Writing by Brick Marketing on Wednesday, 16 of January , 2008 at 10:09 am Leave a comment
You have probably read about a lot of different opt-in techniques, how to attract people to your sign up form and encourage them to hand over their email. However, there are still plenty of websites out there that are missing one very important opt-in technique . . . easy sign ups.
The amount of time that you have to capture an email address isn´t much. Someone might be willing to type in their email address and even their name in order to receive your free ebook and daily tips, but they probably don´t feel like filling in 3 pages of opt-in forms! The majority of readers will just click away if your sign up process is longer than a couple of lines.
Just today, I came across a website that offered a free ebook prominently in their sidebar, a great opt-in technique. The sign up form required just an email address, another good opt-in technique. However, as soon as I clicked submit, I was taken to another page where I had to type in my email address again. Then yet another window opened asking for far more information than I was willing to give, including mailing address, phone number, fax, etc. Though only the name was required in order to continue on to the free ebook, simply the sight of a big form would send most people scurrying away to another website, if they had even bothered going on to the third page of the sign up process.
My point is this, you can use all the opt-in techniques you like, but if your sign up process is too long, no one will finish it. You´ll be driving potential clients away from your email newsletter and since the money is in the list, as they say, the most important thing is to capture that email address. It would be nice to have geographical info, but asking for that will limit the number of people who sign up. Keep is short and simple and you´ll build your list in no time.
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Category: Opt-In Techniques
Writing by Brick Marketing on Tuesday, 15 of January , 2008 at 12:13 pm Leave a comment
While you probably use your email newsletter to promote your own or affiliate products, there is another way to bring in income. Allowing ads to be placed in your email newsletter lets you earn a bit more cash and, depending on the size of your opt-in list, can be a good source of income to supplement your other earnings.
Email newsletters are perfect for ads. You can include text ads, just a couple of lines with a link, in text or HTML email newsletters, or offer 125×125 pixel ads in your full color HTML emails. Just two or three of these in each email can really boost your income, depending on how much you charge.
Be careful that you don´t load all your email newsletters with ads. One ad at the beginning of the email and two or three more at the end are plenty. If you insist on placing a sponsored link every few inches, people will quickly get bored of your email newsletters and unsubscribe. Since your subscribers are what earn you that ad money, you want to keep them around. Also, creating a scarcity mindset about ad space in your emails can really help raise the price.
Ads can be a great way to boost email newsletter earnings, particularly if you have a large opt-in list. Let potential clients know that you are offering advertising space by placing an info page on your website or registering with a newsletter ad site where advertisers can search through email newsletters to find appropriate ones. Either way, you can really increase your income with just a tiny bit of extra work.
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Category: Email Newsletters
Writing by Brick Marketing on Monday, 14 of January , 2008 at 11:04 am Leave a comment
Every email marketer wants to grow their list, so why not team up and help each other out? Email marketing works even better when done together. When you form a partnership, you have access not only to your own opt-in list, but to the lists of your partners, too. This gives all involved a powerful advantage over those who are struggling along with just their own list.
How do you go about finding an email marketing partner? Here are a few ideas:
Check out ezine directories. Find other marketers who run email newsletters based on the same or a complimentary topic.
Contact an email newsletter that you subscribe to. You never know, they might be interested in forming an email marketing partnership.
Look for blogs on your topic that have mailing lists. These may not be formal email newsletters, many blogs simply offer updates, but you can still benefit from tapping into another email list.
Email marketing lends itself very well to partnerships. You can exchange ads in each other´s email newsletter, place your opt-in form on your partner´s thank you page and much more. The benefits are mutual and you can instantly gain access to hundreds or even thousands of new subscribers with this technique.
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Category: Email Marketing
Writing by Brick Marketing on Sunday, 13 of January , 2008 at 11:52 am Leave a comment
A study done by MailChimp shows us what subject lines work and which ones flop miserably. Check out the top five from each category:
Five Best Email Subject Lines
[COMPANYNAME] Sales & Marketing Newsletter
Eye on the [COMPANYNAME] Update (Oct 31 - Nov 4)
[COMPANYNAME] Staff Shirts & Photos
[COMPANYNAME] May 2005 News Bulletin!
[COMPANYNAME] Newsletter - February 2006
Five Worst Email Subject Lines
Last Minute Gift - We Have The Answer
Valentines - Shop Early & Save 10%
Give a Gift Certificate this Holiday
Valentine’s Day Salon and Spa Specials!
Gift Certificates - Easy & Elegant Giving - Let Them Choose
Notice that all of the top subject lines included the company name. It´s important to let people know who is sending them information. Also, each of the top subject lines indicated that information was contained within the email, making people want to open it.
With the worst emails, you´ll notice that all of them were obviously selling something and these subject lines received the worst open rates, between 1-14%! This study could be very useful in figuring out how to craft your own subject lines to get readers to open your emails.
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Category: Subject Lines
Writing by Brick Marketing on Saturday, 12 of January , 2008 at 10:35 am Leave a comment
There comes a time in every email marketer´s life when he or she hits the email newsletter doldrums. That´s when all the wind goes out of your sails and you suddenly find yourself without anything to write. No email content equals no sales, so this is not a good place for an email marketer to be!
To beat the email newsletter doldrums, you may have to take some drastic measures. Here are a few ideas to jumpstart your email content ideas.
Get away from the computer. Sometimes writing with a pen and paper can stimulate some new ideas.
Check your idea file. You are keeping an idea file, aren´t you?
Use your readers. Questions, comments and emails from your email newsletter subscribers can provide the perfect fodder for an email newsletter.
Get some exercise. There are times when you just need to get the blood pumping in order to spark some new ideas. Go for a run or just a walk around the block.
These are all very good ideas for sparking new ideas and beating the email newsletter doldrums, but I´m sure you have your own methods as well. What do you do to stave off dead email newsletter days?
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Category: Email Newsletters
Writing by Brick Marketing on Friday, 11 of January , 2008 at 10:58 am Leave a comment
Email marketing is all about tweaking to get your email newsletter just right, to the point where you have the optimum conversion rate. Of course, most of us are never quite happy with our conversion rates in email marketing! Here is a little technique that is very simple, yet can have a huge impact on your sales.
Track and Prioritize Email Marketing
This is a very powerful email marketing technique. All you need to do is track your clickthroughs for a month or so, which is something you ought to be doing anyway. Once you have some data to go through, take a good hard look at what people are clicking on. What topics are their favorites? Which stories get the most clicks?
Once you have narrowed down which topics are the best for garnering clickthroughs, start putting those at the top of your email content. Simply prioritize your emails . . . keeping what people are looking for at the beginning of each email newsletter. You can add anything else you like below, but at least those who tend not to read the whole newsletter will be more likely to click. When your readers can find what they want fast and easily, they are more likely to click.
You can really boost your sales through use of this email marketing trick. Just make sure to include links to relevant products in the hottest topics, at the beginning of your email and you´ll be amazed at how many more sales you make.
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Category: Email Marketing
Writing by Brick Marketing on Thursday, 10 of January , 2008 at 11:30 am Leave a comment
Email newsletters give you a special status. While anyone can start their own email newsletter, not everyone does, so it makes you look more distinguished. Email marketing is most successful when the marketer has a reputation as an expert and email newsletters help you establish just that.
Most readers will assume that if you have an email newsletter, you must know more than they do about the topic you´re writing about. This is true even if you hire a ghostwriter to create your email newsletters for you. But just because you are automatically assumed to be an expert doesn´t mean you will stay in that high position for long!
In order to really establish your expert status, you will need to prove that you know what you´re talking about. Give people information that they can use and that works and they will be impressed. This is where the trust begins. When they see that you really do know what you´re talking about and are willing to help them out with your knowledge, they will begin to be more interested, both in you and your email newsletters.
Email newsletters that are not just a jumble of ads and product plugs tend to do far better than the solo ads. Why? Because people like information they can use. They like to try things for free and once they have ascertained that you are the person to go to for the information they need, they are often willing to pay for it. Gaining expert status via email newsletters can definitely help your business.
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Category: Email Newsletters
Writing by Brick Marketing on Wednesday, 9 of January , 2008 at 10:05 am Leave a comment
Opt-in techniques abound, but one very effective way to get people to sign up for your email list is to place an opt-in form on your PPC landing page. Most small businesses are already using PPC in order to draw more attention to their webpage or product, but rarely do we think of combining opt-in techniques with paid advertising.
PPC can be a great way to draw targeted traffic, but if you can´t make them stick around, you´ll lose out on potential sales . . . unless you capture an email address. That´s where your handy opt-in technique comes in, place a sign up form above the fold, very prominent, on your PPC landing page.
If you have a special offer, make sure you state the benefits of joining your opt-in list. This will capture more subscribers than if you simply put a sign up form on your landing page. Offering a free ebook, e-course or membership should be enough to motivate visitors to give you their email address.
In today´s hectic, spam-filled internet world, you need to stand out from everyone else in your opt-in techniques. Grab people´s attention when they click on your PPC ads and get them to sign up right away, before they lose interest and wander off your website. Then you can be sure to follow up and establish a relationship which could lead to sales later on.
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Category: Opt-In Techniques
Writing by Brick Marketing on Tuesday, 8 of January , 2008 at 9:40 am Leave a comment
Whether you are selling your own product or an affiliate product, your email content needs to be able to sell. Some email marketers go the direct route and just tell people to buy right at the beginning of the email content, but this is perhaps one of the worst ways to get people to buy from you. The real secrets to email content that sells are below.
1. Start off with a benefit. “Learn how to earn like the gurus” or “How would you like to save enough to buy a new car in just one year?” are perfect for catching people´s attention and making them want to continue reading.
2. Offer examples. Talk about people who have used your product to become successful or overcome a problem. If you don´t have any testimonials yet, talk about how it changed your life. People love to hear true stories like this.
3. Use a call to action. At the end of your email content, make sure you tell people what you want them to do, sign up for a free ecourse, buy the product, ask for a sample, etc. Obviously, if you have something free to offer, that will draw more people in, but the point is to tell them what to do.
4. Follow up. Don´t just make one pitch and leave it at that. Your email content can revolve around a variety of themes, but make sure you mention the product or deal that you are offering again in follow up emails.
Using these email content secrets, you´ll find that your sales will improve. Giving people a good reason to buy and they will.
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Category: Email Content
Writing by Brick Marketing on Monday, 7 of January , 2008 at 10:34 am Leave a comment
A few tips to make your email marketing received at its best….
What are the Best Times Of Day
For a mailing to business recipients, sending midday from 11 AM through 3 PM is best. Sending a message earlier in the day can result in a higher risk of the message getting lost in the rush to prepare for morning meetings. Sending it too late in the day and it may end up quickly deleted before the recipient leaves for their commute home.
On the other hand, when mailing to consumers from 5 PM through 8 PM are the best hours. People tend to check their personal email when they get home from work or after dinner. Most consumers are too busy getting ready for work in the morning to read their email.
The Best Days Of Week
Depending if you are reaching out to businesses or consumers, different days of the week can affect your results as well. The best days to contact businesses are Tuesday thru Thursday. Monday has proven to have too many meeting to reach decision makers, and on Friday most people would prefer to leave early before the rush hour than receive your email, no matter how cool the email and offer may be.
Consumers are more likely to spend more time on the Internet on Friday thru Sunday, and hence have more time to consider your offer. One observation is that since many people tend to check their personal email at various points throughout the day, selecting a specific time to hit your target group while they are online is much more difficult.
How Often To Make Contact
Sending email too often can be annoying, resulting in recipients asking to be removed. Not sending often enough and you may have been forgotten when the recipient is finally ready to buy. As for most communication, once a month is best. A few exceptions are a daily newspaper, or a time-dependent offer like a seminar invitation.
How Many Times To Make Contact
Sending three variations of the same offer to the same recipient is a good way to improve response rates. You should never send the exact same offer more than once. Otherwise you risk the recipient thinking that it’s just another copy of the same email and deleting it. If a recipient has not responded by the third attempt, they are not going to, either because it’s the right offer/wrong person, or the wrong offer/right person.
Priming The Pump
This refers to the idea of getting the recipient ready to receive an offer by “setting up” the correct state of mind beforehand. Hitting someone who agreed to receive a free marketing report with a hard-sell offer too soon gives a bad “bait and switch” impression. It is far more effective to first build credibility and then ask for the sale. Depending upon the complexity of the product or service being offered, it may take 3 to 7 contacts or “hits” to build the relationship to the point where they are ready for the offer.
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Category: Email Marketing
Writing by Brick Marketing on Monday, 7 of January , 2008 at 8:48 am Leave a comment
Every email marketer wants a bigger list, whether their list has 6 or 60,000 subscribers. A bigger list is always the goal and here are some opt-in techniques that can help explode your list, no matter what size it is at the moment.
Get offline sign ups. If you have contact with clients or potential clients off the internet, include a box on all forms for them to fill in their email address. Add them into your opt-in list to receive updates . . . they´ll still get the opt-in letter asking to confirm their email address, so you don´t have to worry about spam.
Explain the benefits. Why should someone subscribe to your email newsletter? Offering benefits is an age-old opt-in technique, but one I see a lot of marketers missing out on. Just a line or two, “Want daily business tips delivered to your inbox?” or “Learn proven money-saving techniques by subscribing today” lets readers know exactly why they need your email newsletter.
Limit information. You don´t have to know everything about your subscribers and the truth is, the fewer steps they need to take in order to subscribe, the more likely they are to finish the process. Just a name and an email address will capture the most subscribers. This opt-in technique is one that is very effective.
Using these extra little opt-in techniques can really help explode your list and net you more email addresses for your list. Email newsletters, as you know, are a great way to communicate with potential clients and remind them of your services and products, so start building your list today.
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Category: Opt-In Techniques
Writing by Brick Marketing on Sunday, 6 of January , 2008 at 3:42 pm Leave a comment
Not everyone has their preview pane turned on for their email, but for those that do, what are they seeing? Is your email content fascinating enough right at the beginning to grab subscribers´ attention? If not, your email newsletters may not even be read!
It´s important to start your email content off with something interesting, a line or two that will stand out from the other emails and say, “Open Me!” But, how do you write something like that?
Ask a question. Most people can´t help themselves, they have to answer a question and want to know why you asked it. So, if you ask a question that really makes them think, like “Why aren´t you earning 6 figures?” and hints that you might have the answer, your chances of getting their attention are much higher.
Offer an amazing fact. Imagine if you received an email telling you how a 13 year old boy became an online guru. That might make you open the email and read, right? It´s something that catches your interest, is true and you want to know more. Facts make great email content openers.
Make a claim. Would you open an email that started with “I can help you finish an ebook on any topic in just 1 week” ? While your claim may be drastically different, the idea is to let the reader know immediately what you are offering in your email content.
Starting your email content off with a bang is the best way to grab readers and get them to click through. Keep the boring stuff below the first paragraph and you´ll have a lot higher open rates.
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Category: Email Content
Writing by Brick Marketing on Saturday, 5 of January , 2008 at 6:54 am Leave a comment
Most email marketers are noticing a drop in open and click rates these days. There are several reasons for this, but the main one is that there is simply too much email flying around the internet. People are getting overwhelmed by emails and unless yours really stands out from the start, you will likely find that your email newsletters are simply being deleted. Here are a few tips on improving your open and click rates.
1. Test subject lines. Make sure you don´t get stuck in a rut, writing just one style of subject line. It´s far more effective to test a variety and then rotate between two or three styles that work for your email audience. Using proven subject lines can really help your open and click rates.
2. Put your call to action in the preview window. This is one of the first things people will see and it helps decide whether or not they will open your email newsletter. Boost open and click rates by telling them right away what you want them to do and many will be curious enough to open the email and find out why.
3. Use compelling text. Write lively email content rather than dull, dry articles. This is key to getting people to respond. Using lots of action verbs instead of passive ones will help. You can literally better your open and click rates by writing more interesting content.
Open and click rates may be dropping across the board, but you can work to bring your numbers back up to what was once considered normal. Provide quality content, avoid spam and make sure people have a very good reason to open your emails.
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Category: Open and Click Rates
Writing by Brick Marketing on Friday, 4 of January , 2008 at 8:23 am Leave a comment
Every email marketer dreads the spam filter, but sometimes that isn´t your worst enemy. Have you ever considered the fact that your readers might click that spam button right beside the delete? It happens and while there may be a few reasons why they do so, the main one is to stop receiving your emails. They may know you aren´t spamming them, but are sick of deleting your email newsletters . . . the “Mark as Spam” button is just fast and easy.
You might be asking yourself why readers wouldn´t simply unsubscribe and the fact of the matter is that it takes time to unsubscribe. People don´t want to click and type and click again just to stop receiving an email, so they label it spam and the spam filter will grab it from then on.
If your email newsletter doesn´t have a simple, one-step unsubscribe method that is clearly outlined in your email newsletter, it´s possible that you are being labeled as spam. To avoid this problem, stay away from auto responders that require multiple steps to unsubscribe . . . and never, ever make it a requirement to log into their account to delete it, this is a guaranteed method of getting that Spam label.
No email marketer wants to be labeled as spam, but if you make it difficult to unsubscribe from your email newsletter, you are really asking for it. So, make your unsubscribe process easy and you´ll be rewarded with less clicks on the dreaded spam button.
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Category: Not Spam
Writing by Brick Marketing on Thursday, 3 of January , 2008 at 8:40 am Leave a comment
The last thing anyone wants is to wade through hard to read email content . . . in fact, most people won´t bother. If your email newsletter is hard to read, they will most likely delete it, rather than attempt to make heads or tails of it.
The internet has really spoiled people. We can now consume astounding amounts of information in a very short time and there are videos and photos that show us what we don´t want to read. Articles online tend to be far shorter than those in print, since it´s harder to read on a computer monitor and that has accustomed people to read short tidbits, rather than longer articles. If you understand all this, you can create email content that will capture attention and allow your readers to absorb the information you´re giving, without boring them.
Paragraphs. Big chunks of text are hard to read. Break your email content up into short paragraphs to make it easier to process.
Headers. This is a very handy way to break email content into manageable pieces, but it serves another purpose, too. Most people scan email content before deciding if it is worth reading. Using eye-catching headers throughout will let them know that this is indeed worth a read.
Images.
While images are often blocked by email readers, they can be a very nice way to break up the email content and make it easier to read, as well as more attractive.
It is worth the effort to make your email content nice and easy to read. It´s the best way to keep subscribers from leaving your list, apart from providing excellent information, of course!
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Category: Email Content
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