This post is sponsored by Campaign Monitor but all opinions are entirely my own.
Some of you might remember that I took an email marketing course last year because I wanted to learn all there was to know about developing a marketing plan, using email to connect to followers, making my online space profitable, and writing killer headlines. I invested time, energy, and money to learn the ins and outs of connecting with readers outside of the social and blog spheres, and I learned a lot of valuable lessons. But perhaps the biggest takeaway is that it is essential to have a direct line to your readers. My blog can go poof at anytime (and anyone who owns one knows this to be true!). Social media is not my property; even though I’m a content creator, there’s really nothing proprietary about the images and words I share if I’m hosting them on a third-party website or app.
Food for thought, eh?
Today’s post is written by someone who has extensive experience with email marketing. I hope you learn from it as much as I did, and that you are all enjoying your weekend. Here’s to a successful 2019!
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Email is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach your consumer base. With the right content, you can get your customers to stay interested in your business, and earn new ones. However, a poor email marketing strategy can have the opposite effect, causing your readers to ‘unsubscribe’ and promoting negative feelings towards your company/brand. One of the best ways to optimize your email is to pay attention to the quality of the headline. This is going to be the first thing people will see when your email reaches their inbox. For this reason, it has to be effective, meaningful, and attention-grabbing.
The importance of a good headline
One of the largest hurdles you’ll face in email marketing is getting people to open your messages. The average person is usually overwhelmed with daily emails. Most of the time, they won’t ever go through them all. In fact, they might not even remember signing up for some of the subscriptions they have! Because of this, many quickly scan subject headlines to evaluate whether it’s worth their time to open and read.
The main goal of an email is actually to get your reader to open it. You want them to read the content, and click through to your website, in the best case scenario. If you want to accomplish that, you need to start with an effective headline. Without a catchy title, your email won’t be effective and you’ll waste your hard work. It takes time to create good content, and the last thing you want is to damage its appeal with a poor headline.
What makes a great headline?
The more personal you make your email headline, the more likely that you will get a click through. Research suggests that any subject heading with emojis have a higher engagement rate. Emojis are becoming increasingly popular, particularly among younger people.
In addition to that, using the recipient’s first name in the heading also creates a casual and personal tone. It’s a great way to grab the reader’s attention and create a sense of customization to the email. Many people believe that emojis and first names look unprofessional and informal. Because of this, they are afraid that they will reflect badly on their businesses. However, using tips like these can help you connect and engage with the recipient. In some cases, this approach makes them feel compelled to continue reading. It’s up to you to determine if such aesthetics are good for you, and your business.
Tips
If you’re unsure about how to come up with a great headline, start by looking at other emails. You can learn a lot from successful businesses. While you don’t need to emulate them, yo can get a feel for their formula and use it to your advantage. Try to research businesses that are in your industry, or target the same demographics. Don’t copy their headlines word for word, but try to get a sense of the tone, style, and design of their titles. You can do the same for the content of the email as well. This is a great place to get inspiration for a fresh approach. Using email marketing software like EMMA is also a good way to get started, and optimize your content with ease, so your emails will be available to a wide range of listeners.
What’s next?
Always keep in mind that whatever you promise in your email headline, you need to deliver on. Whether it’s a discount code, online sale, a link to an article or event an opportunity, you need to back it up. In your emails try to keep your content succinct and to the point. Always have a call to action at the end, which will encourage the reader to click onto your website.
These are just some of the ways to start connecting with your subscription base. Using emails effectively can be very rewarding, and a good headline is a great start!
Photo by William Iven on Unsplash
Thanks for sharing. My word for the year is Growth, and I really want to see that in my blog. It’s true that we don’t own what’s on social media, but I still want to take this year to try and grow some of those more (especially Twitter and Instagram). However, I HAVE been thinking of starting an actual newsletter for the blog so that people are getting information direct from me that won’t randomly disappear someday!
-Lauren
Very interesting! I’ve thought about doing a newsletter, but I don’t have the time right now.