Put More Emphasis on Your Content
There is a popular saying in the internet world that goes a little something like this – "content is king." Although the phrase has been used to the point of abuse over the years, it remains a sound axiom. Content is vital, as it relates to your website and email marketing campaigns alike.
Placing a stronger focus on your content should be among your main objectives going into the New Year. You can make dramatic improvements in the content department by putting emphasis on the following key areas:
Topics -
Coming up with interesting topics for your email campaigns on a consistent basis is hard work, but it is something that must be done if you want to keep engagement levels up. Providing quality topics may not always generate the responses you want in terms of direct sales or feedback, but it will keep your readers in tune and coming back for more.
Sales Offers - A good sale is more than a deal that gives the customer an opportunity to save money; it should also deliver benefits that translate to undeniable value. For one of your New Year's resolutions, consider creating irresistible sales offers on some of the products you have been selling at top-dollar prices, or developing new offerings that allow customers to get the absolute best value for their money, time, and loyalty.
Product Education - You can also improve your content by placing added emphasis on information that educates readers on your products or services. This could be information instructing users how to properly use your offerings, their specific benefits, or statistics that add to their credibility.
Video email can be a very powerful tool for creating this type of content in a way that makes a real impact.
Content is an element that can never undergo too much fine-tuning, especially when the primary goal of that tuning is for the benefit of your audience. If you keep the focus on providing value, you will eventually become a natural at creating great content people look forward to receiving.
Strive for Better Subject Lines
Consistently writing good subject lines is perhaps one of the hardest parts of email marketing to perfect. This is one area you cannot afford to slack off in as your message is essentially up against the recipient who must decide whether or not they will open your email and the spam filter that now plays such a huge role in whether or not it even makes it through.
The unofficial rules of subject lines seem to change like the weather, but you can ensure that your message is represented well by always sticking to the best practices. This means your subject lines should:
Adhere to Character Limits - Most email clients cut off subject lines at around 50 to 60 characters. Since one of the famous mantras of email marketing is "short and sweet," you should try to keep your characters well below this to encourage opens from the time-pressed recipient who feels like they don't have all day to read what your message is about.
Be Specific - Straightforward and specific is the best approach you can take when writing subject lines. Although a headline such as "The Social Media Marketing Newsletter for 2011" may be directly related to your content, something like "Three Tips to Improve Your Social Media Marketing in 2011" is likely to appeal to more recipients as it tells them exactly what they will find when they open your message.
There is no magic formula to writing subject lines. However, there are techniques that have been proven to work, and others that make it impossible to have any success with your campaigns. Make yourself familiar with these techniques and give your subject lines a chance of having a greater impact in 2011.
