BacktoBasics:EmailMarketingforSmallBusiness

Emailmarketingisoftenoverlookedwhenasmallbusinesstriestogeneratemoreonlineleadsandsales.However,buildingyouremaillististhelinchpinofanydigitalmarketingcampaign.

Inthisarticleyou’lllearnwhyit’ssoimportant,howtosetupanopt-inemaillist,andhowtogetyouremailsdelivered,opened,andread.

Ispeakatanumberofnationalsocialmediaconferences,andthatmeansIoftengettohangoutwiththe“bigdogs”inthespeakers’room.Thesearepeoplewithtremendousfollowingsonsocialmedia.Manyofthemarealsohighlycompetitive,andoftenabraggingcontestbreaksout.However,noneofthesesocialmediaexpertsboastabouthowmanypeoplefollowthemonTwitterorFacebook.Instead,talkturnstothesizeoftheir“list.”Intheageofsocialmedia,emailisstillking.[ClicktoTweet]

WhyEmailMarketingMatters:YouOwnIt

Whenyoubuildyourplatformonapropertyyoudon’town—likeYouTubeorLinkedIn—youareatthemercyofthewhimsandbusinessneedsofthatplatform.(Facebookalgorithmchanges,anyone?)Bybuildingyouremaillist,youareincontrol.Evenifyou’reusingaservicelikeConstantContactorMailChimp,youcantakethatlistwithyouifyoubecomeunhappyoroutgrowyourprovider.

TheInboxisBoardwalk

Yourcustomer’s(orprospect’s)inboxisthemostvaluablepieceofrealestateontheInternet.Considertheiropt-inasyourownpersonalAdvanceTokentoBoardwalkcard.Everydayyoumissthousandsoftweets,Facebookstatusupdates,YouTubeuploadsandmore.Butanyemailthatendsupinyourinboxrequiresatleastaclickofthetrashicon.Whichmeansyousawthebrandandtheofferbeforeyoumadethatdecision.Evenwhenyourcustomerisn’treadytobuyfromyou,they’rebeingremindedyouexist.

EmailSells

MyemaillistandmyTwitterfollowingareapproximatelythesame…somewherearound13,000atthetimeofthispost.ButIknowfromexperiencethatatweetaboutawebinar,blogpost,orTheAgentsofChangeconference,willgetabout1%oftheactivityofanemail.

Someofthat’sduetohowfewpeopleactuallyseeyourupdate,orhowlongyourtweetcanbe,orwhethertheyevenseeyourpostatall.Butregardless,emailsells.

GettingStarted

Sonowthatwe’reinagreementthatyouremaillistmaybethemostimportantassetyoursmallbusinessowns,let’stalkabouthowtobuildyoursubscriberbase.

ChooseaProvider

Youdefinitelydon’twanttoberunningyouremaillistthroughOutlookorGmail.Whilethosetoolsarefineforone-to-oneconversations,yourhostingcompanyorISPwillshutyoudownforsendingoutbulkemail,evenifyouhavepeople’spermission.Instead,you’llwanttochooseanEmailServiceProvider(ESP)likeConstantContact(aff,)MailChimp,Aweber,andsoon.Thesevendorshavethetoolsandmetricstomakeyouremailmarketingmuch,mucheasier.Herearejustafewofthebenefits:

• Responsivetemplates:Somanyemailsarereadonasmartphone…ifyouremailisn’treadableonthesmallscreen,they’llhitdeletebeforetheyrolloutofbed.Butmobile-friendlyisn’tenough!Youwantresponsiveemailtemplates.ThesereadwellonasmartphoneANDadesktopcomputer.

• Schedulingtools:Writenow,sendwhenever.Youcanmakesureyouremailsgooutatthebesttimeofdayorthebestdayoftheweektoreachyourcustomers.

• Metrics:Findouthowmanypeopleopenedyourlastemail,andhowmanypeopleclickedonthatlinktoyourwebinaroronlinestore.

• Segmenting:DidabunchofpeopleclickonthelinktoyourSpider-Manplushtoy?Addthemtoalistof“comicbookfans”and“plushtoyenthusiasts”tobettertargetyournextemail.

• Management:YourESPwillmanageyoursignups,opt-outs,bounces,autoresponders,andatonofothertasks,simplifyingyourdayandlettingyoufocusonyourmessagetoyouraudience.

CustomizeTheExperience

Onceyou’vechosenaprovider,you’llwanttopersonalizeimportantaspectsofyouraccount.

• Signupbox:YourESPwillprovideyouthecodetoaddasignupboxtoyourwebsite.Bydefault,itwillincludesomedullcomeonlike,“JoinOurMailingList.”Thisfailsonsomanylevels.

It’scompletely(andnecessarily)generic,soyoumissoutonanopportunityoftrulybrandingyourselfandyourcompany.

Italsofailstohaveastrongcall-to-action.“JoinOurMailingList”soundslikemarketing-speakfor“SignUpforMySpam!”Tellpeoplethebenefitsofjoiningyourlist.Discountsinthestore?Freeshipping?Downloadanimportantwhitepaper?Givethemareasontojoinup.

Youshouldalsoletthemknowwhattoexpect:howoftenyou’llbesendingemails,whetheryouremailwillbedeliveringgreatcontentorofferingamazingsales,andanythingelseyoufeelisimportant.

• Landingpage:Now,noteveryESPwillsendnewsubscriberstoalandingpageonyoursite,butiftheydo,createacustommessageforyournewsubscribers.Iknowofanumberofcompaniesthatactuallysellproductontheselandingpages.Afterall,thispersonhasjustshownthatthey’reinterestedinyourmessage,soyoushouldstrikewhiletheironishot!

• Welcomemessage:Oncepeoplehavesignedup,yourESPwillsendthemacompletely(andagain,necessarily)genericwelcomeemail,welcomingthemtoyoucommunity.Thisisanotheropportunitytobrandyourself,makeaconnection,orevensellthemaproduct.

LeverageYourWebsiteforMoreEmailSignups

WealreadywentoverthebenefitsofawebsiteinourBacktoBasics:YourWebsitepost.Itisthehubofyourdigitalmarketingandcriticaltoyouronlinesuccess.It’salsowheremostofyouremailsignupshappen.Youshouldhavesignupboxes,leadmagnets,andcallstoactionthroughoutyourwebsite.Putthemonthehomepage,youraboutpage,inyourblog’ssidecolumn,andembedtheabilityopt-intoyouremailnewsletteronyourcontactform.Considerusingthoseannoying-but-oh-so-effectivelightboxes(because“popupwindows”carrytoomuchemotionalbaggage.)

Keepinmindthatmostpeoplecometoyourwebsiteandneverreturn!However,ifyoucangetthemtosignupforyouremailnewsletterwhilethey’rethere,youcancontinuetocommunicatewiththemoncetheirgone.

Togetasenseofhowmanypeopleneverreturntoyoursite,visityourGoogleAnalyticsandlookatthepercentageofNewVisitorsvs.ReturningVisitors.Andalotofthosereturningvisitorsmaybeduetobeingsubscriberstoyouremailnewsletter!Imagineifyoucouldjustincreaseyouremailconversionratebyafewpercentagepoints…howmanymorepeoplecouldyoustayincontactwith?

LeverageYourBlogforMoreEmailSignups

Ifyoudohaveablog,you’realreadycreatingthecontentyoucanuseforyouremailnewsletter,youdon’tneedtocreateadditionalcontentforyouremail.Instead,thinkofyourblogasthehomeforyourfreshnewcontent,andemailasthedeliverysystem.Includeabigcalltoactionatthetopofyourblog,explainingthebenefitsofsubscribingtotheemailversion.

Haveanemailsignupboxintherighthandcolumnofyourblog.Itcanbetiedintoaleadmagnetorsimplyincludethecalltoactionof“freeupdates”or“nevermissanotherupdate.”Youcanalsohavethatcalltoactionatthebottomofeachblogpost.AndsomethingI’veseenrecentlyandbegunexperimentingwithisavalueaddleadmagnettiedintothecontentoftheblogpost.Forexample,AmyPorterfieldhasthis…

(Don’tbotherclickingit…it’snotreal.ButsinceIwrotethatbonuscontentforAmywhensheinterviewedmeforherpodcast,IguessIcanshareitwithyou.)AndwedidthesameforourfirstBackToBasicspostonWebsites.Weincludedsomeadvancedtopicsthatwereavailablefordownload,tiedintoemailregistration.

CreateLeadMagnets

Sowhatexactlyisaleadmagnet?Intheolddays,itwasfairlyeasytogetsomeonetosignupforyouremailnewsletters,becausethereweren’tthatmanyoutthere.Butnow,ourinboxesarefullofpersonalemails,businessemails,newsletterswesignedupfor,andhundredsmorethatwedidn’t.Plus:spam.So,gettingsomeonetosignupforyouremaillistisincreasinglydifficult.Afterall,fewpeoplecomplainofnotgettingenoughemailsornothavingenoughinformation.Togetthatopt-in,togetaccesstotheirinbox,you’llneedtotradethemsomethingofvalue.Thatistheleadmagnet.Now,inyourbusinessthatmaymeandiscountsinthecompanystore.Itmayadownloadcalled“101WaystoSaveMoneyforCollege”or“5HorrificMistakesNewDogOwnersMake.”Theonlyconstantisthatitmustbeperceivedasvaluableintheeyesofyourvisitor.

ConfigureLeadMagnets

Inthe“LeverageYourWebsite”sectionabove,wediscussedhowtopromoteaLeadMagnet.Buthowdoyouconfigureone?Whenitcomestoadownload,I’vefoundthebestwayistohostthedocumentatyourwebsiteandcreatealinktoitinyourWelcomeemail.TheensuresthatyourvisitorhasprovidedyouwithanaccurateemailaddressandthattheyhavebeenautomaticallyenteredintoyourESP’sdatabase.Ifyou’reprovidingdiscountsinyourstore,youcaneitherincludeadiscountcodeinthatwelcomeemail,orprovideongoingdiscountsinfutureemailstokeeppeoplesubscribed.

GettingEmailsDelivered

Evenwhensomeonehasoptedintoyouremaillist,itdoesn’tmeanthatthey’regoingtogetyouremails.Thereareroadblockssetupallalongtheway.YouremailcouldbeblockedbytheirInternetServiceProvider(ISP,)theircompanyfirewall,oranoveractivejunkfilter.Choosingawell-respectedESPwillhelp.Lessreputablecompanies—thatletanyoneuploadalistandblastit—aremorelikelytobeblacklistedbyISPs.Alertnewsubscribersonyourlandingpagetobeonthelookoutforemailsfrom“flytenewmedia”and“contact@notquiteflyte.com”,replacingthatwithyourrealcontactinfo(obviously).Youcanalsoaskthemto“whitelist”you,buthonestly,Idon’tknowanyonewhoactuallydoesthat.Avoidspammysubjectlinesandcopy.Unfortunately,spammersusewordslike“free”and“todayonly”somuch,thatthosewordsarelikepoisontoemaildeliverability.Gettingtoo“sales-y”inyourcopywillloweryourchancesofgettingintheirinbox.Dropthedotbiz.OK,thisisanecdotal,butithappenedtome.Dotbizdomainsattractedspammersandnevergot“gentrified.”Dotcoms,nets,andorgshavebetterdeliverability.Considergettinganadditionaldomainjustforemail.(Weconsideredflytemail.comuntilwewereabletoacquiretakeflyte.com.)

GettingEmailsOpen

Sadly,justbecauseyouendedupintheirinboxdoesn’tmeanthebattleisover.Youneedpeopletoopen,read,andactonyouremail.Herearesometipstoincreaseyourchancesofsuccess:

RecognizableFromAddress:Makesurethatyourname(orcompanyname)isrecognizabletotherecipient.Iftheydon’tknowwhoyouare,they’lljusthitdelete(orworse,spam.)CompellingSubjectLine:“MonthlyNewsletter”neverlitafireunderanyone’sbutt.Instead,givethemacompellingreasontoopenthatemail.Sometimesitwillbebytellingthemaboutthevaluethey’llfindinyouremail:

• 10CraftIdeasforYourNextSleepover• WhatNOTtoSayatYourWeeklyStaffMeeting• ApartmentLiving:HowtoTeachYourCattoUsetheToilet

Sometimesit’saboutplayingupurgencyorscarcity:

• AmazingDealsonSilverJewelryThisWeekOnly• Only5SpotsLeftforOurVeganCookingClass• EarlyBirdDiscountEndFriday!

Sometimesit’saboutintrigueormakingemailsfeelmorepersonal:

• Peter,MeetJill[WherePeteristhesubscriber’snamepulledfromamailmergeandJillistheexpertyou’rebringingintoawebinar.Note:MichaelHyattdidthisrecentlyandItotallybelievedhewasmakinganintroductiontome!]

• Ineedtoreschedulelunch[whichIrecentlyusedwhenIfoundoutthetimeIhadpromotedforalunch&learnwasincorrect]

• Tuesday[usedforanydeadline.Replacewith“Frinight,”“Satam,”oranyotherappropriatetime.]

GettingEmailsRead&ActedUpon

It’srecentlybeensaidthattheattentionspanoftheaverageInternetuserisaboutthatofagoldfish.So,writeforgoldfish.Herearesomewaystoengageyouraudienceandkeeptheirattention:

• Havearesponsiveemailtemplate.Yes,I’vesaidthisbefore,butthenumberoneactivityonsmartphonesischeckingemail.Manypeoplechecktheiremailontheirphonesbeforetheyevengetoutofbed,whichmeansthey’redoingthatontheirphone.Ifyouremaildoesn’tlookgoodonthatsmallscreen,you’redeadtothem.

• Useimages.Peoplearevisualcreaturesandimagesaretheuniversallanguage.(Sorry,love!AndEsperanto,wehardlyknewye.)Justmakesurethatyou’vegotadescriptivealt-tagsothatpeoplewhohavetheirimagesturnedoffcan“see”whattheimageisallabout.

• Keepitshort.Yes,therearesuccessfulemailsthatarewelloverathousandwords.However,mostemailsthesedaysare“transactional.”Theyacttogetpeopleoutoftheirinboxesandovertoyourwebsiteorsalespage.Beasbriefaspossibleinpersuadingthemtotakethataction.

• Includeaclearcalltoaction.Weassumethatpeoplewillknowwhatwewantthemtodonext.Butthey’rebusy,andyoursisoneof200emailsintheirinbox,sospellitoutforthem.“Downloadourwhitepaperhere.”“Registerfortheworkshop.”“Save20%onallcattoysnow!”Eachofthosearelinks,takingthemtothespecificareaonyoursiteyouwanttodrivethem.

KeepingSubscribersOnYourList

Ifyoucreateanirresistibleleadmagnet,deliveremailsubjectlinessoenticingthattheyalmostopenthemselves,butdelivercontentdullerthannurseryschoolscissors,yoursubscriberswon’tstickaroundverylong.Witheveryemailyousendyouareonlyoneclickawayfromanunsubscribe.Becauseofthat,makesureyouknowwhatyoursubscriberswant.Foraretailstore,itmightbeaboutnewarrivals,what’strending,orsaleitems.Forabusinessconsultant,heraudiencemaybelookingforanarticleonarecentchangeinimportlaws,managingremoteworkers,orexitstrategies,Whateveryouraudienceneeds,deliverontheexpectationsyousetoutforthemwhentheyfirstsignedup.

What’sNext?

Ihopeit’sevidentthatyouremaillistiscriticaltoyouronline—andoffline—success.Startbymakingcompellingoffersonyourwebsite,givingpeopleareasontosignup.Getyouremailsdeliveredandopenedbyfollowingbestpracticesandgettingcreativewithyoursubjectlines.Delivervalueineachemailyousend,andusepersuasivecalls-to-actiontogenerateleadsandsales.