Email marketing. You’ve heard of it, you’ve been on the receiving end of it, you’ve read endless think pieces about it, you’ve even started to do it…and then stopped.

But, why is email marketing important for a badass fempreneur like yourself?

Well, it gives you an opportunity to connect directly with your customer and work to build strong brand trust and loyalty. By “Diddy bopping” into your customer’s inbox, on a regular basis, you are speaking directly to them, in a private space, during a time that they have deemed convenient by opening your correspondence.

And even though some have cluttered email boxes with scams, schemes and annoying advertisements, don’t believe the hype. Email is STILL one of the best ways to reach your targeted, and most beloved, consumer.

The goal is to make sure that you are the most prepared, and confident, as you deploy your words, tips, and sales, so this blog will cover some key areas to get you ready.

Content

a. Use a clear subject line that grabs your reader’s attention.

b. Write the body of your email to satisfy the subject line, speak to your audience and hold their attention. Ask yourself, “Have I given what I said I would?”

c. Use a concise Call to Action. What do you want your reader to do as a result of reading? Consider a 90/10 split. Make 90% of the email informative, 10% of the email pointing to your CTA.

Tools

a. Keep it simple sweetie! There are several email campaign platforms that you can choose from. One of the most attractive features, that make most of the platforms a leading choice to many, is the “drag and drop” functionality. Drag and drop describes the ability to use templates, or build your own email outline, by simply dragging (moving) and dropping (clicking) the elements you wish to include.

b. Don’t mass email your customers from your personal email box. This may seem like a given, but I thought I would say it outright. Choose an email campaign platform to make your email personal and professional.

c. Here is a list of some of the more popular email campaign platforms. Choose the one that works best for you.

• Constant Contact
• Drip.
• ConvertKit
• AWeber
• GetResponse
• MailChimp
• ActiveCampaign
• Campaign Monitor

Testing Your Deliverables

Before hitting the send button, there are a few things to consider.

a. Desktop vs. Mobile. One of the best things about email marketing, is the ability to push your information to a user’s cell phone, and not rely solely on their access to a computer. Did you know? Over 50% of US cell phone owners access their emails from their phones? So, make sure that you preview your email to determine how it will look on a desktop, as well as a mobile device.

b. HTML vs Text. Another thing to consider is the capability of your reader’s device. Now, I happen to think that in 2018, everyone should have HTML capability, but having just very recently broken my phone, and spending close to a week with very stripped down tech ability, I can appreciate correspondence being suitable for HTML (with all the jazzy effects) and plain text (that gets the message out). Make sure your email allows for both.

c. Spam Filter. Depending on the email platform you use, you will be led to engage a spam filter, or notified of a potential spam flag. It is important to go through this step to make sure that your email has the best chance of reaching your reader, and not getting stuck in junk mail.

d. Links, Images, Buttons & Social Icons. CLICK ON EVERYTHING! Make sure that you know where you are sending your reader, especially when that click is related to your call to action.

Segmenting

Though you may feel like each email you send is best received by everyone on your list, I assure you that it’s not. Eventually, your list will grow, and there will be a need to address, and engage, certain parts of your list separately. Imagine sending and email about purchasing a new product to readers who have already purchased said product, or received said offer from you. Segmenting allows you to address, specifically, who you want to address and make each experience personal. You may not be able to remember everything, or make these distinctions on your own, but your email platform can. The following are some segmentations that you may want to consider:

a. Geographic. Adding local/regional flair to your email, may cause a different kind of connection or response.

b. Behavioral. Maybe during sign-up, you are able to capture information about certain behaviors/traits, of your readers, that you can use to make a segment, or you may simply use the behaviors of something like opening your email and engaging with it (clicking) to determine the segment.

c. By purchase. Nuff said.

Tracking and Making Adjustments

As you send your email campaigns, you will begin to receive very valuable information and feedback. Track the following:

a. How many people are receiving your email. High deliverability ranks in the 90th percentile. Threats to your deliverability include: spam flags.

b. How many people are opening your email. Receipt is one thing, opening is another. Threats to your open rate include: subject line fails.

c. How many clicks your email is receiving. Clicks within your email show whether or not your readers are taking the action that you want them to. Threats to your click rate include: a weak or unclear call-to-action.

d. How many unsubscribes you’re receiving from your list. Please understand that unsubscribes come with the territory. Even the House of 334 gets the occasional unsubscribe from time to time. Unbelievable, right? Well, please know that eventually, people will go away. However, the vast majority will continue to look forward to what you have to say, and you play a part in keeping it that way. Work to keep your unsubscribes beneath .15% so that it doesn’t affect your other areas.

Tracking these metrics, and then revising your email strategy, or perhaps just applying a few tweaks, will support you in reaching your performance goals.

This is not a comprehensive guide to Email Marketing, but it is a robust companion to help get you started, or provide some areas of consideration.

If you know that you require support in your email marketing, whether it’s strategy, set-up, or help with copy, don’t hesitate to connect with the House. We are here to serve you.