Sep 19, 2009

29 Tested Methods - How to Make Your Email Marketing Sell More

Here are 29 easy tips to improve the selling power of your email marketing. These are tested methods from direct-response advertising. Try them yourself. You will see the difference in sales.

1. Set a goal for every message.

Why do we send this? What are we trying to accomplish? These are basic questions you need to ask from yourself before you write anything.

2. Be consistent.

Have a purpose for your every message, which supports the bigger picture and brings clarity to your communication. Your goal should be to have an impact that grows stronger over time. Being consistent helps to achieve it.

3. Simple is better.

Mind can only one thought at a time. Just try thinking about an airplane and Mercedes-Benz at the same time. Can you do it?

4. Clarity above all.

This could be number one on this list as well. It's not how you say, but WHAT you say.

5. Headline makes 90 % of your success

Use most of your time to write a clear headline with a promise in it.
Your email will only get opened if your headline promises something worth reading. 
Try to think email marketing like this:

a) Headline brings customers in.
b) Your copy text brings
home the sale.
c) Never send a single message, just because you feel like you should something.

Remember that you are only one click away from Spam folder. Think "Spam buttom" like you would get bitten by a vampire. It will not take long after that for you turn into a living dead.

6. Never spam.

Do you want cheap wins or customers who will still love after 20 years of marriage?

7. Be interesting and keep Dale Carnegie on your mind.

Customer: "What's in it for me?"

8. Subscribe and read Emarketer Daily and ClickZ newsletters.

9. Test your advertising constantly.
"Never stop testing, and your advertising will never stop improving" -David Ogilvy

A simple A/B testing to every message will do wonders to your sales curve. Milk your winners.

10. Study your competitors.

Subscribe to all of their material you can lay your hands on. When ever you find some method repeating itself you discovered their winning horse.

11. Subscribe to Amazon.com, Apple Store and eBay newsletters.

Copy all of the best ideas from these. They are tested and proven gold mines.

12. Leave empty words out.

Keep your message brief and clean. AVOID CAPITALS, THEY ARE DIFFICULT TO READ AND LOOK LIKE SPAM.

13. Direct-response experience is a must for your email marketing planner.

14. Buy John Caples - Tested Advertising Methods 
"Tested Advertising Methods" is your new bible when you are writing your next ad. It includes simple instructions with lots of examples about how to write a direct-response ad that sellsGet also:

Bob Stone - Successful Direct Marketing Methods
Seth Godin - Permission Marketing

15. Collect lists of tested email marketing methods.

16. Build a simple path for your reader to take action.

17. Use carrot.

"Do this, you'll get that."

18. Try different colors and layouts constantly in your emails.

19. Cash your winning horses all the way to the bank.

In other words: repeat your winners as long as you can.

20. Don't use exclamation marks. Again, you are not a spammer, are you?

21. Use sub-headings.

Help your reader to read your emails more easily.

22. Use text which can be read even if pictures in your email will not open.

23. Be honest.

Be open about why you are collecting information from your customers. And how they will benefit from it.

24. If possible, advertise only one product per message.

Clarity, consistency and goals easier to achieve this way.

25. Use open ended questions in your email.

Words like How, What, When, Where, Why are more interesting. Consider this classic: "How To Win friends & Influence People" who wouldn't want to learn more after reading that headline?

26. Be personal.

Email has made possible to establish a conversation, which can be made as personal as a door-to-door salesman. Build a conversation with goal, a goal to sell.

27. Your advertising has to sell.

Advertising has only one purpose: to sell your product, service or idea.

28. Leave your headline open - no dots.

A dot at the end of the sentence will end it. Dots in your headlines doesn't increase readership in your emails.

29. Use expiration date to get action now.

"This offer expires on October 24th - Act now. Click here"

Those were the few basic tips to improve your email marketing. Digital direct marketing is a great tool because you can test and measure everything with little or no cost. Keep studying, continue testing and your advertising will never stop improving ... 


But don't forget a good email marketing software. For example, try ActiveCampaign absolutely FREE today. It's almost magical.

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