If your marketing campaign doesn't include email, you should rethink your marketing plan. Statistics on the efficacy of email marketing abound, but one key statistic you should be aware of is its return on investment (ROI) - an email campaign can return up to $44 for every $1 spent. That's a 4400%! Email marketing is more complex than sending a newsletter to your subscriber list every once in a while, however. Here's a fundamental way for your business to harness the unique power of email marketing.
The Number One Tip: Keep Your Emails Out of the Spam Folder
There are plenty of resources and techniques to help you build a good email marketing strategy. You need to build a subscriber list, include compelling calls to action, automate your emails, and use templates to create clean, professional emails. However, all this will mean nothing if your emails end up in people's spam folders.
Spam in this context isn't the weird mystery meat in a can; it refers to any unsolicited email a person might receive. Modern spam filters on email services such as Gmail are pretty advanced, and they can weed out potentially harmful, malicious, or scam-related emails. However, every once in a while, spam filters flag innocuous marketing emails from companies. Most people never check their spam folder, so all those emails you're sending end up never being seen.
What Do Spam Filters Look For?
Each email provider has different things their spam filters look for. Still, generally speaking, you won't go wrong if you avoid things like bad grammar, suspicious domain names, and spammy-looking subject lines (like offering free money or using too many exclamation points). Make sure your emails look professional and clean, with your business' logo visible and engaging font (if you need a free resource to help you create a logo, don't worry: LogoCreator has you covered for completely free. Check it out.
One important way to make sure your emails make it to people's inboxes is to get your subscribers to give you permission to send them emails and give them an easy way to unsubscribe. This is simple with many email service providers and usually takes the form of a pop-up window when people visit your site, prompting them to enter their email to stay up-to-date on your company. You can also try to get your subscribers to whitelist your email address, which adds you to their contact list and will let emails from you end up in their inbox.
Spam filters also look at the email addresses you're sending to; if the number of active emails on your list is too low, they might think your email is spam. Therefore, it's critical to keep your email subscriber lists up to date. Some of these problems can be avoided by using a reputable email marketing service, like Constant Contact, which can plug directly into your storefront to give people a sign-up option, manages your subscriber list, gives your emails a number of interactive and customizable options, and offers excellent customer service.
Spam Filters Can Put a Dent in Your Marketing
Email marketing is perhaps the most effective type of marketing available on the internet right now, but it has its weaknesses too. One of the most significant flaws, and one you'll have to overcome, is the possibility for your emails to be relegated to the dreaded spam folder. Using a reputable email service provider, proofreading your emails, and giving people the option to opt-in and opt-out of your messages can help keep you in their inbox and convert them to paying customers.
Submitted by: Iris Schmidt