Successful email marketing is a lot like great cooking. Some would say it’s a science, others say it’s an art. When done well, it can be tantalizing – when done poorly, it can make you retch. Now I’ll be the first to admit I’m no Julia Child, but when it comes to email I’d like to think I’m somewhere in the neighborhood of Alton Brown (that is, an evil genius who hangs out with samurai chefs).
Just like the culinary arts, one doesn’t become great at email marketing overnight. Rather, it takes time reading resources and learning by doing. Over the past few years, Roundpeg has published a wealth of blogs and resources on improving your email marketing. I spent some time reviewing our vast smorgasbord and collected some of the best resources in one easy to read location, making the recipe for great email that much simpler. Let’s get started!
The Basics of Email
Don’t Send that Email – Until you read this, that is. If you only choose to skim one of these blogs, make it this one. There are four basic questions to ask yourself before starting an email marketing campaign, and if you can’t answer them, you’ve still got some learning to do. This blog covers the very basics of email marketing, from sending from the right address to creating readable and engaging newsletters.
Email Promotions: Keep it Simple, Stupid – When it comes to email newsletters and most recipes, less is more. Highlighting one great deal will always do better than highlight 4-5 good deals. Using one eye-catching graphic will speak louder than an image-rich email. Learn how to make simple and effective emails with the tips from this blog.
Looking Good
Give Your Email Campaign a Makeover – Email is a rapidly changing world – even templates 2-3 years old look completely outdated. From the structure of your content, to what is and isn’t clickable within your email, if you’re not keeping up with the times, you’re just wasting time. Don’t let your campaign grow stale, keep it fresh and tasty with these tips.
Unlocking the Inbox – Read the musings of one of our graphic designers as she digs through her inbox for the best and worst designed examples of email marketing. From using color effectively to clear and efficient calls-to-action, learn to do all you can to maintain your spot in the inbox and don’t become leftovers.
Subject Lines
Headless Body in a Topless Bar – Inspired by the infamous New York Post headline of the same name, this article highlights the most effective strategies for writing great headlines. And what are email subject lines if not headlines distilled down even further? Learn some of the most effective ways to write compelling and mouthwatering copy to lure readers in.
What’s In It For Me? – If you can’t answer this basic question in your email subject line, it’s probably a bad one. Here we break down the two best ways to answer that question: with gain or with pain.
Getting Through the Bad Times
Why People Break Up with your Emails – A number of people are going to unsubscribe from your email list, that’s unavoidable. But with a few key steps, you can reduce that number so that you’ll change from saying “Baby Come Back” to “Hit the Road, Jack.”
Why Your Emails are Sent to Spam – The spam folder is a scary place to be, and it’s incredibly easy to end up there. Anything from your sending address to minor typos and even innocuous words like “sale” or “save” in your subject line can get your emails flagged as spam. Learn how to avoid that scary place with this blog.
Maintain Your Performance
Optimizing Email Newsletters – Open rate, click rate, bounce rate – of course you know what they mean, but do you know how to improve them? Get a crash course in optimizing your email results with help from one of our resident email specialists.
Scrub That List for Good Email Hygiene – Though many neglect them, having bad emails in your contact list can do damage not only to the accuracy of your results but even to your mail server’s “reputation” with bigger email services. Keep your list and your image squeaky clean with our help.
The Power of Email Marketing Automation
Drive Repeat Business with Automatic Emails – Like a delicious rotisserie chicken, which you can set and forget until it’s time to eat, an automated email campaign can help take the “busy” out of busywork. This piece shows multiple ways you can set past customers on a schedule after their purchase to encourage future interaction with your business.
Shortening Your Sales Cycle – In addition to encouraging repeat business, automated drip campaigns can be used to funnel (cake) prospective clients through your sales cycle. With a little preparation, you can subtly push them along the path to making a purchase decision.
Fitting All the Pieces Together or (How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Content)
What’s in an Email Newsletter? – Though it asks the question of what goes into an email newsletter, this blog is all about how to leverage email to work as a cog in the entirety of your digital marketing efforts. From pulling blog pieces from your website as content to encouraging interaction on your social media pages, read how to put it all together into a full course meal here.
Better Together: Email Newsletters & Blog Posts – If your business’s website has a blog, you can guarantee your email marketing will perform better than that of a business who doesn’t. Regularly updated blogs mean a steady source of email content, a reason to visit your site regularly and a reason for people to stay on your email list, working together like a great main course and a fine wine.
So there you have it: a Roundpeg club sandwich with layers upon layers of great email strategy tips. If that’s not enough to satisfy your hunger for knowledge, try to wash it down with some delicious Roundpeg chowder (our library of whitepapers and published resources) or a helping of some Roundpeg pot stickers (video recordings and webinars). As if that wasn’t enough information and food metaphors, drop us a line at any time to discuss your individual strategy and set your menu for success.