An email inbox is a private space. In my personal inbox right now, I have a conversation with a friend about weekend plans, an Amazon shipping notification for my daughter’s birthday present, a communication with my accountant, and a weekly update from my favorite blog. These are all valuable communications to me, and some contain sensitive details like credit card information.
If you are a marketer, and I give you my email address, I am inviting you into this private space. Your marketing email will be nestled in among these other important emails. And so, your email must be interesting and relevant to me, or I’ll just hit delete, (or worse – the dreaded unsubscribe).
Here are four ways to make sure your marketing email belongs in my inbox:
Your Email Needs A Purpose
Have a reason to send your email, and not just because you always send a weekly email. Although we send our Post-O-Grams every other week, we have a carefully curated list of content, and only send emails that we think readers will find useful and interesting.
Talk To Me Like You Know Me
You have tons of data – use it! At the very least, you can easily personalize your email (“Dear Sally…”). Better yet, segment your content and allow subscribers to choose which information they receive. For example, some subscribers want to receive every communication from you, while others are interested in discounts, special events, news, etc.
Your Email Must Look Good On Mobile
At least 50 percent of your subscribers will read your email on their phone. Make sure your email looks good and is easy to interact with on mobile. If it’s not, subscribers will quickly move on.
Make Your Email Easy To Skim
Yes, you labor over every word in your email. But let’s be real – your readers are skimming the content. Make your email easy to digest by putting the most important information at the top, and break up the copy so readers can get the message just by skimming.
Remember, it is a privilege to be in someone’s inbox. Be sure you aren’t just sending out junk.
Looking for more ways to improve your email game? Really Good Emails is one of our favorite resources.
