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How email marketing can turn subscribers into customers

I'm at my laptop typing, creating content to turn subscribers into customers.

Getting people to sign up to your email list gives you a whole load more control over what your audience sees. It’s true that your emails may end up in someone’s unopened backlog. However, they’re much more likely to see your content than if you rely on social media, so your email marketing can turn subscribers into customers.

The question is, what do you do with your subscribers once they’ve signed up? Read on to find out. (If you’d like to learn more about how to persuade them to subscribe in the first place, read this)

Create a nurture sequence

“What’s a nurture sequence?” I hear you cry. It’s the email equivalent of introducing yourself, welcoming someone into your business and showing them around. You can tailor what you offer them based on what they’re interested in (more on that in a minute), but your aim is to send around five emails to let them know what to expect from you and your business and give them an overview of your services.

Offer a low-cost product

Fear is one of the most common obstacles that prevents anyone from buying from a business for the first time. They don’t want to waste money on something that doesn’t deliver (literally or metaphorically). Offering a low-cost product to a new subscriber helps because they only take a small risk. Depending on your business, you could choose something digital or a small physical product.

Make an offer

Emailing your list can achieve several different goals. Your emails help people get to know you, let you share valuable tips and tell your subscribers how they can work with you. Don’t be afraid to share your services and tell readers how they can book an appointment or buy your newest product. You can also offer them something special…

Make them feel special

Feeling like you’re part of a community can be really special. Your emails can offer that to your subscribers, making them more likely to buy and keep that feeling going. You can make your readers feel special by offering something just for them. That could be a discount, early access to new products or subscriber-only content and events.

Involve them in your process behind the scenes

Showing your customers what’s happening behind the scenes helps them get excited about new products or understand more about your services. Case studies work well for service-based businesses or share images to show what you’re working on. Sharing with your subscribers first gives them that sense of exclusivity and lets you preview subscriber-only deals, but you can also do this on social media.

Include valuable content

It’s important to talk about what you’re selling in your emails, but your subscribers will get fed up if that’s all you do. Share content that helps them learn about what you do and DIY if they need to. Sharing a couple of blog links in your nurture sequence gives new readers quick insights and helps them get more out of your lead magnet.

Tell a story

Telling a story in your marketing helps your audience relate to you as a human being and not just a business owner. It can show them that you understand what they need or how your lives are similar. There are loads of ways to do this, but remember that it’s OK to talk about your life and experiences using your own voice.

Personalise your emails

Your email software should allow you to include someone’s name when you email them. Personalisation can go further than that with the right tools. You can segment your list and contact people interested in specific topics. It’s much easier to turn subscribers into customers when you’re only sending people information about services they’re interested in.

Don’t be shy

If you’ve ever held back from emailing your list because you don’t want to bother them, stop. They signed up to hear from you. If they change their minds, they can unsubscribe, but if they don’t know what you’re offering, they can’t buy.

If you want to write content that will turn subscribers into customers, I can help.  I’ll write blogs, posts and emails to engage your audience and encourage them to buy. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.

Do you want useful hints and tips that help you write engaging marketing content, straight to your inbox? Sign up using the form below. I don’t do spam and I’ll never share your information with anyone else.

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Lead magnet ideas to help you attract new customers

How my desk looks when I'm coming up with lead magnet ideas

A good lead magnet can help you attract new customers and subscribers to your email list. The question is, what does a good lead magnet look like? One of the essential elements is to make sure it will only be useful for people who could actually become customers. Beyond that, your lead magnet can be tailored to your business and what works best for your audience. Read on for a few ideas.

Quick and actionable tips

Your lead magnet can help to establish you as an expert, which is particularly important when you offer a service. Offering an eBook, video or webinar that helps people make quick progress (like my free eBook) gives them a taster of the results they could get by working with you. Don’t solve the whole problem; show your subscribers how they could get better results with less effort by becoming customers.

Checklists and templates

A checklist or template might sound too simple to be a good lead magnet, but it can offer your audience real value. A template can give them a structure for anything from a blog post to their CV. Checklists can help someone to plan their wedding, pack for a holiday or sort their legal documents. Having something to refer to so they know they’re on the right track reduces their stress and helps them trust you.

Free samples or trials

Offering either a free trial of a service or a sample of a product lets potential customers try before they buy. It allows them to test your product’s quality and experience your service. A free sample won’t let them see long-term results. However, it will tell them if your skincare gives them spots or if they find your software easy to use.

Discount codes

Discount codes are a great lead magnet option if you can’t offer your audience a free trial or sample, as they can encourage people to take a chance. However, if you choose this option, you’ll need to look at it carefully and consider the potential financial impact on your business. How much of a hit can your profits afford to take as a marketing expense? Will some people only buy if there’s a discount?

Reports

A report may seem like a strange option for a lead magnet, but it can be great for B2B services or products with a lot of technical data. You don’t even have to do your own research for this (although you could). Instead, gather statistics or case studies showing your service’s benefits or how much your customers could save to help them understand what they’re buying.

Quizzes and calculators

You might think that a quiz is a fun procrastination tool that’ll let you test how many 80s songs you remember or tell you which ‘Stranger Things’ character you are. However, if you offer a range of products or services, they can help your customers to understand which one is right for them. Another option is providing a calculator that lets customers enter their details and analyse costs. I’ve seen these used for high-cost investments like insurance or software subscriptions.

Ask participants to enter their email address at the end, and you can send them their results and tailor your follow-up emails to suit their results.

Do you want to grab your audience’s attention with a great lead magnet? I can help with that. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.

You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.

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What are lead magnets, and how do they help you grow your business?

Lead magnets word cloud

Building a relationship with your audience means encouraging them to take a step closer to buying from you. How can you do that? With a lead magnet. Read on to learn more about lead magnets and what they can do for your business.

What are lead magnets?

As the name suggests, lead magnets are a way to attract your ideal customers to your business. Your content marketing helps your audience get to know you and what you do. A lead magnet takes it a step further by persuading people to give you their email addresses in exchange for something they want. That means you aren’t at the mercy of a social media algorithm anymore; you can talk to your customer via their inbox.

Keeping you at the front of your customer’s mind

You might think email marketing has had its day, but it hasn’t. If you send marketing emails regularly, you’ll stay at the front of your customers’ minds by reminding them what you do. Then when they’re ready to buy, they’ll remember you. If you get to know your customers, you could even tailor your emails to arrive when they’re thinking about that very thing. Your lead magnet could do the same job if it’s something your customer looks at or refers to regularly.

Offer your audience something useful

One of the most important things about good lead magnets is that they offer your audience something valuable. This helps your business in two different ways. Firstly, it allows you to qualify your leads. If your lead magnet is specific enough, it’ll only appeal to people who might eventually buy from you. Secondly, it helps your audience to understand how you can help them by offering them a sneak preview of the results they could get if they worked with you or bought your product.

Encourage people to try your product

If you have a product-based business, your lead magnet could be a free or low-cost sample. Your potential customers might hesitate because they’re reluctant to spend money and take a risk. By offering them something free or asking them to pay a small amount on P&P, you encourage them to take a chance.

This approach doesn’t just apply to physical products. Many software services offer a free trial so that you can try it out for yourself.

Lead magnets help you share information

If you have a service-based business, you can’t necessarily send someone a free sample of your service. I could write you an opening paragraph for your blog, but it wouldn’t get you very far. So instead, you can create lead magnets with hints and tips that help your audience to take a DIY approach. Helping your audience with your lead magnets shows them your expertise and builds trust. Then, when they’re ready to work with someone, they’ll remember you and how you helped them.

You can also follow up on your lead magnet with emails that teach them more about your services and how you work.

Do you want to grab your audience’s attention with a great lead magnet? I can help with that. If you’d like a chat to find out how it works, you can book a call here.

You can also sign up to receive monthly emails packed with useful content writing and marketing tips using the form below.

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Why you still need to write marketing content

Image shows a woman with black fingernails and a 'be happy' mug using a pen to write marketing content in her notebook.

When it comes to marketing, video is everything, right? You might be getting amazing results on TikTok and Instagram is showing Reels to more people than static images. Why would you need written content when you can put everything you want to say into a video? It won’t surprise you to hear that I think you still need to write marketing content. Here’s why.

Social media doesn’t belong to you

Social media platforms are amazing marketing tools and definitely need to be part of your strategy. The trouble is, I’ve seen too many people who only use social media and find themselves with a massive hole in their marketing because they get hacked or banned.

When you have an email list or website, you’re in control because it belongs to you. You can use video but you’ll get better results by using good writing as well.

Sometimes you need more depth

Social media videos need to be short and snappy to hold people’s attention. They can still help you to build a relationship with your audience, but what about the times when they need more than that?

Sometimes you need to write a long post to go in-depth on a subject to help your audience understand what you offer or how you help them. That’ll work better on your website, not just because there won’t be room in a social media caption, but because your audience will be more willing to read.

Your audience might just like reading

Believe it or not, some people prefer to get their information by reading. They might avoid videos because they find the sound intrusive or want to absorb something at their own pace.

There’s also the fact that you can’t skim-read a video. If your audience is looking for a quick answer to a question they can probably find it in a couple of minutes by skimming a blog post. Your one-minute Reel might give them what they need but they’re less likely to search on social media in the first place. By using a mixture of content types you can talk to a wider range of people.

Written content is good for SEO

If you want to rank highly in a Google search, you need words. Google’s search bots can’t scan videos and rely on your written content to decide where your site should rank. Even YouTube likes a reasonably long description to help your video rank.

Having a wide variety of keywords on different platforms will help your content rank more highly so your ideal customers have a better chance of finding you in a search and other content creators are more likely to link to your site.

Writing can help you to make sales

If you have a low-cost product that your customers will buy on a whim, a short video will probably get you some sales. You’ll get even more if you’ve already built a relationship with your audience so they know they can trust you and they’ll get something good for their money.

That starts to change if your product or service costs more. People are less likely to take a chance so you need to make sure they’ve got all the information they need. When you write that down you help them to refer back, check details and then decide. There’s also a chance that they’ll take written content more seriously than a video.

Don’t have the time or the inclination to write your own content? If you want some help writing in a way that speaks your customers’ language, let’s have a chat.

Alternatively, if you’d like to get blogging and content writing hints and tips straight to your inbox every month, subscribe using the form below. I’m a vegetarian so I hate spam and you can unsubscribe any time you like.

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6 tips to make planning your Christmas marketing a breeze

Christmas marketing - the adventure begins!
Photo by Simon Migaj from Pexels

Your Christmas marketing could be all about gifts, but it can also give you the chance to show your customers what you’re about and to have some fun. You can find some ideas for things to talk about in your Christmas marketing here. When it comes to sharing them there’s more to it than social media…

Email your Christmas marketing

You might think that email marketing went out with the dinosaurs, but it’s alive and well, with 99% of email users checking their inbox every day and businesses in the UK reporting an income of £42 for every pound they spend on email marketing. The key is to be helpful, entertaining, or both. Give your subscribers easy-to-buy gift options, helpful tips, discounts or something that will cheer them up.

Gift guides

Gift guides are a brilliant marketing tool because you can use them as a lead magnet to encourage new sign-ups to your email list and send them out to your subscribers.

When you use them in your Christmas marketing you can split your products into different categories and highlight the best gift ideas. Write a short and catchy description of each product, put them into a PDF with a gorgeous image and you’re ready to go.

Put a gift page on your website

Adding a new page on your website might sound like a lot of work, but it really isn’t. It’s just another way of sharing the information you put into your gift guide. That way, if someone doesn’t follow you on social media but finds your website on Google, they can still buy from you. Just make it easy for them to search by category or price so visitors can find exactly what they want.

Social media posts that show behind the scenes

You can help your customers get to know you by showing them what’s happening behind the scenes. If you’re celebrating Christmas jumper day or are supporting a charity, let your audience know. Talk about what Christmas means to you or share a festive joke. You can build engagement by asking your customers to share a picture of their tree or what their favourite Christmas film is. You can get more ideas from this book.

Run a competition

I don’t mean something that everyone and their dog would enter, like ‘win a bottle of fizz’ (unless you’re a wine merchant, then it’s ideal). Offer something that your ideal customer would value. You can use it to attract new email subscribers or social media followers and it’ll help you to create lots of posts as you can talk about the prize itself, the build-up to the prize draw then go live to choose the winner.

Don’t forget about print

When you were a kid, did you ever go through the Argos catalogue circling the stuff you’d love to find in your Christmas stocking? Print works because it cuts through the social media noise. Your customers can keep a gift guide on the kitchen table or pin a leaflet to their noticeboard. You can hand them out at Christmas fairs or put them in the post.

Send your customers a Christmas card and you’ll give them warm and fuzzy feelings and remind them that you’re here when they need you.

Do you need some new ideas for your Christmas marketing? Would you rather just hand it over and get on with running your business? I can help with that. Book a call here and let’s have a chat. You can also get ideas for Christmas posts from 1st December to Christmas Eve by snaffling a copy of my book here.

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How you can use your blog in your email marketing

A woman being happy because she's using her blog in her email marketing.
Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels

When you’ve gone to the effort of writing a blog, I’m willing to bet that you don’t want it to just sit there on your website. You want it to be out in the world, being read by your ideal customers. At least, I hope you do. If you’re just writing for fun and a creative outlet, I salute you, but this blog isn’t really for you. (If you haven’t started a blog because you don’t know where to start, read this.) If you’ve spent time on writing a brilliant blog post and are wondering what else you can do with it, I have two words for you. Email marketing. It’s a wonderful thing to send to your list if you have one. Your blog can also help you to build a list if you need to. Here are my top 5 tips to get you started.

Create a calendar

A content calendar helps you to get organised. It also makes your marketing more coherent overall. When you choose a focus for each month you can plan all your blogs, emails and social media posts around that one topic. It makes things easier for you because you can repurpose your content by sharing your blog in your emails and breaking it down for social media posts. It also makes things clearer for your customers.

Use your blog in your email marketing

Have you ever stopped sending emails to your list because something had to give? We’ve all been there. It’s more likely to happen if you’re creating fresh content for every marketing channel. If you use your blog as a central part of your emails, you make everything quicker and easier. Then all you need to do is top and tail the email with a bit of news and your latest offers and you’ve saved yourself loads of time.

Add a sign-up form

If you don’t have an email marketing list, or you want to attract more subscribers, add a sign-up form to the bottom of your posts. (I have a widget from Thrive Themes that does mine.) It’s the perfect way to attract the right audience because people only sign up if they’re interested in what you have to say. It’s a good idea to offer people something useful as a thank you for signing up. Which brings me to…

Use older blogs as lead magnets

Firstly, a note of caution. GDPR includes rules about offering freebies to new subscribers. Please make sure you’re up to speed before you follow this tip. If you’ve already written a whole load of useful blogs, you can repurpose them to send out to your subscribers. Tips posts are particularly good if they have advice readers can put into action straight away. Just format the post as a PDF with images and you’re ready to go.

Blog series = email marketing sequence

If you’re new to blogging this is a good one to bear in mind for the future. A blog series works well for topics that are too big to cover in one post. For example, I wrote a series on how to start writing a blog. You can read it on my website or get it straight to your inbox. (Just complete the form below – see what I did there?!) What topics could you write a series about?

Are you ready to start writing a blog that you can use throughout your marketing? I can help with that. Click here to book a chat with me and find out more about your options. Or sign up to receive my series on how to start your business blog using the form below.

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How storytelling can make your email marketing better

Typewriter showing that stories matter in your email marketing.
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

Once upon time, there was a brave warrior princess who decided to start a business. She told lots of stories in her email marketing so her customers would love her and her business was a great success. The end.

Don’t worry, I haven’t lost the plot. I’m just telling you a story. What sprang to mind when you read ‘once upon a time’? Did it feel familiar and maybe a bit comforting? That’s what stories do. They don’t all have to start like a fairytale though. Telling a story is a really effective way to market your business, especially when you use it in your email marketing. Here’s why it works and how you can use it for yourself.

Why storytelling works

When a story comes in a format you recognise it feels comforting. You know what to expect and feel as if you’re in safe hands. A story doesn’t have to be a fairytale. It could sound like a chat you’d have with a friend. The point is, it doesn’t feel as if you’re being sold something. You’re just listening to someone else’s experience. When you use this in your marketing, it builds trust and helps you to connect with your audience. Simple.

When to use it in your email marketing

Storytelling works particularly well in email marketing. You’ve come straight to your reader’s inbox and now you’re going to share a story with them. There are, as you might expect, a few different ways to do this. You could tell one long story and relate it to your business at the end, or you could drop in snippets of story here and there. Here are a few ways that you can start using storytelling in your email marketing.

Nurture sequences

Nurture sequences are those emails that you send to new subscribers. They let new people know what to expect. It’s also your opportunity to introduce yourself. You can use a sequence to show your subscribers who you are and how you help. Let them see the person behind the business and you’ll build trust. You can also share useful stuff, like links to your best blog posts and handy tips.

Case studies

You might not think of a case study as a story, but it is. It starts out with someone facing a challenge, looking for a solution and ending up in a better place than they were before. It’s the real-life equivalent of a hero going on a quest. The only differences are that there aren’t any dragons and the princess saves herself. Case studies are also brilliant because they show your audience that you know what you’re doing and have got results for other people.

Email marketing introductions

If nurture sequences and case studies sound a bit long winded, don’t panic. There are simpler ways to use storytelling in your emails. You can start with your opening paragraph. That bit where you say hello before you share your latest blog post and current offers. You might decide to share your latest business news, but you can also tell a personal story. I work with lots of business owning mums so will often talk about the school holidays or something funny my kids have said. It’s a small thing that reminds my readers that we’re all dealing with the same stuff.

Do you want to start using storytelling in your marketing? I can help with that. Click here to book a chat with me and find out more about your options.

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Is it ever OK to use jargon in your marketing?

Frustrated by too much jargon.
Photo by Yan from Pexels

When it comes to marketing, I’m a big fan of keeping things simple. Let people know that you understand the problem they’re experiencing and show them how you can help. Of course, there are loads of different ways to do that. That doesn’t just apply to the hundreds of platforms you could choose to share your message. It also applies to the language you use. Every business has its own jargon, no matter what industry you’re in. The real question is, how much of that jargon should you share with your customers? When you use insider language you run the risk of driving potential buyers away, simply because they don’t understand what you’re on about. Here are just a few things to think about when it comes to using jargon in your marketing.

Is it really jargon?

Firstly, let me be clear about what I mean by jargon. For me, it can be two different things. Firstly, there are technical terms that a specialist in your field would use. It could refer to a stitch you use when you’re creating something out of fabric or a silversmithing tool that’s designed to complete a gorgeous piece of jewellery. It could also be shorthand for a legal or accounting rule.

The second kind of jargon is the type that we all hear more often. They’re the kind of buzzwords that we feel we should probably understand but don’t. We might have a vague idea but not a detailed one. Some people love them, others find them annoying. If you follow me on social media, I share one of these every month to see what people think of it – I’d love you to join in if you’d like to.

Who are your audience?

There is one kind of audience where using jargon is not only fine but downright useful. That’s when the people you’re talking to are in exactly the same business as you. This can also extend to well-informed amateurs too, particularly if you’re talking about cake making or selling craft supplies. When I was a lawyer, having a shared language meant that you could get straight to the issues in a case because you both understood the rules. I didn’t fully appreciate how useful this was until I encountered lay people who were representing themselves. Everything took three times longer.

If that doesn’t apply, consider whether your audience will understand the terms you’re using. Get too technical and they may feel you’re blinding them with science. That only serves to make you less relatable. Use too many irritating buzzwords and they might feel you’re downright untrustworthy.

We’ve all had enough of buzzwords

Buzzword bingo can be an entertaining way to get through a dull meeting, but I generally feel as if we’ve all had a bellyful of them this year. There seems to be a new one every week. I shared my least favourite Coronavirus buzzword a while back (unprecedented, in case you’re interested) and asked people to share theirs. There were loads and every share made me groan. There weren’t just buzzwords but whole phrases that would once have seemed caring but now just make people want to vomit.

It’s made me question every single ‘I hope you’re well’ and come up with new alternatives to ‘in these strange times’. If I’m honest, I haven’t found one I’m completely happy with. It’s become even more important to use straightforward language that helps us to be understood.

If you need no-nonsense marketing copy that speaks your customers’ language, get in touch! Or sign up to my mailing list for handy hints and tips straight to your inbox every month.

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Are you winning at email marketing?

Woman with a cup of coffee checking her email marketing on a laptop.

Email marketing is officially still alive (and if you don’t believe me, read this). But how do you get it right? There are (of course) lots of different approaches you could take. Some of my favourite emails are written like letters, giving you an insight into the writer’s life. They always make a point but there’s usually a personal story behind the advice. Others have a mixture of behind the scenes insight and advice. As with any other kind of content, the most important thing is to offer something useful that fits with your brand and that your audience will enjoy. There are also a few best practice rules that you should pay attention to. Here are just a few.

Be helpful

Before you send any email marketing, ask yourself why you’re sending it. Yes, I know you want to sell stuff but that shouldn’t be your only focus. People are much more likely to buy from you if they know you want to help them rather than just rake in the cash. So, you could explain why a particular service might help them, or talk about ways to do it themselves. You could talk about practical steps to take – I’ve seen some great ones from accountants covering the Covid-19 financial support. I always view it as offering my services but enabling people to do it themselves if they need to.

Show behind the scenes

There are some emails that don’t feel like email marketing. It’s more like an update about what’s happening in their life before mentioning something you might want to buy at the end. Laura Belgray (aka Talking Shrimp) is great at this. Of course, that might not suit your style. I show glimpses of my life but don’t talk about every detail. Showing your customers what goes on behind the scenes doesn’t have to involve sharing personal details. You could tell them what events you’ve been to or where they can meet you in person. That said, the more they see you as a human being, the more likely they are to trust you.

Create a good subject line

A good subject line can mean your email gets opened rather than deleted. Just like good headlines, a good subject line should be relevant to the subject and have good emotional resonance. Even the most conservative audience will respond to it. It can also be a good idea to personalise your subject line using the recipient’s name. I’m hearing some suggestions that using emojis in your subject line can increase open rates. I think this probably depends on your audience and their views on emojis generally. I like them but not everyone does.

Whatever approach you take at first, it isn’t set in stone. Experiment and change things to see what works for you.

Get the basics right

Good design is important but doesn’t have to be complicated. Have you ever been put off reading an email because the design was so fussy it made it hard to read? Kind of defeats the point. Keep your design simple but with some appealing images – basically the same approach you’d take to the rest of your marketing. Most email marketing platforms allow you to check how your email looks on mobiles. A lot of people will read on their phones so check it doesn’t get scrambled.

Also, one final note. Pay attention to GDPR. There is loads of guidance out there, especially from the ICO, so make sure you follow it.

Further reading

Test your headlines for emotional resonance with the Advanced Marketing Institute’s headline analyser.

Power words to use in your subject lines.

If you’d like to receive fabulous marketing tips straight to your inbox, including hints on email marketing, blogging and much more, you can subscribe using the form below. You’ll also receive a copy of my free guide helping you to get your business seen online.

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Is email marketing dead?

Email marketing with an image of a blank laptop and coffee.

How many emails are currently sitting in your inbox, unopened or otherwise ignored? We subscribe to so many different things, ticking the box to accept email marketing because we like the look of a free download or a special offer. Then the emails start to land… The thing is, if we feel like this as business owners, why on earth would we bother with email marketing ourselves? Who on earth is actually reading? If you’re tempted to give up writing your email newsletter (or just not bother starting) here’s why you might want to change your mind.

The right people are still reading

There are techniques you can use to encourage people to open your emails (more on that later) and to keep them reading once they’ve opened. The key is to be helpful. Email is a great marketing tool but it shouldn’t just be about marketing. You can share knowledge and advice that will be useful to your customers in the same way as you do in your blog. The people who like what you’re saying will keep reading even if they don’t buy straight away. They might be keeping in touch, knowing that they want to work with you when the conditions are right for them. Or they could just be waiting for the right offer to come along.

The numbers are on your side

This helpful post from Optinmonster gives some great, detailed statistics around email use in the US. As depressing as it may be at this point, we tend to follow them pretty closely (plus I couldn’t find any UK-specific stats – sorry about that.) More than 90% of people have email (even my Mum and she resisted for years). Mobile apps give us the opportunity to check our emails even more frequently. Even teenagers are still using email despite having access to multiple messaging platforms. Email even outperforms social media for engagement. Generally speaking, as long as you don’t go into spam you’re pretty much guaranteed to be seen via email. How often can you say that about Facebook?

You’re in control of your list

There will be a few subscribers who never open your emails but don’t unsubscribe. What do you do about them? That’s where list cleaning comes in. If people aren’t reading, they aren’t helping you. Removing inactive subscribers means you’ll only be emailing people who are interested in you. Your open rates will improve and that reduces your chances of ending up in the spam folder.

Your email marketing platform statistics will tell you who’s opening and who isn’t. If anyone hasn’t opened an email in the last 60 days, get rid of them. You might want to give them a final chance, say by sending a final email letting them know you’re going to remove them unless they choose to stay. Chances are they won’t read that one either.

Getting email marketing right

The beauty of being a small business owner is that you can make decisions quickly. If something in your email marketing isn’t working you don’t have to consult with a committee to try something new. Maybe you started out with a sign up form inviting people to subscribe to receive exclusive offers or tips. If that approach didn’t work, or just ran out of steam, try something else. Perhaps you need a new offer to tempt people in, a free download or a tutorial video. Ask your existing subscribers what they would find useful, or talk to your network. That enables you to create freebies that will tempt people in and to write emails that help your audience.

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