What To Write About
Your newsletter must contain interesting content. One of the most difficult parts of starting an email newsletter is to figure out what you are going to write about, so here are few ideas that usually work well:
Provide industry news highlights that have taken place since your last newsletter
Offer tips and advice for your readers
Present your readers with case studies
Include regular polls, and then publish the results of the poll in the newsletter
Express your personal opinion about industry news
Try to make it fun too. Include a joke, funny comic or a random quote (which can be totally off base)
Again, simply presenting news about your company could make your readers hit the Delete key faster than you can hit the Send button. Make it fun and interesting as possible, and don’t be afraid to switch it up every now and then; perhaps a poll one week and a case study the next.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
How To Write an Email Newsletter Step #1
Your Newsletter’s Value Proposition
The first step to writing an email newsletter is to choose a value proposition. Certainly, you love your business or whatever the newsletter is about, but you shouldn't expect your subscribers to take time out of their busy days to read your newsletter without there being some benefit for them.
One of the biggest mistakes new email marketers make when starting their newsletter is to make the whole newsletter an informational piece about their own business. I hate to break it to you, but unless you’re a large multinational brand, nobody really cares about the latest clients you got or the newest service you launched. Not that your newsletter shouldn’t include these details, but it does mean that you have to add something else that is subscriber focused.
For example, what if you not only tell your subscribers that you launched a new product or service, but you also offered them an exclusive 20% discount on that same service. Or, along with company news, include a special report each month.
Your value proposition, then, should be something in your newsletter that is meant to benefit your subscribers in some way, and this should be chosen before you start your email newsletter. Simply adding in a free report, periodic discounts or contests can boost the success of your email newsletter right off the bat, and can ensure that they read your company news as well.
Oh, and remember to advertise your value proposition on your subscriber sign up form, don’t keep it a secret.
The first step to writing an email newsletter is to choose a value proposition. Certainly, you love your business or whatever the newsletter is about, but you shouldn't expect your subscribers to take time out of their busy days to read your newsletter without there being some benefit for them.
One of the biggest mistakes new email marketers make when starting their newsletter is to make the whole newsletter an informational piece about their own business. I hate to break it to you, but unless you’re a large multinational brand, nobody really cares about the latest clients you got or the newest service you launched. Not that your newsletter shouldn’t include these details, but it does mean that you have to add something else that is subscriber focused.
For example, what if you not only tell your subscribers that you launched a new product or service, but you also offered them an exclusive 20% discount on that same service. Or, along with company news, include a special report each month.
Your value proposition, then, should be something in your newsletter that is meant to benefit your subscribers in some way, and this should be chosen before you start your email newsletter. Simply adding in a free report, periodic discounts or contests can boost the success of your email newsletter right off the bat, and can ensure that they read your company news as well.
Oh, and remember to advertise your value proposition on your subscriber sign up form, don’t keep it a secret.
Monday, May 9, 2011
How to make a good Email Marketing Strategy
The following tips will help you to plan and implement a great email marketing strategy.
Know your audience
You should probably have a good idea of who you are marketing to if you have been in business for a while, but it’s also important to consider how your specific audience uses email. If you are marketing to people who probably don't have alot of time on their hands, it's probably good to keep your newsletters short and straight to the point. Determine how your specific audience will want to receive email, and how often, for best results.
(Put a newsletter signup widget on every page of your website.)
When you make your email list an important part of your website, you are making it appear more important to your site visitors – which can make it more likely for your audience to opt into your list. Be sure that your signup box is prominently placed “above the fold” on your website. Add a newsletter sign up offer to your social media profiles and blog as well to make sure you have maximum impact.
Set a delivery schedule.
Your list members will come to expect and look forward to your messages if you set a regular delivery schedule. Boomerang makes it easy to create automatic weekly newsletters based on your blog posts so you can consistently stay in touch with your list. Take time to analyze your email list’s performance so you can identify whether or not specific days or times of the day work better for your subscribers.
Use social sharing elements
Your audience is also looking for you on social media as well. By using social sharing elements in your email messages you can increase your social media presence and help your audience spread your message for you. With one click, they will be able to share your latest article on Facebook or spread the word on your latest sale on Twitter. Whenever you release a new newsletter, announce it on social media and give a link so your followers can sign up.
Use your past performance as an indicator of future strategy
Your email strategy can only get stronger with time. You can use Boomerang’s reporting tools to analyze your message impact, understand what changes need to be made and plan for future performance. Take note of when your messages were sent and what effects are seen on your website and social media. You can use this information to be sure that your messages are having the impact that you intend for them to have.
Know your audience
You should probably have a good idea of who you are marketing to if you have been in business for a while, but it’s also important to consider how your specific audience uses email. If you are marketing to people who probably don't have alot of time on their hands, it's probably good to keep your newsletters short and straight to the point. Determine how your specific audience will want to receive email, and how often, for best results.
(Put a newsletter signup widget on every page of your website.)
When you make your email list an important part of your website, you are making it appear more important to your site visitors – which can make it more likely for your audience to opt into your list. Be sure that your signup box is prominently placed “above the fold” on your website. Add a newsletter sign up offer to your social media profiles and blog as well to make sure you have maximum impact.
Set a delivery schedule.
Your list members will come to expect and look forward to your messages if you set a regular delivery schedule. Boomerang makes it easy to create automatic weekly newsletters based on your blog posts so you can consistently stay in touch with your list. Take time to analyze your email list’s performance so you can identify whether or not specific days or times of the day work better for your subscribers.
Use social sharing elements
Your audience is also looking for you on social media as well. By using social sharing elements in your email messages you can increase your social media presence and help your audience spread your message for you. With one click, they will be able to share your latest article on Facebook or spread the word on your latest sale on Twitter. Whenever you release a new newsletter, announce it on social media and give a link so your followers can sign up.
Use your past performance as an indicator of future strategy
Your email strategy can only get stronger with time. You can use Boomerang’s reporting tools to analyze your message impact, understand what changes need to be made and plan for future performance. Take note of when your messages were sent and what effects are seen on your website and social media. You can use this information to be sure that your messages are having the impact that you intend for them to have.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Email Marketing Tip (Offer Free Tips Daily)
One good way to leverage an email autoresponder is to stay on top of the mind of your customers by offering them daily tips that are targeted. If these tips are providing high value to your subscribers then they will be happy to act upon your offers when you send them out in the future. There are many different combinations of mailings you can do, so do not restrict yourself to only doing what you see everyone else does. The whole point of doing this is to be consistent in giving value to your list and at the same time building a strong bond of trust.
Email Marketing Tip (Make a Good First Impression)
You can create a positive impression on people by sending out a “thank you” after they subscribe, and explain a little bit about what they signed up for. As soon as they sign up for your mailing list, thank them for joining in. People sign up for a reason, so assume they are really interested in what you have to say. In your first email, after thanking them be sure to explain how you operate and what they will be getting and the benefits of it to them. Make the people on your list feel good, and they will remember that.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
GetResponse AutoResponder Review
GetResponse is a complete email marketing solution and the number one autoresponder/listbuilder (followed by Aweber). It provides turnkey newsletter publishing and hosting features, as well as unlimited follow-up autoresponders to deliver information to your subscribers and convert them to paying customers. Through responsible and fully automated list hygiene, anti-spam practices, GetResponse prides itself on the highest possible email deliverability to ensure that your messages get through to your prospects.
GetResponse has established relations with all the major ISPs and Email Service Providers to ensure undisrupted email deliverability for our customers. They delivers over 5 billion messages each year from 172 countries.
GetResponse is fully scalable and capable of handling both small and very large lists alike (1+ million subscribers).
GetResponse features:
- Over 100,000 active accounts
- FREE version available
- Unlimited autoresponders, follow-ups, campaigns, lists, messages
- Powerful, automatic message personalization
- Smart tracking features
- Built-in anti-spam filters
What benefits does it bring?
- Catches lost sales and jolts your leads into profitable action
- Boosts your lead generation and business-building results
- Chops away tedious and repetitious email marketing tasks
Click Here for more info about GetResponse.
GetResponse has established relations with all the major ISPs and Email Service Providers to ensure undisrupted email deliverability for our customers. They delivers over 5 billion messages each year from 172 countries.
GetResponse is fully scalable and capable of handling both small and very large lists alike (1+ million subscribers).
GetResponse features:
- Over 100,000 active accounts
- FREE version available
- Unlimited autoresponders, follow-ups, campaigns, lists, messages
- Powerful, automatic message personalization
- Smart tracking features
- Built-in anti-spam filters
What benefits does it bring?
- Catches lost sales and jolts your leads into profitable action
- Boosts your lead generation and business-building results
- Chops away tedious and repetitious email marketing tasks
Click Here for more info about GetResponse.
Monday, April 25, 2011
PopUp Domination Review
Popup Domination is a lightbox software with a high conversion rate for getting subscribers to your list. The software includes a WordPress plug-in as well as software that will work on any website.
Popup Domination works on any website and with any mailing list provider such as GetResponse, AWeber, etc. It has 7 different themes with 15 different color options. In addition you can choose which pages it's installed on, how it comes up on exit and also how many impressions the page must have received from the visitor before the popup is shown.
The Popup Domination software is easy to use and doesn’t require any programming knowledge but if you do have some programming knowledge and would like to further customize your lightbox then you can use the advanced editor to adjust the pop up even further.
After you have installed this plug-in and have customized it to suit your website then it will come up at the schedules you specify helping to increase the opt in rate to your newsletter and build your subscriber list.
Click Here for more info about PopUp Domination
Popup Domination works on any website and with any mailing list provider such as GetResponse, AWeber, etc. It has 7 different themes with 15 different color options. In addition you can choose which pages it's installed on, how it comes up on exit and also how many impressions the page must have received from the visitor before the popup is shown.
The Popup Domination software is easy to use and doesn’t require any programming knowledge but if you do have some programming knowledge and would like to further customize your lightbox then you can use the advanced editor to adjust the pop up even further.
After you have installed this plug-in and have customized it to suit your website then it will come up at the schedules you specify helping to increase the opt in rate to your newsletter and build your subscriber list.
Click Here for more info about PopUp Domination
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Aweber Review
Aweber is one of the very best listbuilder/autoresponder services out there right now after GetResonse (although many people prefer Aweber over GetResponse)
If you’re just starting out with your email newsletter, AWeber can pro-rate your fees according to how many subscribers you have. This means you pay less at first, and more as you grow your list.
You can track your open rates, plus, their anlaytics and tracking features allow you to see exactly who is opening your emails and have special features that allow you to reach those subscribers who haven’t opened any of your emails in a while (for whatever reason.)
Send Your First Email Newsletter Today - AWeber Communications
Aweber Features:
Unlimited autoresponders.
Unlimited personalized follow up messages.
Unlimited message length, unlimited changes, and full integrated HTML creator and/or plain text message capability.
Unlimited campaigns.
Templates pre-designed HTML to allow larger fonts, bold, colors, and images. Fully customizable.
Unlimited personalized broadcast newsletters and segmented broadcast capability.
Easy web form generator allows easy addition of opt-in forms to your website, pop-ups, pop-overs, hover pops, and exit pops along with split testing of different forms.
Name, date, geographical, 25 custom fields, and more personalization features.
Graphical account statistics and reporting with automatic emailing of reports.
Automatic undeliverable email handling.
Automated ad tracking features.
Complete 24/7 control over your own account, via an online control panel.
Integrated CAN-SPAM compliance checks with SPF & Sender ID email authentication included.
FREE unlimited customer support.
Click Here for more info about Aweber
If you’re just starting out with your email newsletter, AWeber can pro-rate your fees according to how many subscribers you have. This means you pay less at first, and more as you grow your list.
You can track your open rates, plus, their anlaytics and tracking features allow you to see exactly who is opening your emails and have special features that allow you to reach those subscribers who haven’t opened any of your emails in a while (for whatever reason.)
Send Your First Email Newsletter Today - AWeber Communications
Aweber Features:
Unlimited autoresponders.
Unlimited personalized follow up messages.
Unlimited message length, unlimited changes, and full integrated HTML creator and/or plain text message capability.
Unlimited campaigns.
Templates pre-designed HTML to allow larger fonts, bold, colors, and images. Fully customizable.
Unlimited personalized broadcast newsletters and segmented broadcast capability.
Easy web form generator allows easy addition of opt-in forms to your website, pop-ups, pop-overs, hover pops, and exit pops along with split testing of different forms.
Name, date, geographical, 25 custom fields, and more personalization features.
Graphical account statistics and reporting with automatic emailing of reports.
Automatic undeliverable email handling.
Automated ad tracking features.
Complete 24/7 control over your own account, via an online control panel.
Integrated CAN-SPAM compliance checks with SPF & Sender ID email authentication included.
FREE unlimited customer support.
Click Here for more info about Aweber
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
What is an AutoResponder?
An autoresponder is an automatic e-mail response tool. Once configured, the response is sent when someone sends an email to a specific address or fills out a form on your website.
For example, I could set up an autoresponder called subscribe@mysite.com. in the body of the e-mail reply I could have some information about my own company and maybe discount coupons to encourage the recipient to register for the program.
If someone sends an email to subscribe@mywebsite.com receive email response immediately to voice mail information and a discount coupon.
What are the benefits of using autoresponders?
Using autoresponders save alot of time. There is no need to manually send an email to those who inquires about your services.
Also, autoresponders are a powerful marketing tool. For one, you can collect e-mail prospects (the autoresponder asks for their permission) for your database. You can also configure multiple sequential message to go out to your prospects or customers. In other words, the recipient receives a steady stream of email responses in spaced out time intervals of your choice.
AutoResponders I recommend:
Aweber Autoresponder
GetResponse AutoResponder
For example, I could set up an autoresponder called subscribe@mysite.com. in the body of the e-mail reply I could have some information about my own company and maybe discount coupons to encourage the recipient to register for the program.
If someone sends an email to subscribe@mywebsite.com receive email response immediately to voice mail information and a discount coupon.
What are the benefits of using autoresponders?
Using autoresponders save alot of time. There is no need to manually send an email to those who inquires about your services.
Also, autoresponders are a powerful marketing tool. For one, you can collect e-mail prospects (the autoresponder asks for their permission) for your database. You can also configure multiple sequential message to go out to your prospects or customers. In other words, the recipient receives a steady stream of email responses in spaced out time intervals of your choice.
AutoResponders I recommend:
Aweber Autoresponder
GetResponse AutoResponder
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