For years people complained about unsolicited junk mail landing on their doormat. Whilst this can still be an issue many of us have a new bug bear, email! Whether it is being added to an emailing list you don’t recall signing up for or the overzealous marketer who sends you too many promotional emails, we’ve all found ourselves getting exasperated with a cluttered inbox.
So how can you make your emails more engaging and stop people unsubscribing? Here are some tips.
1. The list –Never add anyone who did not agree to be on your list. Make sure you make it clear how to unsubscribe and ensure that unsubscribers are removed immediately.
2. Content –Think about your audience and make it relevant. Keep it short and concise, we all receive so many emails that no one has the time to read long, waffley marketing emails. If you have lots of points to get across think about the layout. Bullet points that can be scanned might work better than paragraphs of copy.
3. Subject line –Make sure the subject line is relevant. There is nothing more frustrating than an email that once opened doesn’t deliver what was promised in the subject line.
4. Timing –Think about the timing of your email. Schedule them at the times when your audience is most likely to be receptive.
5. Design – Yes, it needs to look the part but the font should be one that is easy to read, remember people will be opening your message on different types of device so consider on how it will display on a mobile, tablet and PC or laptop. It’s also worth considering the size of images and graphics you include, you don’t want anything that takes an age to open.
6. Frequency –This will vary from organisation to organisation but try not to bombard your subscribers. If you produce very regular enewsletters and people are engaging with them then great but if they are hitting the delete button without reading them you might want to rethink your schedule. Consider asking your subscribers how often they want to hear from you. Some organisations offer a choice of daily or weekly updates.
7. Tone and style – Think about your brand and your audience. The language you use should suit your audience and be true to your brand. Email is generally not considered as formal as a good old fashioned letter but if is still important not to be too over familiar. If you have different target markets think about splitting your list into segments and tailoring your content accordingly!
8. Consider you emails as public- You may be emailing a targeted number of individuals but emails are easily forwarded. Don’t write anything you wouldn’t be happy to be in the public domain. Avoid sensitive or potentially controversial messages, unless of course you are trying to cause controversy!
9. Monitor your emails- Use software that allows you to monitor the success of your email campaigns. Analyse them and learn from them. Look at what people are reading, what is driving traffic to the website and what people are ignoring. This will help you improve future emails.
10. Be innovative- Keep your emails interesting by thinking about new ideas, competitions and useful content that will keep your audience engaged. If there is a call to action make it clear and easy respond.