Email is one of the best ways for engaging with a target audience for any new business or start up. It provides a method of making clear statements and direct asks straight into a potential client’s inbox. Samantha Harrington, contributor at Forbes, knows this well.” When my company was in the crowdfunding stage, email drove most of our pledges and today it remains of the major sources of traffic for our website.”But what is the best way to actually make an impact with email marketing?Many companies and startups have struggled with this question, but there is much to be learned from the successes and failures of others. Email campaigns do not need to be complicated. In fact, they need to be simple and straight to the point in order to be the most effective.Here are 5 amazing tips that will give any startup an advantage over the competitors.
Make a Clear and Direct Ask
One mistake that is all too common in email marketing is long, boring and complicated emails. Readers want to know exactly what an email is about and they want to understand that content immediately. Paring down an email to it’s essence will create a bigger impact on a target audience.“One of the major things my team learned from crowdfunding emails was that people respond to strong and direct language, “ says Harrington. “If your email is asking for support, be specific about what you’re asking for.”One great method of achieving this is by having an embedded button that makes a clear call of action such as ‘buy now’ or ‘read more here’.
Keep Things Short and to the Point
In continuation from having a clear ask, it is important to not let that ask get lost in long form copy or highly educated reading levels. In a recent study of 40 million emails, Boomerang discovered that the emails that had the best response rate were those that were at 3rd grade reading level. Emails that were simple enough for a young child to understand received a 53% response rate in comparison to a 39% response rate for emails written at a college reading level.This is not to say that readers are uneducated, but that people can easily comprehend basic emails quickly before they lose interest.
Email Design Matters
Particularly when it comes to online media, people are visual creatures. An email should be created so that the layout guides readers towards the end goal.“You want the design of your email to direct recipients to that first ask,” comments Harrington. “So if you’re going the route that my company prefers, with a button ask, make sure to use a color for the button that really stands out.”
It’s All about Timing
Some people say that timing is everything and when it comes to email campaigns this is completely relevant. Emails that are sent at midnight on a Saturday are likely to get lost in an inbox by the time Monday rolls around.According to a comprehensive study by CoSchedule of 10 different email studies, “Tuesday: This is hands down the #1 best day to send emails according to the majority of the data from these studies.”If a startup plans on sending out two emails per week, Thursday is the next best option.
