Do you ever get an email and think “what was the point of sending me this?” It wasn’t informative. It didn’t tell you anything you didn’t already know. It wasn’t actionable. So what exactly were you supposed to do with it?
I received an email from a restaurant by my home once which just had a copy of the menu inside. That’s it. I found myself wondering, “Is there something new that’s been added?” but it all appeared to be the same. Surely they didn’t just send a mass email out with their menu for no reason, right? Turns out, they did. In the end that email only accomplished one thing – me unsubscribing from their list.
I see this all too often in email marketing. Because email should be a cornerstone of your own marketing program, it’s important you write emails with a purpose. If you’re sending an email to your customers simply for the sake of sending an email, you’re not doing effective email marketing. At best, you’re dis-engaging your hard-won audience, and at worst, you’re damaging the brand you’ve worked so hard to build.
Here are six essential tips for creating effective emails:
1. Define Your Objective
Ask yourself what you want from any email campaign you send. Do you want to boost your private event bookings? Do you want to increase your lunch time traffic? Do you want to tell customers about a new service you provide? Knowing what action you want your customers to take will help you set the stage for a successful email.
2. Take it From the Top, With the Subject Line
Now that you have an objective – take it from the top. Create a subject line that’s short, sweet, to the point, and lets your customer know what your purpose is for sending them this email. (Just don’t include these in your subject lines.) And remember not to give the whole email away with your subject line! Pique their interest so they’re more inclined to open your email and read its content. You can even include emojis to catch their eye. (We recommend using them sparingly though.)
Try something like “Guess What’s Cookin’?👨🍳”
3. Eye-Catching Content
Most customers are going to skim through your email. Create your emails with a mix of text and images. Rather than long paragraphs of information, use bulleted points or bold text to showcase the most important information you want them to know. Now, I’m not saying no one will read all of your content, but for busy professionals – they want to be able to scroll through and understand the gist of your email without having to dedicate precious time to reading every single word.
4. Send the Right Message at the Right Time
Like most things in life, timing is everything. The last thing you want is for your customers to think “why am I getting this email?” Sending them messages after a recent visit or if they haven’t visited in a while is a great way to let them know you value their business and you recognize their visit behavior. It lets your customers know you’re paying attention and value each and every visit.
Luckily, Zenreach takes the guesswork out of email timing for you by sending targeted messages to your customers based on their visit behavior through Smart Emails. After they’ve visited your business they’ll receive an email thanking them for visiting – this is your time to tell them what you’re all about! Tell them all about any recurring events, remind them to book their next reservation or appointment, or tell them you miss them and give them a reason to come back.
5. Include a Call to Action
What do you want your customers to do after reading this email? Tell them! Invite them to come in to see you, to book their next reservation or appointment, to place their order online, or to leave feedback about their experience. Use simple, direct statements to let your customer know what they need to do.
6. Make it Mobile Friendly
It’s important to make sure your emails are designed for mobile friendly viewing. Nearly 70% of customers who received an email through Zenreach opened the message on their mobile device. Here are some tips for creating mobile friendly emails:
- Avoid using small links which are difficult to select with a finger – instead use large buttons to direct them to your link, like the ones above.
- Use large enough text so your customers don’t struggle to read the content you worked so hard on.
- Send yourself a test email and view it on your mobile device – make sure it’s just the way you imagined before sending out your message.
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