus and strategy your next email marketing campaign can help grow your online presence and improve your conversion rates. Make sure your content is simple, to the point, and easy to read. As you measure your results you will be able to better determine what your audience is looking for and how to best meet their needs both on your website and through social media.
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