{4:05 minutes to read} Like most of us, I’m a creature of habit. Although I no longer get the New York Times delivered to my doorstep, I still read it every morning over breakfast on my iPad. I start with the Most Emailed section and then jump to Top News and Opinion.
If your email newsletter is just a fraction as addictive as the New York Times is for loyal readers like me, you’ve probably already mastered a few of the keys to successful email marketing.
Here are 4 more tips to help you be a real email marketing pro.
#1 – Make your list deep or wide
My approach is to go deep. By that, I mean that my list has only 1,171 subscribers, but includes only people whom I’ve either met or who personally know me and will recognize my name, my company’s name, and my photo. I, therefore, enjoy a high open rate of about 38%, far above the industry average.
However, you can be just as successful with a very large or “wide” list. This may get a lower open rate but can yield just as many readers. The average open rate for my industry is 16.7%, so my list would yield the same number of readers if it were about 2.5x larger.
#2 – Develop your brand through consistency
Readers will continue to open and read your newsletter if you give them what they want and expect each time. If I’m doing my job, you’ll know that this newsletter always includes two short articles about marketing technology or software development for marketing. As it’s targeted at marketing professionals, it’s not too technical but strives to be informative. Lastly, my tone is light and personal, making the newsletter easy to read.
#3 – Take advantage of available email marketing tools
It’s no secret that there are some great and inexpensive email marketing platforms available. I use MailChimp, which, along with Constant Contact, is one of the most popular. If you want to look at others, start with PC Magazine’s excellent comparison of 10 top tools, which range in price from free to an affordable $20/month.
#4 – JUST DO IT!
Turns out that Nike was right—you have to literally just do it. Hold your nose, face your fear, and take that plunge.
Actually, this diving theme brings up a good example. I took my girlfriend’s 13-year-old daughter to her diving lesson today and watched several kids standing paralyzed with fear on top of a three-meter diving board. Some were wiping away tears before taking that brave leap with a new, untested dive.
While slightly less scary than high diving, writing a regular email newsletter is still not easy. The anxiety that you’ll run out of things to say, or the fear that you’ll be rejected by readers who won’t even open your emails, can be daunting.
However, an email newsletter can be a very rewarding and a cost-effective way to get your message out and remind your readers of the valuable products or services you provide.
So if you haven’t done so already, take that leap.
And add me to your subscriber list. I’d love to hear what you have to say.
Michael Bendit
Managing Director
Software Development Resources Inc.
888-447-1591
1825 Madison Avenue, Suite 9E
New York, NY 10035
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