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rerouted for 2020
In a world where tech fads like gadgets and apps come and go what feels like every week, email
continues to be a steady and crucial channel businesses can use to continually get their name in front
of past and present clients. Email marketing is a powerful vehicle for delivering personalized messages
directly to your target audience. In fact, it should be a primary piece of your marketing plan now and in
the future.
As a business owner, you wear a lot of hats. Unless you’re turning away customers, one of those hats
includes spending time and energy on a marketing strategy to grow your business.
So, what is your marketing plan?
In this guide, we’ll cover the basics of email marketing and why it’s one of the most cost-effective, high
return-on-investment channels to positively impact your bottom line.
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Hitting the Road. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
7 Benefits of Email Marketing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
SECTION ONE: Best Practices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The elements of an effective email. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
5-Step Checklist to Writing Good Content. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Design best practices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Scheduling details: creating a consistent schedule and when you should send. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
How to build an email list. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Why you should take advantage of email automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
SECTION TWO: Turns to Avoid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Don’t spam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Words, phrases and other things to avoid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Why you shouldn’t send email “blasts”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
SECTION THREE: The Next Leg: Building Relationships, Improving Your Bottom Line. . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
How to build relationships using email marketing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
How to use email to increase customer retention. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
How to use email for referrals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
The Destination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
what’s on the route?
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hitting the road
what is email marketing?
In many ways, email marketing is an online form of direct marketing—a way of reaching many current,
past, and potential customers at once. Rather than sending letters, catalogs or flyers, these messages
are sent to inboxes.
The primary advantage of email over direct mail is that you can track and measure your success. You can
see how many of your emails were delivered and opened, if links were clicked, and if anyone took action,
such as buying or referring a friend.
types of email marketing
The format and approach you take with your email marketing will vary depending on your audience,
industry, and goals. Here are some of the more common types of email marketing:
product or catalog: These emails focus on specific products/services or a suite of them.
newsletters: Sent on a consistent schedule, newsletters can cover many areas. Emails for
OutboundEngine customers follow the newsletter format, and they contain helpful, industry-adjacent
information. Their goal is to keep you top of mind with your customers.
campaigns: This could include sales or time-sensitive information. Political campaigns and nonprofits
use these often for fundraising, voting and other events, like industry parties, that run for specific
periods of time.
nurturing: These are regular emails that are sent to prospects pre-sale. Typically sent more frequently
than other types of emails, they encourage a prospect to take steps to move through a funnel or sales
cycle and eventually become your customers.
transactional: These are usually automated and include emails that confirm purchases, provide
reminders for renewals or ask customers to update a method of payment.
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how is email marketing valuable?
Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective, high ROI channels you can capitalize on. Consider
that 91 percent of US email users check their inbox at least once a day. That’s approximately 350 million
people reading emails every day, which shows the huge potential email has to help your bottom line.
Here are a few additional stats to show the real value of email marketing:
Email ranked as the No. 1 channel for ROI out of nine marketing channels, beating out SEO, content
marketing, paid search, and direct marketing.
– ECONSULTANCY “EMAIL MARKETING INDUSTRY CENSUS 2017”
Email marketing averages an ROI of $44 for every $1 spent.
– CAMPAIGNMONITOR
89 percent of marketers say that email serves as their primary channel of lead generation.
– MAILIGEN
Email is the preferred source of communication for 74 percent of consumers.
– SENDGRID
On average, companies attribute 22 percent of their total sales to email marketing.
– ECONSULTANCY
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The big question is, what advantages does email offer compared to other forms of marketing? With even
a small budget, email marketing can help you focus on your target audience, find new customers and
retain past customers. You can also test messaging, measure your results, and adjust as necessary—work
that is more challenging to do with other forms of marketing.
reach the right audience
The biggest advantage of email marketing may be that it allows you to communicate with your target
audience right where they are. People are liable to recycle direct mail flyers and glaze over ads in the
sidebar of their favorite news website. However, a well-crafted and effective email is easier to pay
attention to and absorb.
tracking the success metrics
As a business owner, it’s helpful to know what you’re doing right and what needs to improve. By tracking
metrics like email opens and conversations that start after they’re sent, you can see what is resonating
with your audience. With email marketing software, it becomes easy to gather such data by tracking open
and click-through rates and conversions. It’s much harder, if not impossible, to track a direct mail piece.
word of mouth
Word of mouth remains one the most powerfully effective marketing tools, and email marketing helps to
make that easier for people to refer you and your business. Recipients can forward emails to their friends
and families, especially when the content is relevant, interesting, and strong calls to action are used.
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7 BENEFITS OF EMAIL MARKETING
CONTINUED ON NEX T PAGE. . .
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a low-cost effort
Email marketing is one of the most affordable marketing tools and also often takes less time than
printed pieces. No paper, postage costs, and no mailing time! You can write, test, and send an email in
less time than it takes to have a proof reviewed for a flyer.
personalization
Depending on the service you use, email marketing allows you to personalize all communications. In
some cases, in addition to using someone’s name, you can also include their purchasing or behavior
history as well. Examples include whether someone took a quiz, answered a survey, or took some other
form of action.
impulse shopping (and forwarding)
Email marketing is incredibly useful for taking advantage of impulse shoppers. With a compelling call to
action incorporated into the emails, you can encourage impulse sales and boost contact. Think: a limited
time offer, or a holiday sale. It’s easy for recipients to respond to your message when they have a clear
ask and direction. Even better, they can take action wherever they are.
drives organic traffic
When you send emails, you remind your readers to go to your site and read more. People who have signed
up to receive your emails are more engaged with you already, so they are more inclined to like social posts
or forward your emails. The more shares your content has, the organic traffic will come your way.
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7 BENEFITS OF EMAIL MARKETING
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BEST PRACTICES
S E C T I O N O N E
the elements of an effective email
design best practices
scheduling details
how to build an email list
why you should take advantage of email automation
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In this section, we’ll talk about the practices you should follow in your
email marketing, including:
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Making your email stand out in an inbox is both a science and an art. To motivate people to open, read,
and act on your emails, you need to master three email elements: subject lines, content, and calls to
action (CTAs).
subject lines
You have three to four seconds to grab someone’s attention with your subject line. Seriously, that’s it!
That’s how long it takes for someone to decide whether or not they’ll open your email. How you write
your subject line is a major factor in someone clicking open. Here are a few guidelines to help you write
them effectively:
Be informative but brief so your audience can easily scan their inbox.
Communicate something important, valuable or timely to prompt your audience to open the email.
Fifty characters is generally a good rule of thumb to follow for subject line length.
Consider asking questions, indicating a numbered list, and personalizing your subject line.
Try to keep it specific, short and compelling.
Avoid using spam trigger words.
Pro tip: Make sure the subject line supports the email content.
Meaning, if you write a subject line that says, “15 Black Friday Deals You Won’t Believe,” and then in
the email body you ask people to follow your Facebook page to learn more, you will see a sharp drop in
subscribers and engagement. People do not like feeling tricked or bait-and-switched.
bad subject line example
AMAZING DEALS! Don’t Miss Out On This CRAZY Sale $$$!!! What Are You Waiting For? Click Now for
Free Stuff!
good subject line example
Our 10 Best Deals: Huge Savings on All Holiday Overstock
THE ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE EMAIL
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As technology continues to evolve, so should your strategy when writing subject lines. What works one
year might not perform as well next year. Some research says subject line length is important, while
others insist it doesn’t matter. Some say you should avoid spam trigger words, but others say you can
use them cautiously if you already have a good email reputation. These are decisions to be made after
testing, experience, and careful consideration.
It’s good to understand the rules. However, since there’s not always a clear consensus, occasionally
stepping outside the lines may surprise you with a great open rate. Be careful when experimenting. It
can be a tough and slow recovery after your email reputation takes a hit.
content
If you’re not writing content that your audience cares about, you won’t hold their attention. Email
content should be directly tied to the subject line and written in a short, consistent way that makes your
message easy to digest.
Good content should focus on your customers. Find out what problems they have and write about them.
Learn about their habits and hobbies and pair your expertise with content that will strike a chord with
them. Make sure what you write is serving their interests, not your own agenda.
Here are a few content tips:
Share information that’s not specifically about your business, but topically adjacent. For
example, a real estate agent could send emails about home improvement updates that add value to
a home. A loan officer could share resources on preventing identity theft or maintaining good credit.
Maintain a regular cadence of emails. Sending six emails a week will overwhelm your contacts and
will burn you out, too. Sending an email four times a year isn’t enough to stay top of mind either.
Show restraint in your desire to sell or pitch to your email lists. Rather, showcase your expertise
on interesting topics and brand yourself professionally. Your audience should know what you do, but
there’s no need to constantly remind them.
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calls to action (cta)
The emails you send to your customers have two goals: the first is to keep you top of mind with engaging
content, and the second is to help you get more business. Calls to action can be as simple and clear as
“Get a Demo,” “Sign Up” or “Schedule a Call.”
Calls to action are how you will encourage readers to become customers. As you’re writing your content,
always think about what you want your reader to do. Each email should have a goal. For instance, your
email might include the first paragraph or two of a blog post you’ve written, and the CTA is a link that
encourages people to “read the entire article” on your site. If you’re running a contest, your CTA may tell
people to “visit my Facebook page to enter.” Whatever goal you choose, make sure your readers can take
an action to help you achieve it.
Keep in mind that emails are not typically about making an immediate sale, but keeping an open
dialogue with your contacts. At OutboundEngine, our customers’ email newsletters include calls to
action like “Refer a friend,” “Get in touch” and “Share this email” so that those who are ready to call
upon you for your services have an easy way to do so.
We include CTAs in an unobtrusive way by having them blend into the design. It’s important to note that
these CTAs are not the point of each email. They’re an element that is always there so recipients always
know how to get in touch when they’re ready.
When creating your CTA, ask yourself:
What do you want the email recipient to do?
Are you making your call to action clear enough that a person quickly scanning your email will
understand what action they’re supposed to take?
What’s in it for them?
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define strategy
Give your newsletters a purpose by defining your strengths and using them to your advantage.
Make a list of things that you’re an expert in, professionally and personally.
Ask yourself what you want your subscribers to know you for.
Focus on the topics that satisfy both categories above.
build personas
Figure out what characteristics make up your subscriber base and create content for them.
Estimate your subscriber demographics—age, location, interests, annual income.
Make a list of things that get them excited (including posts or newsletters that have been successful
in the past).
Compile a list of your customers’ activities and hobbies.
identify problems
People know you for your profession. Give them a reason to stay in touch with you for your expertise and
advice.
Make a list of questions that you’re asked most often (they may or may not relate directly to your
profession).
From those questions, make a list of answers.
Take their problems and break up the answers into different newsletter ideas.
Organize these ideas in a calendar so you have newsletters for the whole year.
create solutions
Use your expertise and your customers’ problems to create newsletters that hit the sweet spot. In short,
be their go-to resource.
Start answering those questions and problems in your email newsletters.
Make them readable, understandable, actionable and shareable.
assess content
Before sending an email, double-check your template.
Is the email all about you or your business? (It shouldn’t be.)
Does it help solve a problem or entertain your customers?
Is this what you want to be known for?
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5-STEP CHECKLIST TO WRIT ING GOOD CONTENT
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design best practices
Your content may be great, but if the design makes it too difficult for readers to act on the call to action,
no one will respond the way you want them to. Email clients have different requirements than web
browsers, so HTML emails need to be designed and coded according to a variety of standards. Here are
a few best practices to ensure that your campaign looks great for each and every one of your recipients.
make it mobile friendly
There are three strategies for mobile friendly email: scalable, fluid, and responsive designs.
scalable design: Works well on both desktop and mobile without relying on code to make
adjustments. This is usually the easiest strategy to implement. It includes large, touch-screen friendly
calls to action, text that’s readable on all screen sizes and a simple layout that works on all devices
(usually a single column).
fluid design: Uses sizes based on percentages to make tables and images adjust to the viewer’s
screen size. This approach works better for text-heavy emails.
responsive design: Uses CSS media queries to adjust the size of images, text, and buttons. In some
cases, it will show different content depending on whether the viewer is reading on desktop or mobile.
This approach provides the most flexibility but also requires the most technical knowledge.
include a text-only version
Your email service provider should provide the functionality to include a separate text-only version,
which will be automatically sent to recipients who can’t view HTML emails. Also, many email clients will
block images, so if your text is embedded within an image, your recipients may not see the words without
a text-only version. You can also give your recipients the option to see your email in a web browser in
case they can’t or don’t want to view your message in their email client.
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favor a clean, simple design
Single columns help with content hierarchy, or what the reader should look at in what order. It also
works for viewers who may be reading on a smaller screen.
make it functional
Keep your content under 600 pixels, and stick to web-safe fonts. Avoid JavaScript, attachments and
background images.
be specific
Font families, image sizes, table and cell sizes, and colors (and background colors) need to be specified.
make it effective
When you use images, focus on those that are relevant and attractive. Keep your branding front and
center, and make sure your headline–your main point–doesn’t require recipients to have to scroll down
to see it.
test, then test again
Try out your email in as many email clients, browsers and operating systems as possible, including
mobile. This means clicking links and combing for errors many times over. You can also purchase a
subscription to a service such as Litmus that will do much of this work for you.
try a button
Buttons are a great way to highlight important information, particularly calls to action. Use color wisely
so your button and CTA stands out, but doesn’t disrupt the design. Again, keep in mind that since many
email clients block images, if your CTA is only available embedded in an image, your recipients may not
see it. Make sure your CTA is visible to everyone.
It’s hard to overstate how critical mobile is.
The numbers vary, but most stats show about half of all emails are opened on a mobile device. And this
percentage is only expected to grow. Make sure you’re ready for a mobile world as more and more people
will read your messages on their phone.
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SCHEDULING DETAILS:WHEN TO SCHEDULE AND SEND
be consistent
First of all, you need a consistent schedule. This is where you need to be brutally honest with yourself for
the sake of your business’s success. Evaluate your priorities and obligations to determine what you can
reasonably commit to. The optimal frequency to contact your customers is one to four times a month.
You can keep increasing your send frequency as much as you want, but be conscious of your open and
unsubscribe rates. When your engagement starts to decline, it’s time to re-evaluate your approach. You
want to find a balance between keeping people informed and not spamming them.
Whatever frequency you decide, be consistent so your customers know what to expect.
effective send times and days
When should I send my emails? This is one of the most frequently asked questions and also one of the
most debated. Ask ten people what the most effective send times and dates are, and it’s possible to
get ten different answers. Even trusted sources have differing opinions on the topic based on their data
sets:
Yesware says early mornings before 7 a.m. or evenings after 8 p.m. is best, no matter the day of the week.
Kissmetrics says early mornings and weekends, but they point out that those days and times are
also the most likely to get you unsubscribes and bounces.
Experian’s benchmark study says that between 4pm and 8pm. is optimal.
Wordstream thinks that Thursday from 8 to 9am is best.
Hubspot says that Tuesdays at 11am will get the highest response.
Needless to say, there are many answers to this question. If you’re looking for a fairly safe bet, try
Wednesday afternoons around 2pm. Keep in mind that every person, recipient, and email list is unique
depending on their personal and professional schedules. Test various days and times to find what works
best for your audience.
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how to build an email list
Before you can market to someone using email, you have to have a list of contacts. Building an email list
can seem challenging at first, but don’t let the task intimidate you. Once you start, it will become second
nature. Here are a few tips to get you started and to improve your current efforts.
send to people who have opted in
You should send emails only to people who have opted in to receive communication from you. This
means they’ve signed up deliberately and know what they’re agreeing to. We do not recommend buying
lists or using lead generation services due to the CAN-SPAM Act (more on this later).
past and prospective clients
If you already have a contact database, great! That’s your starting point. If not, compile the emails of your
past customers, prospects and anyone else you would regularly communicate with, like friends, family
and professional contacts. Again, make sure they agree to be on your list.
lists, quizzes and surveys
These types of content are popular because they are quick and interactive. There are several ways you
can do this on your own. Create a list of your favorite industry-specific or motivational podcasts and
share it. Send out a survey asking people what kind of content they’d like to see you write about or
questions they want answered. Make sure that you’re giving your audience a genuine incentive just like
you would with other email-gathering options. Don’t snag someone’s email address and then spam them
with sales pitches. That’s just bad marketing.
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your websiteThis is key. Make sure you’re using high-visibility and high-traffic pages to ask people to opt-in for your
emails. Forms should be straightforward so people know what they’re signing up for.
Limit sidebars and avoid long scrolls and other distractions that draw attention away from your form.
Experiment with calls to action to see which increase your conversion rate. Also make sure, no matter
what form you use, that a visitor can still navigate your site easily.
popups
Mentioning popups and popovers is usually met with skepticism and eye rolls, but hear us out! There are
plenty of examples out there showing impressive email list growth results from popups.
The key to popup success is that it has to be something worth interrupting a visitor. For example, a
related piece of content to the page they are on or a special discount on your product.
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maximize your social media
You should have a presence on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, and maybe even other platforms. Keep
in mind that while you might prefer one social network, that doesn’t mean all of your clients share your
preferences. Build profiles on as many platforms as you can keep up-to-date and post often on the ones
where your audience spends the most time. Be sure to advertise yourself by encouraging people to opt-
in to your email marketing campaigns, and tell them what they will gain by doing so.
Add your social media accounts to your email signature and make sure your email address and website
are prominent on all of your social media accounts. This will allow you to maximize your reach with your
customers in as many places as possible.
Pro-tip: Did you know you can easily export contacts from any email and most social media platforms?
Chances are you’ve been building a contact list without even knowing it.
Your LinkedIn connections are a goldmine of email addresses for your database. Even if you have these
contacts in your database already, it’s always a good idea to export updated information in case people
have changed email addresses or jobs. LinkedIn is likely to offer more relevant contacts than other
social media networks because most of those people are connected with you professionally rather than
personally.
go paperless
Use email as your go-to correspondence. Not only is this method efficient and convenient and eco-
friendly but it also puts you in the position of collecting email addresses from the get-go.
embrace the clipboard
Make it a regular practice to have a clipboard or a tablet at networking events, trade shows or in the
waiting area of your office. This tried-and-true method is a great way to encourage people to join your
mailing list. Again, be sure to let them know exactly what they stand to gain, whether you’re offering
market tips, promotional contests, discounts or just a way to stay in touch.
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lean on your family & friends
By including friends and family in your email marketing efforts, you are providing content for them to share
when they think of someone who would benefit from your services or want to brag about their friend’s
business. You will soon see the power of word-of-mouth.
become an internet educator
Don’t underestimate the power of your industry awareness. Host webinars, publish content to LinkedIn,
and hold live Q&As on Facebook or Instagram Live. This is an excellent way to put forth valuable
information, build relationships and, you guessed it, expand your email contact list!
use the power of the ask
Take the time to go through your contacts. If you are missing an email address, call, text, Facebook, and
find it. Let your clients know you’re sending out a newsletter, and explain how it will benefit them.
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When someone uses the phrase “email automation,” this generally refers to sending out relevant emails on
a timeline of your choosing and scheduling them in advance so you don’t have to remember to hit “send.”
Examples include welcome emails that are automatically generated and sent to anyone who signs
up for your newsletter, a thank you email after a business transaction or a renewal reminder. Another
example could include regular newsletters. While you may write and create these newsletters in advance,
automation allows you to schedule and send them whenever you choose.
Email automation builds customer relationships by combining the power of customer data, great content,
and software. It allows you to have continued presence in your clients’ and prospects’ inboxes without
having to do all of the work yourself (or at least being able to schedule it for a time that is more convenient
for you).
When you’ve set up an automated email campaign, you don’t think about when you should send the
next email because you’ve already scheduled it, giving you more time to focus on other aspects of your
business.
WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EMAIL AUTOMATION
E M A I L M A R K E T I N G R O A D M A P
TURNS TO AVOID
S E C T I O N T W O
don’t spam
words, phrases and other things to avoid
why you shouldn’t send email “blasts”
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In Section 1 we covered best practices.
This section tells you what you don’t want to do.
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don’t spam
Spam is junk mail–unsolicited, unwanted and often a scam. That’s why email providers work hard to
keep those annoying emails out of your inbox and undelivered. But as any experienced email marketer
knows, being reported as spam is both worrisome and inevitable.
If you remember only one thing, make it that you should email only people you personally know or who
have opted in to receive your communications. We don’t recommend buying lists; there are laws in place
to protect people from receiving certain types of unsolicited communications.
spam reports
A spam report is when someone reports an email that you sent to them as spam. While many think this
just gets an email moved to the spam folder, it actually has a greater impact than that. Most major email
services will start blocking the IP address sending those emails if they receive more than a handful of
complaints. This has a direct impact on your email deliverability and ability to send any emails, not just
emails to the account that reported you as spam.
can-spam act
This 2003 federal law outlines the rules of commercial emailing. This law sets up the requirements all
email marketers must follow and establishes the consequences for not following the law.
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if you’re sending emails for commercial use, you have to:
Include an unsubscribe method.
Actually unsubscribe someone when they request it, and do so in a timely manner.
Include a physical address.
While not explicitly banned, sending to people who have not opted in is discouraged.
remember two things:
You don’t have to be a spammer to be reported for spamming.
If you send email newsletters long enough, it’s bound to happen eventually.
As long as you’re staying CAN-SPAM compliant and legitimately obtaining email addresses from your
actual customers and not purchased lists, you’ll have no trouble keeping this number low.
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There are common characters, phrases, and practices that will likely trigger spam filters and thus
prevent you from getting into inboxes. Some estimates claim that spam filters may block 10 to 20
percent of emails from your subscribers’ inboxes.
We previously mentioned in the subject lines section that you can experiment cautiously with some of
these words. Research suggests that spam filters may be more aware of context than they have in the
past. Be sure you measure your campaigns so you can adjust future emails if these words negatively
impact your results.
spam filters may be triggered if:
An email uses all caps, extra punctuation (like ?! or !!) or special characters.
There’s not a text-only version available.
There is extra code, such as code pulled from Microsoft Word or codes from other tools like Google
Analytics.
Your recipients have marked you as spam too often. This could work against you with future emails.
There are too many images or one large image with little or no text. There should be a balance
between images and text.
your email will likely go to the spam folder if:
The first eight characters of your email address are digits.
To/from contains: sales@, success@, mail@, profits@, friend@ or public@.
Your email subject line contains: advertisement, $, ! or free.
Your email body text contains: anything to do with money, like cash, free or money back.
WORDS, PHRASES AND OTHER THINGS TO AVOID
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A “blast” is an email that is all about that company, most, if not all, of the time. In other words, a
constant sales pitch. Most customers will tune out this message, assuming they bother to open your
email at all. These will likely get sent to spam as well.
Think of email marketing as a conversation. An email blast is a monologue, not a conversation. You want
to talk with your customers, not at them, and you want to invite feedback. When someone takes the time
to respond to your newsletter, takes action on something you sent, or even unsubscribes, listen to your
customers’ feedback and adjust your marketing accordingly.
WHY YOU SHOULDN’T SEND EMAIL “BLASTS”
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THE NEXT LEG
S E C T I O N T H R E E
how to build relationships using email marketing
how to use email to increase customer retention
how to use email for referrals
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In this final section, we talk about building relationships, referrals and
improving your bottom line.
DESTINATION - 10 MILES
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There are many email marketing strategies, whether your audience is consumers or other businesses. At
OutboundEngine, we focus on B2C, and we advocate a strategy of helping, not selling, to your customers.
Many of our clients work in industries with long sales cycles, or seasonal cycles, such as real estate
agents and whale watching tours, respectively. Bombarding your clients with messages about buying new
homes or traveling to the coast—especially if they’ve recently completed these actions with you—becomes
annoying, repetitive, and could trigger unsubscribes.
In industries with these unique sales cycles, the majority of your clients aren’t likely to be in the market
for your services at any given time, so using email marketing to keep in touch and help them until they’re
ready to do business again is a smart move. You build trust with them by providing helpful information.
For instance, a real estate agent might send an email about conducting a home energy audit to save on
utilities. A tour guide company could share information on the most affordable months to travel.
Similarly, if your sales cycle falls in neither of these categories, but you have steep competition, such as a
hairstylist or a massage therapist, these emails can set you apart from the competition between visits.
This approach keeps your name and business in front of clients in a non-obtrusive way. And when that
person is ready to do business again or their friend is asking for a referral, your name is top of mind.
here are a few tips for nurturing relationships with email:
make it personal: With email marketing, personalization is extremely helpful. This can include
personalized salutations or specific client information within the body. It’s also important to make sure
the message applies to the client’s situation. For instance, don’t send a renewal notice to a customer
who just renewed their service.
communicate with them, not at them: Even if you’re sending an email to a large audience, it can
be written like you’re talking to a single person. Use a conversational tone in your writing. Customers
want to feel like you’re talking with them instead of pitching to them.
HOW TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS USING EMAIL MARKETING
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be welcoming: You wouldn’t simply walk up to someone and ask them for business without saying
hello. Make your emails inviting. If you treat your customers like they’re just another name on an email
list, then the emails you send will be received as such.
keep it brief: Why send a lengthy newsletter when a few paragraphs and sentences will do? There will
be some emails that are longer than others, but make sure the length is appropriate to the message. If
they’re longer, make it easy for readers to find what they want and get to the point.
provide value: When someone signs up to get your emails, they want you to communicate something
of value. Make the email worth their time. You already know your customers, and you should know their
interests and needs. Your emails should reflect this rather than being simply self-promotional.
be consistent, not annoying: Finding the right cadence for your emails is definitely important. You
want to keep your brand in front of your audience. Just don’t overdo it and cross from consistent into
annoying.
The whole idea behind building relationships through email is that the payoff doesn’t have to be right
then and there. Sending an email doesn’t necessarily result in instant business. And that’s fine! These
effective communication practices help you build these relationships over time, increasing loyalty and
nurturing prospects to become even more valuable over time. More importantly, they’ll become voluntary
marketers, singing your praises and recommending you to others.
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Your clients are your most valuable assets, but many business owners do a poor job of customer
retention, specifically through email marketing. They rely too much on the phone to ring or focus on one
event or strategy—like a holiday card—to keep those relationships alive. That’s where email marketing
can help.
here are three ways that email marketing can improve customer retention:
keeping you top of mind: Regular emails are key to maintaining your name and brand recognition
with clients. The next time a customer is looking to do business, you don’t want them struggling
to remember your name or trying to remember where they put your card and then turning to the
competition.
maintaining a conversation, year round: Email marketing that’s timely and relevant to seasonal
trends can be an ideal friendly check-in. Maybe it’s summer and you create a checklist for planning a
road trip or put together a quick guide on the best wine bars in your area. As long as it’s helpful and not
all about you, you’re good to go! The more you can converse with your client base instead of marketing to
them, the more they’re going to appreciate hearing from you.
put a friendly face on your business: Whether you’re a dog groomer, lawyer, or plumber, it may be
some time before your client needs to contact you again. In the meantime, doesn’t it make sense to be
a professional, trusted resource to your clients? Think of it as a way to make your customers continually
happy to have done business with you.
HOW TO USE EMAIL TO INCREASE CUSTOMER RETENTION
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Email marketing is often underused for referrals. While you might be spending marketing dollars buying
new lead lists, sending out direct mail pieces, or even handing out branded products at local events,
you’re also sitting on a treasure trove of referral gold: your existing customers.
Email is a direct line of communication to your existing customers and potential prospects. Not everyone
is looking to buy from you right this instant, but when they are, whoever is top of mind is most likely
going to get a phone call. That’s why email is so powerful. Stay in front of the people who will send you
referrals in a good way (not through annoying spam) and they’ll help your business grow.
We advocate the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of the time, provide helpful information to build trust. With the
other 20 percent, ask for referrals or another action that benefits you. One way to do that is running a
referral contest.
Don’t abuse this option, but definitely reward customers who send you referrals. You could offer
something small like a $20 gift card for every referral sent your way. Or you could turn it into a contest.
Buy something everyone wants, like an Apple Watch or a new smart speaker. Run a referral email contest
one to four times a year and every referral someone sends you earns them an entry into the drawing.
RUN A REFERRAL CONTEST:
Don’t abuse this option, but definitely reward customers who send you referrals. You could offer
something small like a $20 gift card for every referral sent your way. Or you could turn it into a contest.
Buy something everyone wants, like an Apple Watch or a new smartphone. Run a referral email contest
one to four times a year and every referral someone sends you earns them an entry into the drawing.
HOW TO USE EMAILFOR REFERRALS
Email marketing is an extremely useful, efficient and low-cost tool to help you promote
your business. By helping and not selling to your customers, you become a trusted
resource. Eventually, you can call on this trust to occasionally ask for something that
helps your business, like referrals. You will also maintain brand awareness and likely
increase customer retention.
98 San Jacinto Blvd, Suite 1300 | Austin, TX 78701 [email protected] | www.outboundengine.com
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