Best email marketing tips

Any website is pretty much useless if it doesn't include a lead generation form and/or powerful calls to action throughout its content. But capturing your leads' information is only the first step of the process! Read this article and you will discover what needs to be done to ensure that those leads become paying customers.

To build your business, you've got to treat your leads and customers nicely. Many entrepreneurs make a huge mistake, focusing all their efforts on acquiring new leads, instead of spending most of their time trying to develop a great business relationship with existing customers. Once that a person has demonstrated its trust in your company's products and/or services by purchasing at least one of them, he or she will be much more likely to purchase from you again in the future.

So, an email marketing plan shouldn't only target new leads, but existing customers as well. And to make sure that your email is read, it must provide a huge value. People receive dozens of emails each day, and some of them have several email accounts. This means that if your email doesn't stand out, its chances of being read are quite slim.

Everything begins with the subject line; if it isn't catchy, your email will be sent straight to the "trash" folder. And the subject line is the only element that your leads and customers will get to see before deciding if they are going to spend 10 minutes of their very valuable time reading your message. Therefore, the subject should grab their attention and practically force them to open your email.

To make sure that this happens, let them know what the email is about and try to communicate urgency and/or stir curiosity. A "Welcome to Graphic Peel" subject line doesn't look that exciting, right? On the other hand, "5 Guaranteed Ways to Ruin Your Visitors' Experience" will make people open that email. Always make sure to optimize the subject line, keeping it short and simple.

Okay, so they have opened your email. They may read the first sentence, and then decide that they are wasting their time; so, ensure that each sentence delivers what you've promised and more, keeping the readers 100% engaged. If people like your emails, they will start to trust you, so they're going to be more likely to open your emails in the future as well.

Your email should be short. People don't like to read long phrases. Compare these sentences with the ones in the paragraph above. They are much easier to read, right? Break the information into smaller pieces by using bullet points. Don't forget to reread the email before sending it.

Most people like to read friendly newsletters; they want to connect with you, the person behind the company that they may be interested in. So, work on your personality traits, and then let the positive ones shine through in your emails. Be honest, passionate, courageous and loyal in your messages.

The emails must include relevant information; I like a good joke just like the next guy, but your email should also include precious information about your industry. Do your research, and then email your readers curated information about the hottest, most useful industry-related trends and news.

Always keep self-promotions to a minimum. People will unsubscribe from your list if they understand that you are only emailing them because you want their money. It's best to add a call to action at the end of each message, encouraging your subscribers to take a specific action: subscribe to a trial, register for a webinar, download an e-book, and so on. Make sure that your CTA button stands out and can't be ignored.

Don't overlook timing! Send your emails early in the morning, in the afternoon, at night, etc. and see which interval works best for you by tracking the number of email opens.

As you can see, creating a newsletter that helps you build and maintain a great relationship with your customers isn't that easy. People who apply all the tips highlighted in this article shouldn't run into trouble, though.