You’re using email marketing and you’re seeing great results.
People are opening, you’re getting clicks, and you’re hearing some really positive feedback from the people on your list.
But there’s a problem — coming up with content ideas for your email newsletter is starting to take a toll. You’re busier than ever and can’t afford to invest hours into thinking about what to say in your email newsletters.
You’re not alone. Coming up with content ideas is one of the biggest roadblocks to creating a successful email marketing strategy. Luckily, there are simple steps you can take to simplify the content creation process.
Give these three a try:
1. Follow the 80/20 rule
As you generate a plan for the types of content you want to deliver to your subscribers, consider using the 80/20 rule.
80 percent of the messages you send should inform your audience, build loyalty and maintain their interest. It’s these messages that help you build relationships with your subscribers, developing trust with those that are best positioned to send referrals your way.
If you’ve worked to build those relationships, your audience will be energized and willing to buy, schedule an appointment or attend your next event when you send promotional communications. Try to only send this promotional content about 20% of the time.
2. Check-in regularly
It’s always a good idea to get a pulse on your subscribers.
Surveying your customers quarterly will help you understand how they’re feeling about your business, the products or services you offer and the service they’ve received.
Adding a survey to your website will give those not already on your mailing list a way to provide the feedback that’s so important to the success of your business. If you’d like to take your marketing one step further, use a survey to determine your subscribers’ interests to ensure you’re sending them information that’s relevant to them.
3. Integrate feedback
As you listen to what your subscribers love about your business you’ll uncover the things that are creating dissatisfaction as well.
Use this feedback to improve in the areas where you’re lacking, and be sure to tell your subscribers that you’ve made changes based on their feedback. Not only will this create a stronger relationship, it will also keep the feedback coming in the future.
In addition to the feedback you receive from customers, you can also use your campaign reports to determine which content your contacts are most interested in receiving. Within your reports, you can view the total number of clicks each link within your email received and also see which contacts clicked on the link.
If you’re seeing a certain type of content or offer is getting a lot of engagement, look to share similar assets in future emails!
Could any of these tips work for you?
Choose one tip to put into action before sending your next email newsletter.
Choose one thing, see how it works, and look to try something else the next month. Before long, you’ll not only have more people reading your emails, you’ll also be spending less time putting them together each month.
This post was written by Tamsin Fox-Davies.
Tamsin has made it her mission to help small business people achieve their dreams and create successful and sustainable organisations. As a Constant Contact’s small business evangelist, she shares her valuable insight in a variety of ways from in-person training, to speaking at events and creating useful resources including blogs, articles, and newsletters.