If you want people to click on your emails, make it as simple as possible. Anything in the email besides the link and a few lines of enticing copy is a distraction from that goal.
Seven Email Marketing Tips For Content Marketers
John R Ramos • March 28, 2020
In this article, I will be covering some of the biggest benefits of content marketing when used with Email Marketing to build an audience instead of renting that audience through advertising. The number one way to stay in touch with that audience is email, but it’s often used just as a channel for sales instead of sharing your brand’s content.
The fact is, even though 80% of content marketers are using email, most could stand to improve their strategy since they are pouring their hearts and souls into creating great content. Unfortunately, that simply won’t do.
If you put in some time into research, you will find data for email marketing by sector — i.e. finance, media, technology, etc. — but it’s nearly impossible to find good data on email effectiveness by strategy.
Studies show, that consumers just aren’t interested in receiving B2B emails — their click rates hover just above 2% — but if you’re in the media business, you can expect nearly triple the clicks. Generalized data like this could lead marketers to falsely conclude that their customers simply aren’t interested in certain topics. Nothing could be further from the truth.
As you know, Email Marketing is a permission-based marketing channel. If someone has signed up to receive your emails, they are explicitly requesting more information. They need to educate themselves on a topic, or maybe they have a problem that your product can solve. Sometimes is better to ignore the statistics and think outside the box. If you’re prepared to give some real thought to your emails and perform a few tests, you’ll soon see click rates higher than 10 or 12%.
In this blog, I’ll outline seven email marketing tips so you can apply to drive more people to your content. These suggestions can be used in any sector and most can be combined for an even greater effect.
Stay Focused
Use Compelling Images
I highly recommend that you use images.
Images should be part of your content strategy, not your conversion strategy. Images should add context or help readers visualize your ideas. This enhances the reader's experience. Including stock images or other unrelated visual content in your emails is a distraction.
Images can be used as teasers. Encouraging the reader to continue to the site to learn more on the topic. It also adds value on its own, meaning that readers can have a positive experience without leaving their inbox.
Curate
This may seem counter-intuitive, but if you’re sending content-driven emails, consider including content that you didn’t write.
I know may it seem odd. But think about your readers. They need either education, advice or inspiration. If someone has already provided that, share it with them. By sending more useful content without creating more, you’re making your own life easier too.
When you share an article that has been written by someone else (curating), you should give that person (the original writer) the credit he or she deserves. Think about it this way, for one, it will validate your honesty and two, it will show that you are a person that is trying to keep abreast of the latest trends by doing research and sharing.
You can earn a great reputation as a trusted source of news and information in your particular niche. While you may primarily be a content creator, you can still leverage curation to add value to your emails and keep your readers happy and engaged.
Take Conversion Seriously
If you are thinking of becoming a Content Marketer for your business, then, one thing you should consider is to learn from journalists.
How to meet a deadline, the importance of copyediting and fact-checking, and the ins-and-outs of AP Style (associated Press News). But there are also a few things that journalists can learn from content marketing — primarily the importance of conversion.
Like most of you, every day, I get tons of newsletters. Some of the articles are great but some are simply not. It may not be clear where to click first and that means (to me), that there was no thought behind the designing of the email so I just move on altogether. It is assembled by an editorial team rather than a marketing team. The creative energy into any newsletter has to focus only on one goal. To educate and eventually with subsequent newsletters to convert the reader into a consumer of your product and/or service.
One way to drive the conversion goal is to drive readers to a blog. They also use a button, which is one of the best ways to increase click-through rates.
Whatever your goal, remove as many elements as possible. Everything besides a tease and a call to action is just a distraction.
Put Content Ahead Of The Design
You can’t put lipstick on a pig.
If you take content seriously, your emails should reflect it. Beautiful, mobile-responsive emails are nice but the content has to come first.
The best way to market online is to teach, to regularly deliver valuable content to your audience so that they will trust you and eventually want to hire you to solve their problem or enhance what they already have in place. So when you send an email, you are delivering value.
So you should consider stripping away everything else that isn’t necessary to focus on the content. Multi-column layouts, background images, logos, and all the other nonsense that typically fills marketing emails don’t deliver value to the recipient. It is not all about you, flip it around and start to deliver value. Make it detailed, entertaining and informative.
Email Marketing should move the reader from the inbox to a business website with little friction as possible. And that is something to all content-driven emails should strive to accomplish.
ve to accomplish.
Be Expected
One of the biggest mistakes email marketers make is showing up in the inbox unexpected.
When you commit to an email schedule, let people know what to expect even before they subscribe to your emails.
If, for example, you promise an email every day, you need to deliver on that promise. And if you set an expectation for occasional updates, don’t bombard people with daily emails.
In Conclusion, Include Content In All Your Emails
In addition to your newsletter and promotional emails, you most likely will send automated emails in the form of welcome messages, invoices, notifications, and receipts. There are many scenarios where content can add valuable context to these emails.
Automated emails are a great way to get readers engaged in your best work. Because they are triggered as a result of action — subscribing to your blog, making a purchase, downloading an e-book, etc. — they can become a key traffic source and a valuable resource for your customers.
I hope that if you have found this article of value, that you would share it in your social media platforms.
You are certainly welcomed to reach out to us if you want to have a free ½ hour consultation.
POST WRITTEN BY
John R. Ramos
The John Ramos Blog
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