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Email marketing, like any field, has its misconceptions. And because of those misconceptions, marketers and business owners can lose all kinds of opportunities. If you examine even your most successful email campaigns, you’ll still find areas you can improve. So, what are you possibly lacking? How can you get more out of your email marketing? Here are three easy ways.
Email sign-up opportunities: are your forms visible?
It seems so obvious that if you have a great newsletter, it should be a snap to subscribe. However, many marketers don’t make signing up simple. I’ve seen companies that have an email list you can get on, but to reach the sign-up form you have to click through multiple pages. Your website should have multiple places where someone can sign up, especially on the homepage.
Furthermore, you should remind people of the benefits in many places. What does someone get if they start receiving your newsletters? Maybe there can be an incentive mentioned on your social media channel. Linking to sign-up forms on your social media platforms is a great idea. However, remember to use an explicit call to action.
Can you find other opportunities you’re missing to get sign-ups?
Reaching the inbox: are you doing the right things?
Your email is not guaranteed to reach the inbox. This is especially true if you don’t take the necessary steps to ensure good deliverability. Deliverability is the rate at which your emails reach the inbox instead of the junk folder or not at all. Again, reaching the inbox isn’t a certainty without setting your campaigns up for success.
But, why would your emails land in spam? It happens for several reasons, but a prevalent one is that you don’t remove bad or invalid addresses from your list.
Over time, many people abandon their email addresses. Some people change them now and then. You have to address that fact. Why? If you keep those deactivated emails on your list, it will decrease all of your subscribers’ chances of getting your emails.
Other emails that end up on your list were never good to begin with. These include catch-all addresses that collect all emails sent to a domain, and role-based addresses (info@, office@, etc.) that are typically checked by many people. There are also disposable addresses. Some websites allow you to sign-up for an email address that only works for up to 24 hours before they self-destruct. People use these disposable or temporary emails because they don’t want to share their real email addresses with you. You don’t want to engage with those types of addresses.
The fix for this is giving your list a scrub. Periodically you have to upload it to a quality email verification platform to identify these invalid or risky emails. Take them off of the list or your deliverability will start to suffer.
Another pro-tip is to keep bad emails off of your list in the first place by using an email validation API. A reputable email validation service should be able to help you connect an API that will check all sign-ups in real-time. If someone makes a typo or they try to use a disposable email, it will let them know that they need to enter a real email address if they want to subscribe.
Are you doing all you can to maintain your email list quality?
Building anticipation with your emails: are you showing up on time?
If you can offer real value and maybe even entertainment through your emails, you’ll be way ahead of the competition. What the world doesn’t need is another email sent out just for the sake of having a newsletter. Therefore, one of the best gifts you can give your readers is offering something to look forward to. That’s the amount of value you should aspire to give. Good things are met with positive expectations.
There are email lists I’m on that send me something daily. Continuing to receive them is a choice. I stay subscribed because I look forward to seeing them in my inbox every morning. The same thing goes for a terrific newsletter I subscribe to that comes out like clockwork on the first of every month. I know it’s coming, like a kid who sees a wrapped present with his name on it.
Anticipation is the result of utility or enjoyment. They’re two of the most important components of a newsletter. There are things you can do to make your newsletter better, like periodically giving away something really valuable.
So, use your imagination. Maybe you can create an exclusive e-book, audiobook, or mp3 download? Anything to ramp up the content and offerings is a good thing.
The other method to drive up anticipation is by sticking to a sending schedule. It trains your audience to look for your newsletter while also increasing your deliverability. When you send at set times, like every other Wednesday, it shows that you’re consistent. Email service providers tend to classify you as a legitimate sender, so your emails are more likely to go to the inbox.
