A classical question, that anyone who’s ever done an email campaign asks himself. We send hundreds of emails and we’re hoping to get at least a couple of clicks. If we have more than one person who actually visited the site afterwards, we open the Champaign bottle. More than that, if we have one person who actually bought something as a result of the email campaign, we’re going to throw a little party.
All these things happen because of one single word: Spam. That tiny folder where most of the emails from the marketing campaign go. That mail box cemetery where most of the users will never get.
How can we avoid the Spam folder?
There are a few simple yet essential steps that need to be followed in order to have a successful campaign.
First of all, the content of the email matters a lot, especially its originality and its relevance. This is one of the main criteria that separates the emails and determines which gets into the Inbox and which goes to Spam. Most of the email services have filters included, that will send an email straight to Spam if it fulfills certain conditions. And repetitive texts that lack originality are elements that are going to cost you. Therefore, the quality of the email doesn’t matter as much as its authenticity.
The title matters just as much. It’s not enough to have quality content if you don’t have a title that’s intriguing enough to raise the curiosity of your potential readers. This is one of the selection criteria: if the title is interesting/ attractive enough for the reader. Simple titles, that everyone can grasp and that catch the eye of the reader: not too long and yet not too short. Not too pompous but not too simple either.
It is said that the first impression is made within a couple of seconds and this is valid for our situations as well. If we managed to come up with an intriguing enough title to catch the eye of the reader, now it’s the time to offer some quality material in order to keep that attention. That’s why the first paragraph is relevant: a paragraph where we present you the idea of the email we sent you.
Of course, we created the content of the email and now we have to move on: an email belonging to an email marketing campaign has to sell. Whether we talk about a product, a service or an idea, that email has got to sell. And this can be accomplished through various methods but all of them share a common thing: they all have a Call to Action, a term that you will come across quite often within the field of online marketing (in case you are not already familiar with it).
Along with the value that you offered the reader in matters of content, in order to have a more efficient effect, you’re going to offer something else as well. At this point it’s mostly up to you.
What can I offer my reader for an increased effect?
Promotions are a strong tool that will always attract clients towards buying. Whether we talk about already existing, loyal clients or those curious people that might want to become clients, they are not just very convinced yet, a set of discounts will please everyone.
The value offered through that email is very relevant, just as the little “gifts” are. Altogether they will make the difference between the emails you send and those sent by your competitors. Small details make the difference. Or big ones, in case you think of introducing a huge campaign of discounts.
Whether you offer substantial discounts for a certain product or service or you offer something free at each acquisition, this is totally up to you. But the care you show towards you clients, be it existing ones or potential ones, is a universal thing regardless of the business.
Because only through offering quality content together with a small attractive gift can we have a successful campaign. This is the only way we can make sure that people will read our emails and they’re not just going to send them to Spam. They will read and appreciate them and in the end come to appreciate your business.