Want to be more effective in increasing email list subscribers and engagement? Email marketing is a seemingly complex medium that is actually more straightforward than many realize: you simply have to put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. Take some time to think about who your ideal customer is… what do they look like? How old are they? What are their interests?
Got it figured out? Great. Now, we think about what type of content would work best. There are two grand categories that all content falls into: entertainment and education.
Think about your audience and decide which would work best for each medium you choose. Sometimes, the answer is both. Don’t doubt yourself if you feel like either could work–you know your clientele better than anyone else. Also, email can also be a great place to ride the line and employ both types of content [emails with a funny gif and an informative article].
Now that the audience has been defined and we’ve got an outline for our content strategy, we can get into the actual email itself. Where do we begin? Well, we start with a few words… no big deal, right? Wrong! Those few, seemingly-insignificant words will be our subject line, the single most important aspect of any email you send out.
You can create the most beautiful email to ever exist, but it’s all for nothing if people aren’t even opening the email itself! Thus the importance of the subject line. When it comes to subject lines, I rely on a simple yet timeless business principle: differentiation. The average person receives 121 emails in any given day: if you don’t do something to make your emails stand out, they will be ignored and your precious time will be wasted.
Tips for crafting a perfect subject line:
- A/B Test different styles
- Do not be afraid to take risks
- Use an emoji [but only one!]
We’ve discussed how to get open on the emails, so now how do we go about actually growing our user base? One of the most effective ways is painfully simple: ask your existing user base to share it with their friends. In every email you send out, include a section with soft copy similar to this: Enjoying our emails? Why not share the love. We’d be so grateful if you’d refer your friends and colleagues to the sign-up link below.
Don’t be afraid to use your loyal customers as salespeople! They find value in your brand and your mission, so there’s nothing wrong with asking them to share that value with those in their circles.
Another great way to build your email following is with persistent placement. By this I mean simply putting the sign-up form or link everywhere you can. Don’t be bashful. Put the form on your website, attach it to social posts, sneak it into the end of blog posts, and more. The more locations, the higher chance it’s seen and interacted with by any given user.
A final and related method: create a landing page built specifically for that email list. Include information on upcoming email content, a specific section talking about benefits or value-added, and then close with the sign-up form. Create a marketing campaign centered around this page and, by proxy, your email campaign. Use social media to drive traffic through consistent but not overwhelmingly constant posts.
There are some more creative ways to drive traffic, too. Why not use a QR-code on the back of some of your physical sales collateral [brochures, flyers, etc] or on a thank-you card that accompanies your shipments? Both could be excellent and unique ways to build your email list. If you need help with content or growing your list, we would love to help!
