I was speaking at event about online marketing recently (specifically I was talking about email newsletters for keeping in touch with prospects) and I got a question from one of the attendees which kind of surprised me…
“Isn’t email marketing pretty much dead?”
As social media has become more and more popular, there’s been some talk about the demise of email marketing and the ever-popular email newsletter, or e-zine.
I’m sure you are familiar with eZines. Many business owners use an email marketing service to send beautifully formatted e-blasts which include articles, event announcements, product offerings, useful resources, special promotions, etc. to their prospects and clients. It used to be only high-end businesses could afford to market with email, but services like Constant Contact have made email marketing affordable and easy for every business.
While it’s true that there is more and more “stuff” clamoring for our attention in our inboxes than ever before, and social media is the latest, hottest way to reach prospects and clients, I still believe that an e-zine is a key marketing tool. In fact, it’s the perfect vehicle for continuing the relationships you start with people on social networking sites or your blog. In fact, one of the mail goals of your social networking should be to get people to visit your website or blog and “opt-in” to your eZine.
Here are a few reasons why:
1) Keeps you top of mind
As much as we would like to think that our prospects or our audience are always thinking of us (wouldn’t THAT be nice?), it’s unfortunately not the case. Just as a company wouldn’t run a TV commercial just once, repetition is necessary to remind people of you, your offerings and your expertise. I recommend sending your eZine a minimum of twice per month.
2) Credibility
The more consistently you share information, tips and articles on the subject or niche you are most knowledgeable in, the more credibility you gain in the eyes of your readers. Perceived expertise creates the “know, like and trust factor” which leads to more clients and more sales.
2) It’s Personal
An eZine gives you a great opportunity to get a little more personal with your readers by sharing a bit about what is going on with you outside of your business. For example, you could share something about your kids, recent vacation, your pets, a great book you’ve just finished, etc. Often people do this in a section at the beginning of their e-zine under a heading such as “A Note From”, “What Cindy’s Up To” or something similar. This gives your readers a glimpse into who you are as a real person – not just an avatar they see on Facebook.
Create a feeling of connection with your audience by personalizing with photos, personal anecdotes and what you’ve been up to lately. People are interested in getting to know the authentic YOU!
A few other tips for your eZine:
Subject line: One of the most important parts of your e-zine is your subject line. Your open rate depends on how enticing your subject line is. Think of what would stir up curiosity in your reader. I keep a list of enticing action words handy when I am writing my emails. Check out the books “Phrases That Sell” and “Word That Sell” for great examples.
When to send: A common question is “what day is best to send it out?” or “what time of day should I send?” There are many differing opinions on this topic. Most often I hear that Tuesday through Thursday are the best days, but I also know some very successful marketers that send theirs out on a Friday or Sunday and get a great response.
The best advice is to test a couple of different days and see what your results are. No matter what day you choose, know that an open rate of 25% and above is considered excellent. Your email marketing service will be able to supply those stats for each email you send.
What to write about:
Many of my clients don’t do an eZine simply because they think they don’t have enough content or don’t know what to write about. Here’s a great tip to create 20 weeks of content for your eZine or blog articles: Simply write down the answers to the ten most frequently asked questions you get from prospects. Write 2-3 paragraphs for each. Then write the answers to the top ten questions your prospects “should” ask you. Wahl-la! You have 20 new articles in a matter of hours!
The sooner you make the commitment to communicate with your list on a regular basis, the sooner you can reap the benefits of more credibility and likeability with your prospects and clients. While many say that email marketing may be on the way out – it’s still a valuable tool in your marketing arsenal for at least the next 5-10 years!