Hot on the heels of our popular post on the Best Brushes for Photographers (and a few days after we launched our beta version of the Platform), we’re excited to share another article from our blog, this time focused on the creation of killer marketing emails.
Whether you’re just getting started or already have a well-established business, email marketing is an incredibly valuable tool for any marketer. Not only does it reach a huge audience, but it’s also incredibly flexible and can be tailored to fit almost any business need or goal.
There are a lot of different email marketing software solutions available, so it’s important to find one that suits your needs. Luckily for you, we’ve been there and done that, so let’s dive into learning how to design a killer marketing email.
Step one: Set the table
The first step in the process is to set the table. It is important to set the right mood and tone for your email since it will be seen by a potential client or customer. After all, successful businesses build trust with consumers, and that doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and nurturing that relationship through consistent and valuable communication.
To set the right mood and tone for your email, look to the language and style that you use in other parts of your website. Are you using marketing words like “sign up now” or “try out this product”? If so, that is the language you will need to use in your email.
Step two: Write the email
The next step in the process is to write the email. This step is a bit more complicated than you might think, especially if you’re not used to writing emails. The key is to keep it short and sweet while still getting your point across.
You want to write an email that will stick out in the reader’s mind. To accomplish this, you need to consider what will make your email memorable. This could be the subject line, the main content, or a combination of both.
For our examples, we’ll use the classic “Hey, customer” style of email, since that is a very common and easy to follow format. You can also use the same format to send invoices or receipts.
First, create a generic email address for your company. For example, if you’re using a Gmail account, your company email address will be [your_company_name]@gmail.com. This email will be used to send out all communication regarding your business, and it should be easy for customers to find.
Second, it is important to write an effective subject line for your email. The subject line of your email lists the important topics you’re going to cover in the email, so it’s essential that it hooks the reader. In our example above, the subject line is “Hey, customer, how’s your summer vacation going?”
Third, you need to write a compelling opening. This is the part of the email where you introduce your customer to your business and brand. This is also the place where you hook the reader and get them interested in what you have to say. In our example, the opening is “Hey, customer, how’s your summer vacation going? We know this summer has been a hard one, but you should be enjoying the last few weeks of your summer vacation. That is, if you’re not working through the backlog of outstanding orders from the spring.”
Fourth, you need to write a concise but complete main body. The main body of your email should be used to provide your customer with the information they need to make a decision. Be careful not to overload your email with text. While you want to keep your email concise, you don’t want to send a short email and miss out on important details.
Fifth, you need to write a persuasive and convincing closing. This is where you bring up your business’ strong points and the reasons why your customer should choose you. Be careful not to sound too much like a salesperson, or your email might come off as cold and unprofessional. In our example, the closing is “If you want to take your summer vacation now, we have some AMAZING deals to offer. Don’t forget to check out our website for the latest items and discounts! To get started, click here to visit our store.”
Writing an effective email is not as easy as it seems. It takes a little bit of work and some trial and error to get the hang of it. But once you do, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it.
Step three: Check for spelling and grammar
After you’ve written your email, it is a good idea to go back and make sure everything is spelled correctly and that you haven’t said anything that can be considered inappropriate or damaging to your business.
You don’t want to end up with a poorly written email that could potentially do more damage than good. Check your spelling and grammar carefully before sending out your email, and do not hesitate to ask for help if you need it.
Step four: Test the email
Once you’ve written your email and are confident that it is error-free, it’s time to test it. Before you send out your email, you should have a small sample of it to check the language and style used. In our example above, we’ve chosen to send an email to a fictitious customer named “Caroline” to ensure that our language and style are presented exactly as we intend them to be.
Now, when you send this email to Caroline, you should receive a confirmation email that your email was successfully delivered. If you do not receive this confirmation email, it means that there was a problem with the address Caroline entered, or that her email service is blocking your emails due to too many bounces or other problems.
If everything goes well, then great! You can now hit the send button and sit back while your email delivers its magic. To learn more, read our blog post on how to write an effective email, or reach out to us today!
Step five: Measure the results
Last but not least, we need to measure the results of our efforts. Is anyone actually reading our articles and taking away value from them? Are people actually clicking on our affiliate links and making purchases?
The fact is, no one can ever truly know how effective marketing emails are without tracking their performance over time. This is where you need to step in and take charge. You can set up automated email campaigns to measure the results of your efforts and determine if your strategy is working or needs an adjustment.
To set this up, go back to your email and click on the little gear icon in the top right corner. This will bring you to your email’s dashboard. There, you will see a graph showing the progress of your email’s open rate over time. You can also track the progress of your email’s click rate and link clicks here as well.
This dashboard allows you to see all the important info you need in one place, instead of hunting down the numbers of each individual email you send out. Plus, it’s a great way to keep track of all your email marketing campaigns, regardless of whether you use a third-party software solution or do everything in-house.
This dashboard gives you all the info you need to effectively run your email marketing efforts. While this dashboard might not be as pretty as some of the other templates we’ll cover in this series, it doesn’t hide any unnecessary complexity. Instead, it organizes all the important data in a simple and accessible manner so you can take a quick glance and have all the info you need at your fingertips.
Wrapping up
Writing an effective email is not as difficult as one might think. It just takes a little bit of effort and some trial and error to get the hang of it. Once you do, you’ll wonder why you ever bothered trying to write a functional email without it. A few hours of work each week can significantly boost your business’ bottom line. Imagine how much money you’ll save if you eliminated all the poorly written, ineffective emails you send out each week. Not to mention all the time you’ll save not having to chase down phone numbers and addresses to send out your mailers.
Also, don’t forget about the importance of segmentation when it comes to email marketing. This means breaking down your customer base into distinct groups based on similar interests or behaviors. You can then design your email strategy based on what will appeal to each group. This way you’ll hit your target audience and increase the chances of them finding value in your emails. Start by identifying groups of people who are already engaging with your content, and use that to inform your upcoming email marketing campaigns. It’s time to shine!