Right keywords in the subject line? Hacking algorithms? Pure magic? Nope. The truth is brutally simple: people read your newsletter because it’s valuable. If you build their trust in your content, they will read it. Today recipients’ responses constitute a base for any spam filters. So what to do to encourage them to read your newsletters? Firstly, recognize 2 types of mailings: “Buy” and “Read”. Secondly, apply the best content marketing techniques.
The aim of your newsletter
We can show many typologies of email marketing campaigns:
- Bulk or dynamic 1-to-1,
- Rich in content or minimalistic,
- Sent frequently or sent rarely.
However today we would like you to think about another difference: goal of the newsletter. What should user do after reading? How would s/he respond? There are two types of mailings in that classification:
(1) persuading users to buy (or subscribe or register or take action involving some cost),
(2) suggesting to read, familiarize themselves with provided content.
Thus we can speak of 2 types of emails: “Buy” and “Read”.
“Buy” emails
The first type works best as a transactional email, as people tend to spend money on something they already know.
If you want your recipient to buy:
- Use a transactional email (one sent in response to user’s action, e.g. when someone read your text about hoodies, sent him an offer of hoodies),
- Be concise: focus on product qualities, purchase security and expose the “Buy” button,
- Don’t distract user with more content or unrelated offer. Don’t make him read if he wants to buy!
- Use his/ her name.
The key here is to send an offer when we know that customer is ready to purchase.
“Read” emails
But we write emails also for other purposes. We can’t expect user to buy often (e.g. it would pose a problem to exchange one’s household articles every fortnight), but we want to be in touch with customer who has already bought at our store.
That’s what “Read” emails are for! They can:
- Broaden users’ knowledge,
- Include tips on using product,
- Inform about news (also new products in our offer),
- Familiarize with experts,
- Indicate complimentary products,
- Deliver lighter, more entertaining content (depending on brand and audience character)
All of these are in the longer term sales-focused. Help keep in touch and build purchase-readiness.
Silly newsletters
Our typology lacks a name for the most common type of newsletter – the pointless one, where user has no idea what do you want him to do (and why). Classical example: presentation of random products from your offer (maybe the choice makes sense to you, but does it also to your recipient?)
E.g. : Best hair dryers for you. 25% off.
Or: June: a month of kale. Kale dishes -30%
But I hate kale, user thinks, and I already have two hair dryers.
This email is totally irrelevant and worthless. What it aims at? To target 1% of audience who accidentally looks for that given product right now?
It’s pointless. It’s silly.
Can you see user’s pointer moving towards “Mark as spam” button?
Lessons from content marketing
If you want interact with your customers, you don’t have to flood them with irrelevant bulk messages. You can offer them high quality content instead. Remember that email marketing belongs to content marketing and should be treated as such. How to compose emails that will actually be read?
- Diverse content: Boredom – the curse of too many newsletters. As if marketers were scared that when they get carried away by their imagination, users will feel offended. Maybe you underestimate them, huh? Try some fun list near your expert “How to…” article next time. Don’t be glued to your main subject and write about more general or related issue. Use some unexpected associations to add colors to your style. Your content should resemble a magazine.
- Together you can achieve more! Use interviews, success stories, questionnaires. Cooperate with other creators from your area (e.g. bloggers). It will help you deliver variety.
- Issue newsletters when people want to read them. Use Marketing Automation to send emails individually – precisely at the time of day and week when given users is more likely to read it.
- Put social media buttons. Give as many opportunities to share you content as possible.
- Mobile friendly. More emails are opened on mobile than on desktop. Don’t be afraid – creating responsive newsletter is easy with SALESmanago creator.
- Check real user’s response to your actions. Efficient email marketing without A/B testing is impossible.
Learn: A/B testing in email marketing
Useful posts on content marketing
The key to good email marketing is to answer the question: what should user do after reading?
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