Monday, January 31, 2011

Make the most of your unsubscribe...


When someone is unsubscribing, take the time to get feedback from them about why. Ask a few short questions about the reasons they're no longer interested in your emails and what would make them come back some day. Give them the option to keep in touch, and offer them the ability to "opt-down", or subscribe to a less frequently-mailed list.
 

Friday, January 28, 2011

Ask people to share...

Be direct. Be explicit. Ask people to forward and share your email. Give them obvious permission to do so - you'd be surprised how many people question whether it's okay to forward, print, post, or repost an email!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Targeted, Timely, and Valuable....

Offer valuable, unique content that your email recipients can't get anywhere else. Be sure that it's targeted (specific content for them), timely (sent when they are most likely to interact), and valuable (something they want/need). The more valuable your emails are, the more people will sign up to receive them.


 

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Consider your domain name...


If your domain name is especially hard to remember or is unclear when spoken, it will be that much harder for people to spread via word of mouth.At the very least, consider buying and redirecting a custom domain name for your email subscription center if your regular corporate domain name isn't in your control.



Monday, January 24, 2011

Capitalize on buzz..


Are people talking about you, your brand, company, and/or products? Convert as much of that attention as possible to subscribers while you have the spotlight. Make sure any specialized landing pages on your website highlight an email signup so that interested passersby can be contacted after the spotlight moves on.

 

Friday, January 21, 2011

Ask while on the phone...

When speaking with a customer or prospect on the phone, ask them if they'd like to receive your emails. Direct them to your subscription page or send them a personal email with a link to your subscription center.


Thursday, January 20, 2011

Promote your email marketing communications with direct mail...

If you send direct mail (postal mail), alert recipients of your email program. Whether you send a brochure, catalog, billing information, or any other type of communication, direct recipients to your website to sign up for your emails. Tell them why they should want to receive emails from you and entice them to sign up!





Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Encourage employees to be active on social networks...


The more people talking about your brand, your products, and your industry, the more likely someone will reach out to you and find their way to your company. If appropriate for your corporate culture, set some internal policies and guidelines, then encourage your employees to actively.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Leverage transactional emails...

When sending purchase confirmations or other transactional emails, make sure to ask customers to subscribe to your newsletter. Provide reasons and value for doing so, along with incentives. (subscribe and receive x % off your next order).

Monday, January 17, 2011

Prioritize retention...


If you have to choose between attracting new subscribers and retaining the ones you have, focus your efforts on keeping things fresh and interesting for your existing subscribers. It's usually much more valuable (and cost-effective) to keep existing customers happy than it is to prospect for new ones.

Loyal Fans... keep it fresh for them..... it will pay off.


Friday, January 14, 2011

Make the email appear personalized...

Although you may be sending dozens of emails at once, you can personalize them by using a text format, not HTML. In addition, make sure the email comes from the person who will be calling.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Ask at checkout......

For online transactions, ask customers if they want to receive future emails from you at checkout. No better time... you have an engaged customer who likes your services!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Business cards.... Put a link on it!

Business cards primary purpose is to tell what you do and give the recipient a way to contact you..... but it can be so much more for example: Include a link to your subscription center on your company's business cards.



Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Collect email addresses at your place of business...

Don't overlook the in-store sign- up. Put a sign-up sheet on your checkout counter or a fishbowl for business cards - along with a clear, posted privacy policy. Offer coupons and discounts as incentives to encourage people to sign up.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Send re-engagement email with incentives...


When re-engaging a list you haven't used in a while, lead with an incentive to maximize the impact on readers.

Turn that dead wood into revenue!





Friday, January 7, 2011

Make it easy to share....

Include a Forward to a Friend (FTAF) and Share With Your Network (SWYN) link in all of your emails, not just marketing promotions.



Thursday, January 6, 2011

Consider entrance or exit pop-ups...

As soon as someone arrives or before someone leaves your site, consider having an in-page pop-up appear prompting them to subscribe to your list. Explain that you want to stay in touch and continue providing value to them.


Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Promote sign-ups via contests...

Consider using a special contest for a highly desired prize to build your list. Note that subscribers may not be as engaged or interested once the contest ends, so act quickly to provide obvious value to encourage subscribers to stick around.


Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Include testimonials on your email subscription page...

Ask engaged subscribers to write a short testimonial about how valuable your emails are. If prospects know that others find your emails valuable, they are more likely to sign up to receive your emails.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Seeing is Believing!!!

Show examples of email campaigns on social networks. Give Twitter and Facebook fans a taste of the content provided in your email campaigns. This will entice them to sign up for more!