Target reviewed products their customers bought – then mailed those customers specific products based on their purchase history. For example, a woman who bought a large number of baby formula at the store received discount coupons for strollers and other newborn accessories. A popular story is how Target figured out a girl was pregnant.
If they can do that with live mail, imagine what they could do with email! Let’s take a deeper look at a few principles to keep in mind when it comes to boosting the bottom-line of your email marketing campaigns.
1. Segment Email Campaigns
In truth, dividing subscribers, called emailing segmenting, into “categories” makes writing emails—and winning conversions—even easier. How? Personalisation. The more personalised your email, the more “real and authentic” you appear. (In the opinion of email marketers, authenticity is hungrily missed and desperately needed in this saturated world.)
2. Subject Lines
Legendary “email marketing wizards” at Hubspot cite the major fundamentals of writing email subject lines that get read. These fundamentals (which goes for article headlines, as well – and have been principles used since the heyday of direct mail marketing):
- Creating urgency and scarcity
- Use specific numbers and data
- Personalise headline as much as possible
- Always remain relevant
Here’s a list of emails I’ve opened because of the subject line:
- “Computer scientist explains foolishness of obsessing over email open rates” – Ben Settle
- “Newbies: You will NOT make a living from this” – Stuart Walker
- “The math behind huge marketing wins (that no one told you about)” – John Carlton
- “How to get instant obedience from people” – Ben Settle
- “Are you a marketing nerd?” – Roy Furr
3. Build Customer Loyalty
Any email marketing platform worth its weight in salt isn’t used to sell, sell and sell some more. You’re in a relationship with your customers and potential buyers – a relationship based on trust. These people can give their email to anyone they choose, but they gave it to you.
Why? Because they figured your business was the real deal.
You remain the real deal by being a genuine human. A human who cares that people can trust. How? By giving away information (for free!). Share knowledge or insights about the niche/industry you’re in. Give your list a few handy tips on how to get a leg up in their world.
4. Verify, Verify, Verify
What use is having a list of email addresses is half of them are worthless fakes? I myself personally use a fake email when giving out my email to receive “free bonuses” and free .pdfs. Knowing full well that the business—who promises to “never” spam—will abuse that email. It’s just a part of the game (and I say that as an email marketer. Ironic, isn’t it?)
It’s for this reason—providing fake emails—that it’s crucial to verify your email list regularly. Emails can bounce, directly go to spam folders or just not be read at all. This is why investing in an email scrubbing verification service is more than vital for ensuring your email marketing campaigns/business stays above water. This makes sure that each and every address on your list is valid, and that the time you put into your emails (or the investment you make into outsourcing) is a real live person.
Conclusion
Email marketing is not a game to be taken lightly. Customers and subscribers are willing to give you their cold-hard cash (or payment) in exchange for what you have to offer. Therefore, it’s worth investing some time into honing your persuasion and copywriting skills.
