13 Tricks to Make Your Email Campaigns Delete-Proof

Your customers' email addresses are a precious commodity – a golden ticket that gives you a free pass straight to their inbox, where (at least in most cases) you have far less competition for their attention than in their Facebook or Twitter feeds. If they’ve entrusted you with this level of access, it’s important to make sure that you're always a welcome presence and that they not only open your messages but even look forward to receiving them. At all costs, you must avoid abusing this privilege with emails that come so frequently or offer so little value that your recipients unsubscribe. Once you’ve been banned from their inbox, you'll probably never get a second chance to earn your way back in. By using the tactics outlined below, you can create powerful email marketing campaigns that are not only spared from the dreaded delete key but that also further advance the trust your customers have in your brand and, ultimately, drive them to buy from you time after time.

1. Make it worth their while.

The most important ingredient of a must-read email is the subject line. Keep it short and choose your words wisely. The recipient’s decision to open or delete hinges on your ability to make the case that your message is worth their time and attention. The best, most enticing subject lines convey to the recipient that the information that follows is urgent, unique or extremely useful – like in the example from Epicurious above, which featured the subject line "Packed Lunches, Made With Love." After all, what parent who faces the tedious task of packing school lunches every day wouldn’t be drawn in to read more?

2. Inspire and inform.

In today’s age of information overload, a brief but indispensable tip or inspirational message – whether it arrives on a daily, weekly or monthly basis – can be a refreshing change of pace for your customers.

3. Sell them a solution.

Don’t talk to your customers about your products or services. Talk to them about their needs and problems and give them a road map to solutions.

4. Make the ordinary extraordinary.

Emails with no other purpose than seeking “likes” for your Facebook page or follows for your Twitter stream are a dime a dozen and almost assuredly destined for the trash. However, if you can illustrate the valuable content and community connections that your customers are missing if they’re not part of the conversation, they’ll be much more likely not only to take notice but to take action as well.

5. Don’t underestimate the power of a good deal.

Everyone loves a deal, which is why discounts and free shipping offers are sure-fire attention-grabbers. Get more mileage out of your campaign by encouraging your customers to share their special offer with their friends via email or Facebook.

6. Demonstrate incredible value.

Discounts aren’t the only way to reel in bargain-lovers. Another equally effective approach is to provide creative, budget-friendly ideas and strategies that will let them satisfy their wants and desires without breaking the bank.

7. Turn them on to trends.

People like to be in the know about what’s new and what’s coming next. Give your customers the inside dish on the latest trends while highlighting the must-have items of the moment.

8. Show them what they’re missing.

No one likes to think they’re missing out on something that will save them money, make their life easier, solve a problem or even make them the envy of their friends and neighbors. Showcase your most popular products and feature reviews or testimonials from customers who love them. Nothing tips the scales toward a sale like the rave review of another customer who simply can’t live without whatever it is you’re selling.

9. Give the gift of ideas.

From Valentine's Day to Mother's Day to graduations and Christmas, your customers have at least as many gift-giving occasions as there are months of the year. For those times when they're in search of that perfect present, a well-timed email with creative ideas at a variety of price points is a welcome source of inspiration.

10. Gain a lot with a giveaway.

There’s nothing like the allure of a giveaway to motivate your customers not only to read  your email but to take the action you desire, whether it’s reviewing a product, “liking” your brand on Facebook or providing a referral to a friend.

11. Campaign for a cause.

Tying your email marketing campaign to a charitable cause is a win for everyone. Not only will your promotion be more attention-worthy but your customers will get a feel-good boost for choosing to spend their hard-earned dollars in a way that benefits the greater good.

12. Get the party started.

Building your campaign around events or classes offers your customers the opportunity to meet others who share similar interests and learn something new. Enhance your invitation with an exclusive discount for event attendees, and you’ll deliver an even more powerful motivational punch.

13. Invite them in.

Sometimes a simple email can open the door to a much deeper level of engagement. Remind your customers that your experts are available to them one-on-one and that together, you can identify the products and services that are the best fit for their specific needs and goals.

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New Year, New Ideas: 3 Smart Strategies to Jump Start Your Marketing

The beginning of a new year makes everyone feel like a fresh start is possible, and businesses are no exception. Plenty of opportunities exist online if your goals include making improvements or ramping up your marketing efforts in the new year. You know that maximizing your brand’s exposure is the key to gaining new customers or maintaining the base you already have, so when you make your company’s list of new year’s resolutions, make sure to include a commitment to exploring new avenues for marketing on the web. If you feel as though you’ve exhausted all possibilities for online promotion of your business, think again! Numerous options are available that you may not have considered.

1. Expand your social media efforts.

By now, if you don’t have a Facebook page that is frequently updated with new content, you’re way behind in the marketing game. It’s estimated that 15-25 million businesses – both large and small – have a presence on the social media giant. And with 500 million people worldwide using Facebook, a business would have to be crazy not to create a page. So, assuming you’ve already established a Facebook presence, it’s likely you’ve also connected with customers and potential customers through Twitter or LinkedIn, as well. But what about Google+? Or Pinterest? Instagram? In this tech-connected world, it’s essential to not only stay on top of the social marketing trends, it’s also imperative to spread your marketing efforts across many different platforms to reach as many potential customers as possible. So, where to begin? As with any marketing plan, it depends on what services and products you’re selling. It makes sense that a product that has visual appeal would benefit from marketing on a visual social media platform, such as Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, or Flickr. Establishing a following on any of these sites literally raises your company’s visibility via images and copy that can be shared and made viral instantly. To add more power to your visual message, establish a YouTube channel and upload short video presentations of what your product can do, or use the Vine app to create looping videos. If your company offers a service, Howcast is a great place to post how-to videos that can be shared across the other social media sites. Building your brand via social media is effective, but only if you update your content frequently; after all, the goal is to maintain your presence. If you find that constant updates are overwhelming or daunting, think about utilizing the services of a website like Hootsuite, which offers a bulk scheduler that can send out up to 350 pre-made messages to the social media sites your company uses. Not only will that free up your time, it can also prevent consumers from being bombarded by your messages – the scheduler can be used to space out your updates.

2. Publish, publish, publish.

If you haven’t already embraced content marketing, now is the time to do so. Content marketing is essentially targeted marketing that doesn’t scream “targeted marketing”. You create content in the form of articles or blog posts that your customers will be most interested in. It should be relevant, purposeful, and considerate of your audience’s needs and intellect. Content marketing takes a step back from in-your-face sales techniques, and instead informs your audience about what you have to offer. Content marketing is highly effective, and doesn’t feel pushy. If you’ve been using content marketing via blog posts, you might want to try to mix it up a little bit – especially if you’re running out of fresh content. One way to spice up your marketing efforts is to add a podcast to your website. A podcast can provide a weekly or bi-weekly bite-sized chunk of information to your customers that won’t require the time it might take to read content. Keeping the podcasts to about a minute in length is enough time to hook listeners, keep them engaged, and possibly leave them wanting to know more about what you have to offer. Perhaps the best aspect of podcasts is utilizing content you’ve already created, thereby opening an entirely new channel of exposure for your product. In recent years, the internet has exploded with blogs by “experts” in nearly every subject. To give additional exposure to your blog or podcast, employ the services of a blogging superstar in your field to provide a guest blog or an interview. You don’t have to limit yourself to bloggers, of course; finding other influencers in your field for “guest” opportunities will not only increase awareness of your company, but also provide an excellent opportunity for SEO leads to your website. The best part of utilizing guest bloggers is that more than likely, that guest blogger will post the blog on their site, which in turn drives even more visitors to your business blog. Cross-referencing is a great click-generator. Keeping your content visually inviting should also be a priority as you resolve to freshen up your marketing efforts. Web visitors love to see visual representations of information, and infographics add spice and interest to any online content. If you deal with technical or difficult-to-understand concepts, adding a visual element such as an infographic can be extremely beneficial. Several apps are available online to create interesting, colorful representations of complex information. Sites such as piktochart.com or infogr.am are easy to use, and free. And best of all, the designing is done for you.

3. Capture customers when they’re searching.

None of these suggestions will work very well if your company can’t be found online, and that’s why you may want to investigate cost-per-click, or SEM (Search Engine Marketing) advertising. One of the largest and most popular online advertising methods is Google AdWords. People worldwide search Google for information a billion times each day. If your business shows up at the top of Google’s search engine, you’re guaranteed to draw in new customers, or at the very least, get more exposure. The key, of course, is to come up with the right keywords to generate the most visits. The AdWords platform allows you to specify what keywords entered by searchers will generate your ad. You can be specific about services your business provides, or you can limit your ad to a particular geographic location. Customization is offered in varying degrees; you can even select your ad to appear on certain days of the week, during specific hours, or even whether the ad is shown on mobile devices only. Cost-per-click works based on what budgetary parameters you set; for example, you set a daily budget, and are only charged when someone clicks on your ad, not every time it is displayed. According to the AdWords website, you specify the maximum amount you're willing to pay for visits to your website. The bid you make determines how high up on the search results page your ad appears. Don’t just limit your efforts to Google, either. Facebook offers a cost-per-click service, as does the Bing search engine. Several other companies provide the service, as well.

Stay the course

No matter what new ideas for marketing your business and products you choose to explore in the new year, the most important element in your endeavor is to stay consistent. If you start out the year with a focus on making changes, stay committed to maintaining those changes. Your customers will expect you to follow through, and your success may depend on it.

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