How To Ignite Your Email Marketing Strategy

email-marketing-blog-image

Your email marketing strategy is very important.

As I opened my email this morning I was pretty excited.  The email from Amy Porterfield had come, and I had been expecting it.

I am about to learn something that I have always wanted to learn more about.

Building a successful webinar.

Have you ever opened your email, noticed one, and got giddy about it before? If you’re a marketer, then you probably have. What causes that excitement?  That energy?  That feeling that you know you’re about to succeed on another level?

That’s what I want to talk to you about today, and it will ignite your email marketing strategy from this point on!

#1: Choose Your Email Autoresponder

I can understand the excitement of wanting to get the first email management platform that you see, however, picking the right email autoresponder will accelerate your marketing growth tremendously.

It’s important to know that with an autoresponder you can track how many subscribers open your emails, unsubscribe, complain, and click on links.

This email marketing service also determines how many emails don’t arrive at a mailbox (for instance, if a mailbox is full or if the email address doesn’t exist). You can find out why people unsubscribed. You can even see what time of day people are accessing your emails, as well as how many people go to your website via your email marketing campaign.

Don’t simply turn your email autoresponder on and never check it again, this is your lifeline for your marketing, use the tools available to help you get to your goals.

#2: What Do They Want?

In order to ignite your email marketing strategy, you have to understand what your target audience wants.

It’s important to fulfill the promise that you have kept to them on your landing/signup page.  What is it they’re going to get, and how can you make that exciting for them?

Remember the emotions you felt when you signed up for that class, book, or webinar?

That’s the introduction to the emotional train that they have jumped on and you’re the conductor.  It’s essential to keep that on the right track through your email campaign.

I remember when I had signed up for Mark Schaefer’s webinar about writing better content.  His landing page had promises that I had only dreamed of accomplishing and it made me feel that he could make good on those promises.

Keep a clear picture of what your subscriber wants and start fulfilling on those promises that you have made to them through the email campaign.

#3: Your Data Is Your Friend

As mentioned above, use the tracking data available to you to help you understand which person performed action where.  This is a great way to keep your user base targeted.  Using this strategy, you will be able to realize who is performing an action in your email.

Use Split Testing for Subject Lines

One research says that 64% of people said they opened the email because of the subject line.  That’s why it’s important to get your subject line dialed in correctly.

When sending your broadcast, try a couple of different subject lines to see which one works the best for your readers.  For example, I might split test these subject lines:

  • {!firstname_fix} Take advantage of your emails!
  • Hey {!firstname_fix} Learn How To Get Your Emails Opened!
  • How To Capitalize On Your Email List With These Tips

Split testing will help you fine tune your audience to what they are most responsive to.  And this is what’s important.  You need to find that line that will keep the reader engaged always.

#4: Divide and Conquer

When I first started my email marketing campaign a while back I had one list, and this list was everywhere on the internet.  It was connected to landing pages, social media, the sidebar on my blog, and all were promising different things.

I had a hard time with that list.  It was so difficult to keep everyone’s promises fulfilled while they were on the same list.

Looking back I now realize that an email campaign that stays ignited with excitement is one that stays on topic to what the subscriber wanted in the first place.

Knowing this, you need to keep it super targeted by dividing your list into mini-campaigns.

Here’s some that I have right now:

  • The Relationship Marketing List- These people opted in to my list because they wanted to be more proficient at building business relationships.  The promise was to keep their business personal with tips and strategies that focused on brands on social media.
  • The Content Writing List- These guys are excited to receive information about getting better at writing content with a focus on social media marketing.  They get periodical emails about free webinars as well.
  • All About Social Media Psychology List- These folks are wanting more information about social media psychology and how it can help build their brand by using emotional and psychological triggers in marketing.  The promise is an ebook about social profile psychology and a ping when the social psychology podcast comes out on iTunes.

Each of these mini campaigns goes to fulfill a larger picture.  The more targeted you keep it, the more actionable subscribers that you are going to have.

Granted, if you only speak about social media tips and nothing else, then you may only need one list.  However, if you’re like many of the marketers in the industry, you have a large group of targeted people that are interested in a plethora of aspects.

#5: Crafting Your Email

As stated above, you will have to do some split testing to get this down pat, however, and anyone will tell you this, don’t write boring.

One of the main reasons I close an email, and even opt out of the users list, is because the content just wasn’t exciting and fresh for me.

You have to remember that you’re taking up someone’s time when they open your email.  Don’t dilly dally around the point, get right to it and be pumped about what you’re delivering to them at that moment.

Be Excited!

In Amy’s email this morning she said the following…

YOU ARE 1 DAY AWAY FROM LEARNING THE INSIDE SCOOP!!!

Immediately I remembered what I had signed up for.  I remembered the promise and all of those emotions that I felt at the time of sign-up came flooding back.

I got excited about it.  So excited, in fact that I tried to get into the webinar a day early!

Don’t Take Too Long

How often do you read an email that you have subscribed to when you have to scroll down to reach the end? It’s not very often is it?

Remember that point when you’re crafting your email.

Write your broadcast and then look at it again.  Would you read this email if someone sent it to you?  Be honest with yourself too.  If the answer is no, start over.

You have been blessed with the opportunity to reach someone intimately in their inbox, you have captured their attention with the subject line and now you have them right where you want them.

Be aware of your brevity.

Depending on which list you are targeted should depend on what kind of content you should be writing to them at that time.

Again, it’s a lot of testing to find out what the subscriber wants to see from you but it’s worth it when you realize what that length is.

The Final Thought

The final frontier for marketers everywhere is the email list.  Taming yours can ignite your email marketing strategy to the point where all you will ever need is your email list.

While this doesn’t happen overnight, it is time well spent with these fine folks, because they have entrusted you enough to allow you to send them personal messages.

So there, excite them, wow them, help them succeed!  You have a marketer’s paradise sitting there, why not use it to its fullest extent?

For more great, actionable advice from experts like Wade, be sure to subscribe to the SiteSell newsletter.

How To Ignite Your Email Marketing Strategy
Wade Harman
Bio: Wade Harman is a social media psychology architect, relationship marketing enthusiast, author and speaker of strategies to help build your success on social media. He loves Star Wars, pepperoni sandwiches, and meeting new and interesting people.
Wade Harman

Latest posts by Wade Harman (see all)

Share
Tweet
Pin