Some consider email an “old school” marketing tool, but it’s actually one of the most effective content marketing tools available because it delivers content easily.
But once your emails are delivered, how do you get your audience to engage with your message further, viewing it and clicking on links? After all, inboxes are inundated. How do you make your emails stand out?
Here are five ways to engage with your audience through marketing emails:
1. Start by letting your audience opt-in.
An email list of hundreds of willing subscribers is more valuable than a list of thousands of unwilling recipients. Willing subscribers are more likely to take action than unwilling recipients who will probably report you for spam!
To ensure that your email list consists of willing subscribers, use the confirmed opt-in method. When you let subscribers opt-in, you can be a hero because you’re giving them exactly what they asked for.
If it’s imperative for you to start with all of your customers on your email list, make sure the unsubscribe options are clear and accessible – keeping your prospective customers trapped on an email list won’t yield great results.
2. Stay true to the expectations you set initially.
When you’re building an email list there are two important questions to answer up front:
- How often will you send emails?
- What kind of content will you send?
After you set these expectations for your audience, stay true to them. Your audience will be thankful when they receive what they expect.
3. Spend half of your time on the subject line.
Just like your article headlines, you should strategically craft email subject lines. They dictate whether your audience actually opens and reads your emails. Use your subject line to tell readers how they’ll benefit by reading the email.
4. Stick to one clear purpose.
Instead of confusing your audience by presenting multiple topics, choose one specific purpose for each email. Make sure that purpose is extremely clear and distinctive.
5. Be thoughtful about your call-to-action.
If you want readers to take action in your emails, make sure it’s clear which action you want them to take!
After you do all that work creating your text and subject line, don’t forget to take time to craft a compelling call-to-action. Pay attention to placement, wording and how relevant it is to the specific purpose of your email.
About the Author:
Elizabeth Ippolito is co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of MatchStick Strategies. Find more musings from Elizabeth on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.