I heard my colleague saying, “I don’t have a clue why this mailer was sent to me, I didn’t even subscribe to it.” Often we open an email and instantly close it. Why do we do it? Isn’t it such a waste of time to open emails that are totally irrelevant to you? Online marketers should have an email marketing strategy that considers the subscriber’s interests. Customer centric marketing is at the crux of all marketing efforts.
According to a study conducted by McKinsey, emails are 40 times more effective at getting new customers as compared to social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter. But, ironically 21% email recipients report an email as Spam though they know it is not.
But, email marketers should hunt for ways to trigger curiosity in the minds of the customer so that they are interested in reading the mailer. Let us see how you can create these emails to trigger and maintain interest. First and foremost, you have to understand why subscribers close marketing emails.
1. Nothing worthwhile:
Great emails are those which add value to your audience’s life. Make sure the piece of information that you share benefits the readers. Each mailer that you send should have something in it for them. If you are sharing information about your industry or a product offer it should better your customers’ life and make things easier for them. Otherwise your email will surely land in the thrash and your email marketing efforts will not deliver the expected results.
Suppose you are sending an email to your customers about a discount offer, along with it suggest some useful products that they can buy with the amount they have saved after availing to the offer.
2. So many calls to action:
Imagine if you receive an email that says,
Here are some amazing offers on jewellery, purses, footwear and other accessories. Find the following offers on our website:
“40% discount on footwear
30% discount on jewellery
40% discount on purses
Explore more on our website.
Also, leave your comments/reviews about our products.
Visit our website now.“
Here you see that the entire content has multiple calls to action. You can confuse the customer by pushing too hard and by giving him many options to visit your website. But, instead keep it simple and have one tab that connects the customer to your website. Most customers love simple content with not too many calls to action.
3. It’s troublesome to read through the email:
Many emails are not readable. Important information should pop out of the crowd of words and stand out. When the email doesn’t have highlights, italics, bullet points or different fonts, readers miss vital points like key offers, product features, benefits, etc.
If your email is neither easy to read nor scannable then customers have to search through the information. They find it troublesome and just close the email instead of taking efforts.
4. Errors in the email:
Typo errors are dicey; they might be common while you write/type. Thanks to technology you can correct them immediately. It isn’t like print. But, once you’ve sent an email there is no turning back. If the subscribers see a glaring spelling error it turns them off. It’s surely unprofessional. Many a times people click on an image or link and it doesn’t work. It immediately turns off the customers & it frustrates them.
5. Building relationships is difficult:
Most emails are sent to customers with the aim of promoting their products/services. They speak about discount offers, coupons or new launches. But, an email sent to your customer’s inbox is a road to building relationship. Why not say something interesting about trends in your business and how you are carving a niche in the market.
Ask your customers what products they would want on your website? Listen to your customer’s voice and build engagement. Email is an invitation to connect and build a strong bond with your customer.
6. Lack of visual appeal:
The first thing that strikes a customer upon seeing an email is the visual appeal. When content is supported with relevant and attractive images, it is most likely that the customer will go through it.
Marketer Jeff Bullas says that content that is presented with relevant images get 94% more views as compared to content without relevant images. Researchers have found that visually colourful and appealing images increase willingness to read content by 80%.
Let’s accept there are too many emails in everyone’s inbox to read. So to grab attention is a tough task. The success mantra for every online marketer is to focus on customer centric marketing. Juvlon is here to suggest you on various aspects of email marketing as we have a talented team behind each strategy.