There are many factors to consider in the development of an email marketing program. The goal is to create a dialog with your customers and prospects that builds trust and keeps you top of mind so that when they are ready to buy, you are there.
Here are some tips for creating an email newsletter for your company:
Create a simple design that works with your website graphics
Companies like Constant Contact offer lots of options for designs, but it can be difficult to find one that matches your logo and the look you have established for your company. It’s fairly easy to create a design to match your website if you have a little html expertise. If not, hire a professional to create a template for your email. Once you have template with the right look and feel, you can easily add copy and messaging yourself.
Offer useful information that your customers can use.
Although your primary goal is to sell your company’s products and services, your customers are more interested in how you can solve their problems. If you provide them with useful tips and information, they will be more likely to open your emails.
Create landing pages to track results
If are having a specific promotion, you may want to create a special page on your website with the details of the promotion to lead your customers through the buying process. In addition to tailoring the page to the email promotion, you can easily track results of your email campaign.
Use social networking to distribute your email
With the popularity of social networking, it’s easy to distribute your email through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Most email marketing companies offer a “share” button you can include on your email to allow people to post your email on these sites. You can also Tweet a link to your email or email it to social networking groups.
Drive Traffic to Your Website
Give your readers plenty of opportunities to click through to your website for more information. Embed lots of links throughout your email and entice readers in different ways. If you distribute your newsletter through social networking sites, you’ll get website traffic and improve your search engine optimization.
Don’t Forget Your Call to Action
Make it easy for people to respond to your mail in as many ways as possible. At the end of every section, ask them to call or email for more information. As with websites, you never know where they are going to end up and when they will be ready to take the next step.