5 Tips For Email Marketing

Web Design Monday, 02 March, 2015

Email spam has become one of the most notorious annoyances of our technological age. But if you’re a business, email can be a really useful marketing tool—so how do you get consumers to differentiate your emails from the highly dreaded spam? Here are some tips, along with other things to keep in mind when using email to market your business.

1. Ask First! 

An easy way to avoid coming off spammy is by asking your customers’ permission to send them emails. Give your customers the ability to sign up for a mailing list, and entice them do so by offering deals and specials exclusive only to subscribers. If you sell products online, give them a chance to opt-in at checkout, or if you have a brick-and-mortar store, have a sign-up list posted at the register. If your customers are expecting email from you, they’ll be a whole lot more receptive to it. 

2. Keep ‘Em Coming Back For More

Once your customers agree to receive your emails, give them incentives to keep them interested. Offer special deals and rebates to your subscribers, or give them first dibs on new products or sales. Keep your emails up-to-date and relevant, and make sure they look nice! They need to look and feel professional if you’re trying to win people over.

3. Don’t Overdo It

So now that you’ve mastered the art of a tasteful, welcomed marketing email, resist the urge to barrage your customers with your glorious creation. Part of what makes people hate spam so much is its unrelenting nature, which of course you want to avoid. Send out emails at weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly intervals to give them an orderly, legitimate feel. Of course, you can tweak this according to what works for you, but just be sure to restrain yourself if you feel those spammy urges coming over you.

4. Give Them An Out

When your customers sign up for your mailing list, it’s because they’re excited to hear about your business and the deals they can score. But if they change their mind, they need to have a way to opt out of your email list. The thought of losing potential customer might be painful, but even worse is bombarding people with emails they don’t want, which only serves to make your business look desperate and, that’s right, spam-alicious.

5. Have A Nice Website

Once you’ve actually gotten your customers interested in your business through email marketing, you need to have a nice place to direct them to. These days, that’s largely going to be your website (though your brick-and-mortar operation should probably look good, too). Don’t neglect your website—it should be aesthetically pleasing, function well, and be easy to navigate in order for people to take it seriously. If you’re selling products online, make sure your shopping cart platform runs smoothly and is user friendly. People will (hopefully) be entering their credit card info on your site, so it really needs to feel (and be) secure and legitimate.