Launching a Small Business Email Campaign? Read This First

An ample email list is one of any company’s best assets, but many small businesses aren’t sure how to leverage it for their marketing. Follow these best practices and watch your open and click-thru rates soar.

Get Permission

Before you ever send out a single email, make sure the recipient wants your email. Adding people to your lists without permission turns your messages into spam like a prince to a frog. That means a few things:

  • You’ll be wasting your time, effort, and budget marketing to people who have no interest in buying from you
  • You’ll risk being blacklisted when people label your emails as spam.
  • You’ll turn off potential customers who would have signed up for your list if you’d only asked them.

Instead, always ask for permission. Send out a “Welcome to My List” email that breaks down exactly what they’ve signed up for, asks them to opt in, and makes it easy to opt out if they choose. Bonus: ask them to add you to their contact list so you don’t get routed to their spam folder.

Get Personal

You’ll be surprised how well a simple strategy like using a contact’s name in key places will boost your open and click-through rates. It’s quick and easy to do (a quick line of non-scary code will harvest names from your contact list and automatically fill them in), and shows readers they’re more than just a faceless wallet. Great places to add names are:

  • Subject lines
  • Greetings
  • A Call to Action
  • Places where you want a reader to sit up and pay attention

Get Noticed

Your email has absolutely zero chance of bringing a prospect to your website if they never even open it. The solution? Write subject lines that are just plain irresistible.

  • Keep it short and simple
  • Capitalize First Letters of Words Like It’s a Title
  • Avoid spammy language (Free! Sale! News)

Lastly, make sure the address that shows up in the “From” column is readily recognizable as you or your brand. You want them to know exactly who sent this email.

Your email has absolutely zero chance of bringing a prospect to your website if they never even open it.

Get Read

Once a prospect is sitting face-to-screen with your email, there are couple of things they’ll want to see. This will make it easier for them to read or skim your entire email, as well as take action to move forward in your sales funnel.

The structure of your email should always be the same so if a reader is looking for something specific, they’ll know exactly where to find it. Keep the width of your message at 600 pixels or fewer so smartphone users don’t have to turn their screens sideways and put your logo in the top left corner.

Choosing the best content will depend on your business and goals. There are a few guidelines to follow:

  • Use a friendly, approachable voice
  • Segment your audience and send them different content
  • Focus the entire email on a single message or purpose
  • Include your Call to Action before they will need to begin scrolling down
  • Evoke a sense of urgency

Ready to launch or revamp your email marketing? Contact cThru Media to get expert help today!

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