Marketing Emails that Get Noticed

A Bit of Background

In most cases, email marketing is intended as a way to maintain a relationship with existing customers, or least those who have shared their address or agreed to receive these emails.

They’re often tied to promotions, specific product or service information, and/or reminders – “Hey, remember us? You liked us at one time. We miss you, please come back.” Of course that’s not what is said, but it’s certainly the idea behind the emails.

Advantages

If so many emails are deleted or simply go directly into spam folders, why do they continue to be so popular? There are several reasons why companies continue to use them with real advantages.

Emails are the most profitable and cost-effective form of direct marketing

In comparison to letters or brochures sent through the mail, email marketing takes incredibly less time, labor and overall costs. While the sending of mass emails can cost money, the amount is minuscule in comparison to shipping costs. Plus, with less time and labor needed to create and send the email, money is saved yet again through email marketing.

Emails foster customer loyalty

Being updated regularly about company perks, events and products, customers are more likely to continue resorting to the same company. In addition, through informational emails, customers can begin to feel more of a connection with the company and its mission.

Email marketing increases brand awareness

Going hand in hand with brand loyalty, being exposed to the brand regularly through email marketing makes the customer increasingly aware of the company’s brand. Not only that, but if done well, the brand will gain both familiarity and superiority.

Challenges

Of course, email marketing also comes with its share of challenges (a nice way of saying problems). Here are a few “challenges” to avoid.

Spam

Avoiding the spam folder is hard, but with double opt-ins, it becomes much easier. Double opt-ins are when customers give their email and then receive a confirmation email for their subscription.

Size and design

Be intentional with the length of the email and complexity of the design. With a multitude of different devices and software, email can appear differently depending on how it was designed.

Competition

Every marketing email you send is competing for attention with all of the other emails we receive daily. Make yours stand out from all the others.

Email Marketing Done Right

While time and labor are not a huge demand, skills and abilities are a must for email marketing. If you want your emails to actually be open and read, or even better—illicit an action, there are some things you should do.

Use the Right ESP

When sending out a mass email to customers, an email service provider (ESP) makes the job much easier. They help manage and send mass emails to customers. ESPs also are designed to help emails get to the customer’s inbox, not their spam folder, which results from many internet service providers (ISPs).

Get People to Subscribe

With email marketing, customers must give permission, or opt-in, to receive the email by supplying their email address. Two common methods of gathering subscribers are websites and offers. Websites can promote subscriptions to customers and offers can add motivation by giving discounts to new subscribers. As the YouTubers say, “Click that button and subscribe!”

Make it Good!

No one wants a boring or pointless email. We are all constantly inundated with marketing messages, so you need yours to stand out to get noticed. You have two options (or combine them for even better results). You can make the offer itself enticing. At the very least you need to make it very clear: Is the purpose of the email to promote, inform or remind? The second way to get attention is with creative content. Make it fun. Make it memorable. Make it personalized. Make it stand out with graphics. Make sure it properly represents your brand.

Even with its challenges and limitations, email is an essential player in marketing. The most important takeaway is to remain aware of the reality—there’s a lot of competition for limited attention, so if you rely on email marketing, make sure yours stands out and gives your audience a reason to engage.

If you’re still not sure how, contact Asher. We can help with the right strategy, messaging and design.