Email Marketers! You can’t afford NOT to address each point on the infographic below! Don’t risk an “Opt-out” or an unsubscribe because you overlooked what you might think of as a minor detail. Skadeedle is my favorite new Small Business marketing source. Here’s a fantastic Infographic they created that hits every nail on the head when it comes to what email marketers often overlook. Every single point on both the dos and don’ts are often dismissed or overlooked.
Perhaps #6 Do is the most underused: Include alt text (for those who don’t render images). This has become more important than ever with SmartPhone use on the exponential increase for opening email.
For better results in your email marketing – PRINT THIS OUT and keep it handy for every time you send an email to market your business!
In my last post, I discussed the good news that Mobile Email opens are increasing. But the bad news is that your open rate report percentages will probably go down or not properly reflect how many recipients are actually opening your emails.
WHY?
From Constant Contact re open reports:
…if the contact has decided not to or can’t display images, that image won’t be loaded and we can’t verify that the email was opened. That’s why we have measures in place to track when a contact clicks a link in your email, as well. Using these two ways to determine when an email is opened allows us to be pretty accurate. However, you can always encourage your contacts to add you to their address books or enable image viewing to make sure that no open is left behind.
That last line is pretty much useless (bs) as no one or nothing can “make sure” no open is left behind. It would take too much detective work for most to track when an uptick in opens means recipients added you to their address book and/or enabled viewing against whether your email was just opened by more people for that particular email. So a bunch of placating BS if you ask me. But it’s not their fault it occurs. I just wish they’d be more direct in their attempt to explain it all.
And just how IS an email open rate calculated?
EMAIL OPENS = EMAILS OPENED divided by EMAILS SENT minus BOUNCED EMAILS - assuming they all displayed their images or clicked on a link!
SO what can you do?
Add more links to test interest since those are definitely tracked no matter what!
Distribute your email link EVERYWHERE – social media, posts, website, etc.
Create an archive link for all your emails and post the archive link everywhere as well. You can even use it as part of your regular email signature ( I just thought of that - I need to do that, too!)
Is there any consolation here?
Yes. You can easily tack on a good 5-15% to your open rate for those invisible opens…
In other words, your open rate is better than you thought – and always has been…
What does this mean to you as a Small Business owner or Non-Profit trying to market your business via email? If you are sending emails without checking the text version, your email messaging is becoming more and more likely to NOT be seen…
Make sure you view the text version of your emails before you send them out! If you are the kind who likes to create a “fit to block” image that includes your messaging, mobile email recipients may miss it. On the go, glancing at emails, they are not always inclined to click the “display or show images” link, or the “click to view online.”
Yes, you can still use those large images, but you must also include the same messaging as text.
Always, Always, Always view your email in both the HTML and Text versions before you hit send! You must see what the recipient will see with and without images. Don’t risk your message not getting through!
1. Social Media platforms grew exponentially over the last few years.
Soooo, “they” assumed, that because the growth was so rapid, social media platforms would soon replace email and all other traditional forms of marketing and communications.
While that might be true in major metropolitan areas and college campuses, there is still a huge population out there that doesn’t own a SmartPhone or that only accesses internet through a desktop.
But, email is universal.
Everyone sits down at home and work and checks their email…
Another assumption was that because Social Media platforms are “Free,” that it would be nonsense for anyone to ignore it as a marketing avenue. Again, you can pick up a hammer, but that ain’t gonna make ya a carpenter!
Sure you can create an account for free, but time is money, and it takes time to maintain a social media business page, not to mention at least basic marketing skills. Nothing wrong with that, – all marketing comes with a cost – but that has to be considered.
Then, when it comes to attracting fans, many of those fans are laggers in social media who only use it for sharing funny cat pictures and playing application games. So, getting fans to pursue your page is another form of investment – a good offer to like a page, the giveaway, someone to manage the comments and likes, someone to engage to grow fans… And don’t believe those hucksters claiming to bring you from 0 to 40,000 fans! Fake profiles = fake fans = no rise in insights or revenue.
Now, why was email getting badmouthed:
2. “Free” Email services were springing up all over the place.
Why pay for email service when you can get it for free? Again, because FREE is never really free! You pay a price eventually – think of the hidden cost to you when your email goes to a spam folder and never reaches your intended recipient?
So, if you were judging the effectiveness of free email vs free social media… neither one will bring results so that comparison is probably moot.
They are both an investment in Time and time costs money.
OK, so now what should you invest your time in? Social Media or Email Marketing?
If you are asking this question, it tells me you don’t know your customers or clients. Face it, most of you small business owners have poo-poo-ed SoMe and Email.
Why don’t you let your customers tell you where you should invest your time?
Have you notedwhether your customer is tapping away on a mobile while they are waiting in line?
Have you invited them to join your email subscriber list?
Stop being an employee of your own business and market your business. How?
Find out which Social Media platforms are appropriate for your business and demographic – Start with one and do well, then move on to others.
Invest in an email service that fulfills your needs for marketing and has integrated social media tools for efficiency and broader distribution that will attract new subscribers. (want to play around with one for free for 60 days? Click here!
And pay Freaking attention to where your customers live online! ASK THEM. SURVEY THEM. TALK TO THEM.
Apparently a lot of people don’t understand consulting services. When many prospects shop for a marketing consultant (like me), they often expect some sort of price and package menu like the image below.
Hmmmm, after looking at the fees for the services in this image… I may have to rethink my fees
So why hire a consultant?
Seriously, the reason you hire a consultant is because they should “consult” with you on what you need and customize their services specific to those needs. And they should have specialized experience and know-how of what you require to succeed. And you don’t have to hire a consultant as an employee – no overhead, no insurance, no commitment to keep them, easy to hire and fire, and many more benefits of a non-employee status. You have total control.
However, you as a business owner typically don’t know what you don’t know outside of your areas of expertise, so package pricing is really of little to no use to you.
Every small business is different in their marketing needs, and every small business is at a different stage and level of marketing. There are thousands of self-help websites, books, tools, and more out there – and many of them free. But, it’s not just knowledge of using the tools you need, but the strategies and applications that would fit your particular business that are far more important for implementation.
And if you start talking to a consultant who doesn’t ask you a lot of questions about you and your business, end that call!
Do you really want to hire someone for a generic marketing package that may or may not bring results to your business? That is why I don’t offer package prices. I do, however, work on a sliding scale based on the size of the job, length of time, customized preparation involved, and so on.
You have total control. That’s the beauty of a consultant. You don’t have to employ another person to get a specific job done. You can retain a consultant for as long as you like as an as-needed go-to resource for your business.
It’s really quite a high ROI.
And why do I work exclusively with SMBs and NPOs? The passion of a SMB owner or NPO leader is contagious and energizing!
![Email Marketing Etiquette Dos & Don’ts [Infographic] - An Infographic from Skadeedle](http://skadeedle.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/emailetiquette_infographicjpeg-e1362419447973.jpg)
