When you set up a direct mail campaign, you want your ads to be bold and to the point. Your postcard or tri-fold flyer has to come alive to grab the attention of your target audience, and if you send something through the mail that just goes to the bottom of catalogs and invoices and ends up in the trash, you’ve just wasted your money. The same goes for email marketing: you need to grab the reader’s attention and get them to not just open your message, but read and follow it. An eye-catching subject line and a neat yet pleasing design are the keys to achieving high open rates and increasing traffic to your business.
Grab ’em with an effective dirty hook
Writing the right subject line can be tricky. Every day we check our inboxes for messages promising quick weight loss, dream jobs from home that pay obscene amounts of money for little work, and other dubious offers. However, the advantage of having an optional database of email addresses is that you have an established captive audience (people who want to read your emails) so the risk of automatic deletion before opening is reduced. However, you still need these subscribers to open the mail.
The subject header of your email is your initial sales pitch: keep it concise and to the point, and avoid tactics that might trigger spam filters. Try not to use “Free” as the first word, and definitely don’t capitalize any words or exclamation points. Try to keep the line to around 50 characters so the whole topic can be seen.
Save them with a nice and simple message.
A natural concern in email marketing is whether or not all recipients can see a message style. Of course, Internet users employ a variety of email programs, from web-based accounts like Google Mail and Yahoo Mail, to accounts at work and home ISPs. Some people access mail on the web, others use Outlook or Eudora or other programs. Even if an email send results in a relatively consistent result, there may be minor differences from user to user. However, this shouldn’t deter you from creating an attractive HTML email designed to draw customers and clients to you.
You don’t have to be a marketing guru to launch a successful email campaign, nor do you have to spend thousands of dollars hiring a designer to create a template for your messages. There are advantages to creating email with HTML: it’s easier to send readers direct links to your site, and you can brand each message with your logo; however, it is recommended not to exaggerate in the design. For one thing, having a graphic-heavy message risks setting off spam alerts. Also, having large photos included in an email, even if they are scaled down in the actual message, can take too long to load for some readers and even freeze up the mailbox.
For an effective yet colorful email design that won’t arouse suspicion by spam filters, consider a simple banner with your logo along with one or two small photos relevant to your message. If you’re not selling specific products, try a royalty-free image to liven up the tone of your message: clip art, while easy to obtain, can appear too cartoony or off-putting, and risk making your message seem unprofessional.
Don’t forget that content is king here, more so than bells and whistles. Make the offer in advance and all online outlets are clear and easy to find. Don’t pitch a product for sale and wait until the end of the email, after a rambling description, to offer your site’s URL.
For help with designing email alerts and newsletters, a quick internet search will take you to several free template sites to help you out. Choose a simple template if you like, one that won’t obscure your message, and test each email before sending it out to your readers. Always keep the content just as engaging, if not more. Although the package looks good on the outside, it is the message that will attract customers to you.