It’s easy to forget that email marketing is a segment of your overall content marketing plan. Email marketing refers specifically to the content you deliver by email that is designed to get your subscribers to take action.
Content marketing is an overall term that includes marketing that uses information and content to inform, engage, and persuade your audience to act. Content includes text, visuals, and audio information that sends a message to your audience. All of these can apply specifically to marketing your content through email, but there are a few things to keep in mind.
Here are 10 tips to keep in mind for email marketing success:
Tip #1: Develop and maintain a consistent voice
If you want your audience to read and enjoy receiving email messages from you, make sure you know what your brand voice is. This includes the terms you want to use, the tone you say them in, and your values and principles.
Tip #2: Create targeted lead magnets
When you develop lead magnets to build your list, make sure you target each freebie toward a particular member of your audience. Casting a smaller net will result in higher conversions.
Related Article: 7 Steps to Creating Lead Magnets That Work
Tip #3: Create email messages that are meaningful and persuasive
Every message you send them, whether email or in your blog, or even on social media, need to be meaningful to them so that you can persuade them to act.
Tip #4: Use your content to segment subscribers
The content you publish on your website and in email can be used to further segment your audience based on their behavior. The more segmented they are, the better you can communicate your value to them.
Tip #5: Don’t be afraid to ask your subscribers what they want
Send surveys and questionnaires to your list members, social followers, and blog readers to find out what they really want to know about. For example, under a blog post, you can post something like “want more content about this topic” and let them check yes or no and sign up for your list to be reminded of new content about that topic.
Tip #6: Encourage your subscribers to share your newsletters
Even when you send an email, with the exception of private information, you should encourage the recipients to share with their friends. If your system allows it, start a referral program for your newsletter* that rewards people for sharing.
Tip #7: Always be testing
You don’t know for sure if the content is doing what you want it to do unless you test it. Try changing headlines, subject lines, and subtle information to improve each interaction.
Tip #8: Make your email messages actionable
You wouldn’t create a sales page or a blog post without some kind of action for your readers to take. You can apply that to email marketing as well, even if it’s just to ask your people to hit reply and ask a question or share what’s happening with them.
Tip #9: Do things just to make your subscribers happy
When you focus on making your subscribers happy, you’re going to see a massive difference in their engagement with you. Find ways wow them with your content and offers.
Tip #10: Don’t forget the call to action
Actionable messages (see Tip 8) require good calls to action. It doesn’t have to be about buying all the time (although you shouldn’t be afraid to sell in your emails either). It can be about sharing, liking, replying, and so forth too. Tell your readers what you want them to do next, and you’re going to get a lot more results.
Final Thoughts
Using general content marketing will help you improve all aspects of your email marketing and advertising and will keep you top of mind at all times. Every message you create for your audience must have a reason for being and a goal in mind. If you’re not sure why you’re sending something, it’s better to send nothing at all.
*Note: This post includes affiliate links, for which I will receive a small commission should you make a purchase.