Small things can make a big difference. Here are a few tips that are quick and painless to implement:
Be Personal
No one wants to be seen as a nameless dollar sign. Get information, like your customer’s name to add it to the emails you send them. One of the reasons people shop locally is to feel that they’re a part of a community. Extend the warm fuzzies in the messages you send
“Emails with personalized information get opened 137% more than non-personalized emails.”
Marketing Sherpa
Talk to them
Get a conversation started. End your email with a question, an action or an appointment. Give them a reason to interact with you.
“Gmail, like many major mailbox providers, primarily uses its community of users to determine whether email is spam or not”
The Marketer’s Field Guide to Gmail, Outlook.com, and Yahoo!, Return Path
Images are worth a thousand words
You can “hide” text behind images (the ALT, or alternative when the image isn’t seen). What’s even cooler: If an image is the first thing that’s on your email, the alt you write there will appear on email clients, like Gmail or Outlook… even BEFORE people open your email. It won’t appear if your contacts have images displayed – it’s like magic.
“The first line of the email is a key part of the email message. It’s not just about the subject line anymore.”
Achieving Engagement with Email Marketing, Zach Bulygo, Kiss Metrics Blog
Be Journalistic
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- When is your event? From what time to what time?
- Where are you located? (Use a map and provide a link to get directions)
- Why are you a part of the community? Why do you do what you do?
- How will you do something for your customers? Are you providing coupons? Refer a friend specials? Hosting an open house? Giving free coffee?
“Nobody carefully reads every word of every email. To avoid getting lost in the shuffle, Inc. suggests ignoring what you learned in English class and starting every email with your conclusion.”
Write Your Email’s Conclusion First to Get More Responses, Shep McAllister, LifeHacker
