Looking to improve the way your company markets itself through e-mail? Here are a few tips from Jillian Greer, the Social Media Marketing Coordinator for Sinclair Digital Solutions.
- Keep your subject lines short
- A strong, concise subject line for your e-mail is just as important as the content contained within the message because of e-mail overload in today’s society. People are quick to delete or brush off unwanted messages due to the sheer volume of e-blasts that come in on a daily basis, so it is important to grab your reader’s attention within those first few words of the subject line. Jillian stresses that keeping subject lines to 50 characters or fewer will statistically improve results in a big way. She also urges clients to refrain from using exclamation points and CAPS, as this will often send the e-mail to the SPAM folder.
- Always include a call to action
- This is arguably the most important thing that an e-mail can contain, next to a powerful subject line. The call to action is what persuades the customer to actually visit your site and make the purchase. Much like a subject line, the call to action should be short. It should also tell the customer exactly what you want them to do. Chris Hall, Sinclair’s Digital Project Manager, notes how a common call to action that works is “join us today.” Other popular calls to action for companies that Sinclair has worked with are “save the date” and “reserve your seats.” Notice how these are all very short and very direct phrases that begin with verbs, instructing the customer on what to do after they’ve opened the e-mail.
- Quality over quantity
- Be sure to use high-quality photos. However, Jillian notes that an excess of photos can overwhelm the user and send your email to SPAM, so it is better to choose one or two high-quality photos than it is to overdo it for the sake of having more images.
- Succinct and grammatically correct copy are musts
- Remember that details are for the landing page, not for the e-mail. Most people like to read quick points, not a bunch of text. It is equally, if not more, important to make sure you check the spelling and grammar of the text in your e-mail. Nothing is less professional looking than a lazily-written piece. For more on that, click here.
- Social links should be included in the e-blast
- Jillian notes the importance of adding company social links to any outgoing e-mails to new clients, as this allows people to learn more, ask questions, and become fans or customers. However, if you have social accounts but are not active, then be sure to leave them off of the e-mail.