Why Am I Getting This
How many times have you received an email from a business or an organization that includes information you are just not interested in? It happens often. You give your email address to the local sporting goods store where you buy your tennis supplies and the next thing you know, you're receiving an email about ski equipment. This approach to communicating is a sure-fire way to lose the attention of the customer.
I was at an event recently where I met a woman who was commenting on the email communication she receives from businesses. She said, "I open up the first few emails they send me to see if I'm interested, and if they haven't captured me by the second or third one, I don't open any more." I think her response sums up the dangers of sending irrelevant communication.
If you want to see your email communication get results, you have to invest some time and energy into ensuring that what you are communicating is valuable to those receiving it.
Step One: Know Thy Receiver
The first step in sending a relevant email is to get to know the people you are sending to. What do they care about? What are their areas of interest? What types of email communication do they want to receive?
If you haven't been collecting this kind of information from your customers and members, now is the time to start. When each new person subscribes through your website or a forwarded email, you have a great opportunity to learn more about them. Take advantage of your customizable sign-up page by creating interest groups and asking specific questions.
What if you don't have this kind of information for your current list? You can learn a lot about your receivers' areas of interest by looking at the links they are clicking on in your campaigns. Going back to the sporting goods store example, after sending out several campaigns that are general and include something for everyone, the sender can look at who clicked on the link for the tennis racket sale and who clicked on the link for the ski goggles sale. She can add these subscribers to her tennis and ski interest categories, respectively. Now when she is ready to send out communication specifically about a tennis sale, she's got the right group to mail to.
Step Two: Make Your Communication Timely, Useful and Digestible
Knowing your audience is the first step in sending relevant emails, but before sending your communication, run it through the timely, useful, digestible checklist.
Timely - You want to connect with something your reader cares about now. What are they thinking about? You won't want to send out an email promoting your tax services on April 18. What time of year is it? An email advertising ski jackets won't get much interest in August. What is going on in current events or in your reader's life?
Useful - Knowing your customer is the number one way to provide them with information they consider useful, but here is another idea to consider. Ask yourself the question, "What will my reader do differently tomorrow or next week, after he or she reads this?"
Digestible - Email is not meant for the delivery of a treatise. Electronic communication needs to be kept brief and focused. Many of us have skipped over long emails with the thought, "I'll read it later, when I have time." With an email campaign deemed "long", there is a significant chance that we aren't ever going back. If you do need to write a longer article (this article being an example), then make sure to link to your website and finish the article there. Getting your readers into your website is never a bad idea.
Making your communication digestible is not just about length, it is also about what you write. If your audience is new to your world, remember to consider the fact that they may not understand all of the terminology you use. What's obvious to you might not be to your reader.
Step Three: Add a Little Fun
Making your email communication a little bit fun isn't a must, but it certainly gets you some bonus points. Get creative! How can you make opening or reading your emails have an element of fun for your receivers? You could add a playful anecdote or include a riddle that you ask your reader's to solve. It could just be the tone you write in or the graphics that you use. Put your creative hat on and see what ideas you can come up with that would make sense for your business or organization.
Relevant Emails Get Better Results
When you follow these steps and create and send emails that are relevant to your customers and members, you will see results. The best way to make your investment in email marketing pay off is to use email communication the smart way-make it relevant!
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