In the quest for better product awareness and a bigger bottom line, companies of all stripes can always benefit from effective email marketing solutions. Michigan Creative, a savvy digital marketing firm in Lansing, offers some of our favorite, strategies for achieving a better open rate.
Quality Content
This is really where it all starts, and it’s simple cause-and-effect: the more engaging the content of your email is, the more likely a reader is to respond. Instead of regurgitating the same information that is easily accessible on your website, or restricting your email marketing to promotional ends, write an email that’s interesting, informative, and easy to read. Here, like everywhere else in the business world, quality trumps quantity every time.
Good Timing
Since we’ve already used one oft-repeated business tenet, let’s use another: “timing is everything.” Specific to email marketing, sending your message at the right time means the difference between “reading” and “deleting.” Nailing down the right time requires ample research into your target audience’s business and “busy cycles.” For example, an exhibit builder wouldn’t email a prospect one month before a tradeshow to try and sell a booth that takes two months to build. Common sense also plays a role in good timing. Sending an email on a Friday or a weekend is preferable to messaging a prospect on a Monday morning.
The Right Format
Mobile is close to surpassing laptops and desktops as the workforce’s platform of choice. An increasing number of people use their smartphone to open emails. Thus, it’s vital that your email is formatted so that it’s easy to read on a mobile device. A concise, well-formatted email with easy-to-find links equates to much higher engagement.
Don’t Buy Leads, Grow Them
Sometimes, companies convince themselves that they don’t have enough time to create their own database of prospects, so they resort to buying leads. Often, these lists are outdated, lack the right contact information, or are irrelevant to your industry or marketing strategy. Instead of buying leads, grow your own the old-fashioned way. Do online research, make calls, visit trade shows and events, and dig into industry websites. One valid, qualified lead is worth at least 20 “blind” leads from an impersonal list.
Personalize
Though it’s unlikely you’ll close a deal simply by using someone’s name, doing so increases your odds. Begin your email with the recipient’s first name, and write your copy so that it’s clearly tailored to an individual. You’ll not only add valuable personalization to your message, but also increase the recipient’s feelings of familiarity and focus. Even if the prospect doesn’t respond to your first email, a personal approach gets your foot in the door.
Michigan Creative Will Transform Your Business
From email and online marketing to design services and video production, Michigan Creative has the tools and the talent to transform your business. Drop us a line today and let’s get started.