Some email newsletters are the talk of the town and seem to thrive. People even forward them to like-minded people and friends who they think will enjoy or find them useful. Yet other email newsletters never seem to get off the ground. They seem to fizzle out as quickly as they started. There are certain things that successful email marketers have in common. This article will take a look at the 3 ways you can tell if your email newsletter will succeed.
You’re committed to stay the course
As Woody Allen famously remarked, “80 percent of life is showing up.” Well, your email newsletters and promotions are no different. You’ve got to do the work and it’s generally a bit more involved than most people think it is. It’s not like quickly tapping out a note to your friend, although there is certainly value in seeing your audience as real people.
You’ll want to put some thought and planning into what you write. There’s also the design elements: fonts, images, formatting and colors. It’s always smart to get a proofreader to look over what you write. There are plenty of tales out there of someone sending out an email to the masses that resulted in embarrassment or looking unprofessional.
Email lists that succeed tend to stick to a schedule. Readers like something they can depend on. You have to commit to send your emails out at least once a month, but whenever you do stick with a schedule, such as sending out the newsletter every single Tuesday, or on the 1st of the month. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are more likely to let your newsletter or promotion land in the inbox, as opposed to delegating you to the junk folder. It pays to be punctual and on schedule.
You realize the value of the list and protect it
Having an email list is one of the more valuable commodities you have. As time passes more and more companies are realizing how precious it is when customers or clients entrust you with their email address. They’re inviting you to communicate with them and keep them updated with what you offer. What a gift!
Like all things of value, you must safeguard and maintain it. In email marketing land, it is critical that you use email validation. It’s easy to use and requires no skills or training. Once you’ve chosen a respected and trusted email scrubber, you upload your list to the site’s platform. It will identify risky email addresses (invalid, catch-all, spam traps, role-based, temporary or abuse emails). Those have got to go. The only way you can remove them is by identifying them and that’s the job of the email validation service or scrubber.
If you have a sign-up form on your website or elsewhere, another crucial component of safeguarding the list is keeping bad email addresses off in the first place. A good email validation company should have an API available that will verify addresses in real time. When someone signs up it makes sure they use a legitimate email address and don’t make any typos. That way the problem is nipped in the bud before it gets out of hand.
You know who your audience is
You can create the best newsletter possible by knowing who your audience is. If you truly know them you can create the type of content that they want. It’s just that simple. How do you get to know your audience? You talk to them. You ask them for feedback, what they liked and what they didn’t and how you can improve.
One of the ways you can get to know your audience is to do a survey. Ask them what their challenges are or what their needs are. If you’re unsure of what they think about a new product you offer or even a change in the newsletter, you can ask them. Find out what content they’d most like in the newsletter.
If you have a social media channel, and you should, talk to them there. Start a conversation. Speaking of social media, it seems obvious, but it’s a great idea to cross-promote. Have links to your social media within the newsletter, but also encourage people who like or follow you on Facebook, Twitter, etc. to subscribe to your email list.
It’s up to you
Henry Ford famously said “whether you think you can or can’t, either way, you’re right.” Nothing great is done without perspiration and inspiration. You’ll need both to have a successful email newsletter. However, it’s important to continuously educate yourself about the latest email marketing techniques, new technologies, and consumer trends. For instance, did you know you can use an inbox placement tester to see where your email is going to land? As always, the best teacher is simply doing it.