Six Tips For More Clicks With Email Marketing

Email marketing can be daunting if you’re new to it. Assuming you make it past the spam filter, you have a couple of seconds to make an impression or you’re sent to the trash. Despite this, email marketing is actually one of the most successful marketing techniques, offering a return on investment of 4,300 percent. Seventy-four percent of consumers prefer to receive commercial communications via email, and 66 percent of online consumers, ages 15 and up, made a purchase as a result of email marketing messages. That’s a lot of bang for your buck. To help you achieve this level of success, we’ve come up with the following tips for you to get more opens and more clicks with your email marketing campaigns.

1. Choose an effective subject line

Your subject line should be original, yet straightforward. It should pique your target market’s interest while communicating why they would want to open your email. Trick of the trade: Use numbers, they grab attention and let people know what they’re in for. “6 tips? I can skim through that in a breeze!”

2. Demand attention

Crafting an email that looks professional and is on brand is very important. Choose a layout and image that make your email stand out. Trick of the trade: Test your email on various devices. Forty-eight percent of email is opened on a mobile device, and over 70 percent of mobile purchasing decisions are influenced by promotional emails. So make sure the content in your email is responsive and looks good on all devices.

3. Benefit the subscriber

What is the subscriber getting out of opening your email? It could be a word of advice, a sale or promotion, or an invitation to an event. Many companies make the mistake of creating marketing pieces that are too feature focused. You can’t always know which features are most appealing to your audience and it could be different for everyone. Rather, the focus of your marketing should be the benefits your company or your products bring to the customer.

4. Earn your subscribers’ trust

Don’t overwhelm them with emails. Not every email should be trying to sell them something. Offer help or advice, and be concerned about the growth and improvement of their business, not just yours. One goal of email marketing is to establish your brand as an industry thought leader, meaning your company is who they turn to for all of their promotional needs. Once you’ve earned their trust, they’ll engage more with your brand.

5. Persuade subscribers to act

How will your subscribers know what you want them to do unless you TELL them? Do you want them to view a new product? Buy something during a sale? Register for an event? Always include a clear and convincing call to action. Trick of the trade: Adding the same link several times in the email increase the chances of it getting clicked.

6. Track your success

We can speculate all we want, but there is no average subscriber. Some emails are going to be successful with some people and not with others. Measuring the open and click-through rates with your subscribers is the best way to determine what works for you and what doesn’t. You can run A/B split tests by sending sample groups of your subscribers slightly different emails to see which ones get a better response.

According to a census conducted by digital marketing research firm, Econsultancy, companies that use an email service provider are more likely to be satisfied with their email marketing than those who do not.

Survey Finds Salary Influences Millennials’ Job Loyalty

Salary is as much a motivator for Millennials as it is for their older colleagues, reported in a study of office workers in the U.S. and Canada. Almost one third of Millennials (29 percent) report that higher salary is the biggest contributor to their loyalty, despite only 20 percent of the broader workforce reporting the same.

“Millennials are becoming the largest demographic in the U.S. workforce—about one third of all workers—so it’s critical for employers to understand how to attract and retain millennial talent,” says John Burke, senior vice president, chief culture officer, at Staples, Inc. “Our Workplace Index found that, contrary to popular belief, salary is important to Millennials just as it is to older workers.” The survey also revealed that flexibility and office perks are key to retaining Millennials.

U.S. office workers as a whole consider title and work responsibilities (38 percent) and work-life balance (30 percent) as leading contributors to their loyalty. Millennials favor more nontraditional benefits in the workplace, including flexibility regarding where and when they work, office perks, eco-friendliness, trust in leadership and a relationship with their direct boss.

6 Content Ideas Your Company Should be Posting on Social Media

If your company is new to the social media arena or even if you have had channels set up but weren’t sure what to post, we have some content ideas to help you fill your channels with excellent and engaging content.

One of the most important things to remember with social media is to consistently provide content, updates, and engage without always trying to sell something to your fans and followers. Here are 6 content ideas to keep your company top of mind and engaged with your customers.

• Company News: You may not think that your customers are interested in the newsworthy events that go on in your company, but they are. It is always a good idea to fill your social streams with content about your company’s news. It can be that you moved or opened a new location. Maybe you have a new hire or want to spotlight the employee of the month. Winning an award or even being nominated for one are all news bits that are perfect to share on all your social channels. All of this type of news helps show insight into your company and lets customers in.

• Local News: This works especially well for local businesses that are not solely internet based. Although some local news can even benefit internet-only companies. Posting about local events, things happening in your town, or things happening in your shopping mall or plaza will attract the attention of the fans and followers of the other businesses and the city or town. Tagging the other businesses and your city as well as neighboring cities is a great way to make new connections by getting extra exposure on their social networks as well as yours.

• Industry News: The news from your industry can also be big news for your social media followers. They might want your take on industry news or just want to come to you as a source for the industry. This establishes your company as an authority and is one of the best ways to remain top of mind with your customers and potential clientele.

• Offer Tips and Advice: Are you an authority on the things you sell or services you provide? Show your readers the great ideas you have, how to use your products, or tips to enhance the services you offer.

• Use Humour:  Even the most serious businesses can utilise humour in a tasteful way. Funny posts attract more people and make it easier for them to remember you.

• Images: Whenever possible, include images in your social media posts. People are very visual and a post with a picture in it attracts much more attention than just text alone. Always look for a relevant image to post with your content.