6 Reasons Why the World Would End Without Email Marketing Etiquette
- September 26, 2019
Email marketing is both an art and a science. It require a scientific approach to creating thoughtful and engaging customer experiences. In this jet age with lots of marketing messages everywhere, you need to ensure your marketing campaigns are relevant and timely.
Email marketing is more than the communication that ends up in customer’s inbox. It is about your customers and making sure you are sending each audience a message that resonates with them. Let’s face it, in today’s world; your customers are defining their engagement. Email marketing is a direct marketing strategy. That can be easily targeted, dynamically generated, automated, and measured.
We all send emails daily, yet even with all that practice, it’s still hard to achieve perfect email etiquette. Luckily, there are some quick and easy hacks to craft a courteous and professional email.[irp]
Get permission first:
This is definitely the single most important rule of proper email marketing etiquette. Failing to adhere to it is not only a violation of etiquette, it’s a violation of the law. Ensure every contact in your database has opted-in to receive email communication from you. Also if a contact has only opted in to receive a certain type of email, don’t add them to other segments of your list they haven’t signed up for.
Don’t spam your list:
Hubspot Science of Email Marketing research revealed that sending more email doesn’t result in a significant drop in click-through rates or unsubscribe. There is also a fine line between sending enough email messages and spamming your list. One way to determine which side of the line you’re on is to do some testing to determine your optimal email sending frequency.
Start by writing an effective subject line:
Email subjects are the first thing your customers see, so you need to be specific. Email subjects should brief and to-the-point. Also, refrain from using spammy words like “Free Offer, Call Now, Dear Friend, Fantastic Deal.” As this would send your email to the junk folder. This is one of the fastest ways to end up in a subscriber’s spam folder or junk folder. Don’t load your email up with words identified by email providers as common words in spam email.
Open the conversation cordially:
It’s advised you start the conversation with a good salutation such as “Dear David or Hi David.” Using endearing/personal words like “Dear” or “Hi” will make sure you don’t come off too blunt. You should strive to make your introduction as personal as possible. If available, address the recipient by their first name (not a shortened version of it).[irp]
State your purpose straight away:
You need to communicate the purpose of your email within the first paragraph. As this would determine if a recipient should proceed with the email or not. Users have short attention span, the earlier you get to the gist of the matter the better.
Make it easy for recipients to unsubscribe:
Finally, according to CAN-SPAM laws, every email sent needs to provide recipients with an option to unsubscribe. This isn’t a matter of etiquette but also a matter of the law. Ensure it as easy for users to unsubscribe as possible. To save potential unsubscribers, offer an option on your opt-out form. This can improve unsubscribe rate and also show contacts your respect for their needs.
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