In this day and age, knowing your way around an email may seem like a foregone conclusion. While it may be easy to assume that everyone knows how to write and send an email, when it comes to marketing, there are a few things you may not have considered that can make or break your next campaign.
Email is an essential part of many marketing strategies because it is inexpensive and easy-to-use, allowing you to keep in touch with your target audience. Although sending out a newsletter seems simple, many people struggle with creating content that encourages a positive response in their audience, which is why remembering to use the proper email etiquette can go a long way when catching the attention of new readers. If you’re interested in learning about the right (and wrong) ways to use email in your marketing strategy, read on to find out more.
Students in Marketing Training Know to Always Ask for Permission First
One of the easiest—and most costly—mistakes you can make when it comes to email marketing is, simply, not asking for permission before you click send. Students in marketing training know that sending out unwanted information is not only an easy way to alienate potential consumers, it’s also illegal under US and Canadian law, which requires the sender’s full consent. That’s why it’s important to make sure all the contacts in your database have opted in to receive email communication, so you can ensure that your email marketing strategy is sound and operating within the law before you make an altogether avoidable mistake.
For customers who may no longer want to receive information from you, you are also legally required to include an easily-accessible unsubscribe option. Although it’s disappointing when someone opts out of your newsletter or campaign, it’s the law, and also shows that your business respects the needs and decisions of its customers. One reliable way to be sure your email campaign is working within the proper guidelines is to send a test email to yourself first before you send it to your subscriber list.
Marketing Professionals Know to Keep the Tone Professional, Relevant, and Brief
If you want to earn your marketing coordinator diploma in Alberta, you should know that whenever a reader opens your email, you want to grab their attention quickly and make them more interested the longer they read. Short, concise content is an easy way to get perspective leads involved, even it’s only a lead-up or click-through feature that takes them to the full newsletter. In our busy world, it’s important to remember brevity—readers who are short on time are not going to give their full attention to an email that’s longer than the last book they read.
Etiquette is the art of being polite, and it’s important to make your customers feel as if they and their time are being respected. If you’re responding to an individual’s concerns, don’t use emojis or smiley faces, but instead treat them with professional courtesy and let them understand that their concerns are being heard and considered.
Remember, however, to keep your tone appropriate with the brand of your business. Keep the subject line relevant to the content you’re including in the message itself, and try to make sure it’s conveying the right tone and information about your brand. Similarly, no one wants to clog their inbox with a bunch of emails that they don’t need, so the general rule is to only send an email out during your campaign if it contains something valuable to the readers.
Marketing professionals make sure newsletter content is appealing to the reader
Don’t Forget to Re-Read and Double Check Your Email Marketing Content
Once you have your content planned out, written, and drafted, one of the most important steps that even seasoned graduates of marketing coordinator courses might sometimes forget is the simple act of checking to make sure it’s error-free. Misspellings, grammatical errors, and bad formatting will make your customers think you are unprofessional, and that loss of credibility can cost you dearly when they decide to unsubscribe and take their business someplace else.
Proofreading your email is an incredibly valuable last step, but you shouldn’t only rely on spell check to do your job for you. It won’t catch every error, which is why you should be sure to read carefully and take the time to also double check that any of the links you include are functioning properly. An email campaign is only as good as the amount of business it generates, and disorganized presentation, poor spelling, and broken links all can contribute to potential leads fizzling out fast, no matter how irresistible your offer is.
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