Archive for Email Marketing

An Unread Email is Useless

A few days ago we covered two embarrassingly simple mistakes that can work against you in your email marketing efforts.

1) Your email doesn’t arrive in the inbox of your client.
2) You email doesn’t get opened.Cool. So let’s say you read our last Blog and you now know how to overcome those two big blunders. What comes next?

Getting your email read! (of course)

There’s are few things you can do to make certain your emails get read top to tail…

1. Write conversationally.

Get into the habit of writing casually and conversationally. Like you are writing to a close friend. Use contractions, and easy to understand slang, and AVOID complex language or words that are hard to spell or say! The average adult reader comprehends at a grade 7 level… so do them a favour, keep it simple and fun.

2. Write to the Individual.

For example, never address your emails as “Dear Friends” or “Hello Everyone!” There is only ever ONE PERSON reading your email – so write to that one person. Using singular language can be difficult because you know you are writing to many people. But the trick is to have the reader feel as though you are only writing to him or her. In addition to bulk greetings (see above) avoid phrases like, “Most of you” or “How many of you..” As soon as I see that, I know you are not talking to me!

To make it easy, pick one person in your database who you know well and write your email in a tone just to them. This will help the email feel intimate to everyone who receives it.

3. Make sure that the body of the email and the subject line are related.

Don’t use a jazzy subject line to get people to open the email, and then write about something unrelated in the email. Don’t you just hate that? People will feel like they have been tricked and they will delete your email and possibly unsubscribe. Ugh.

3. Test your formatting.

Different email providers will display your email in different ways. They each have a different width and allow different kinds of headers and images. Keep the length of each line in your email to a 60 character max. Before you send your email to your list, send a test email to several different email addresses at different email providers you can look at. We suggest setting up personal email accounts with Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, and Outlook.

4. Unless something is of direct interest, relevance and value to the individuals on your list, don’t send it!

Remember, any enterprise is only as valuable as its clients or customer base. With online marketing, this is your list. Whatever your product or service is, your list is your business! The way to keep a large and loyal list is to build trust that your communications are of value. (see Blog from Aug 19, 2009)

Try these four strategies and watch your readership skyrocket!

Callan on October 5th, 2010 in Email Marketing, Marketing

Dangerous Duo: 2 Embarrassingly Simple Email Marketing Mistakes

We’ve been looking at just how powerful email marketing can be for your business. It’s inexpensive, quick, and relatively easy compared to other forms of getting the word out.

Unfortunately, most workshop and seminar leaders make a few very common mistakes when trying to utilize email marketing. Here are 2 of the most common. (They’re no brainers – but many people over look them).

Mistake #1: Your emails don’t arrive into the inbox of your client

Yikes. All that effort and no one sees your email?

Solution: Use an email provider with a high deliverability rate like, ‘Aweber’ for example. Using a reliable provider allows you to be confident that the maximum amount of people will actually get your email. Use a provider with a low deliverability and guarantee your email ends up in the spam or junk folder, not the inbox.

Solution: You should also avoid spam trigger words in your subject lines or the body of the email (use Spam Avoidance Services). A good email provider will have this as part of their package. But for your information, common spam words are words like “money, sex, free, and give-away”. Use words like these, and your email will end up in your recipients spam folder.

Mistake #2: Your emails don’t get opened.

Again, all that effort to get to the inbox, and they don’t get opened? Yuck.

Solution: Make sure your ‘from’ field is a recognizable name, ideally your name, Any email you get from us will come from Justin and Callan. It will never come from our company name or our program name. The secret here is INTIMACY! Email was originally born so we could send and receive messages from our friends and family – not so we could communicate with cold, hard, corporations! Keep your ‘from line’ personal.

Solution: Another key factor to ensuring your email gets opened is the subject line. Never underestimate the importance of your subject lines! Your subject line must be enticing enough to compel your reader to action! (i.e. They must feel intrigued enough to open the email.)

Here are a few subject lines types that I have found effective:

1) Enrolling Questions

Trying asking a question in your subject line that you know your reader will respond to.

Example: “Do You Want to PACK Your Next Workshop With Ease?”

Example: “Do you make these Email Marketing mistakes?”

2) Incomplete Sentences:

Try a subject line that leaves something unfinished…

Example: “Are You Ready To…”

This subject line is mysterious and your client’s brain will want to find out how the sentence finishes – so they’ll open the email to see.

3) Curious Statement

Try making a statement that stirs curiosity. Example: “Callan is all jacked up…”

4) Numbered Sequence Subject lines

If someone’s asked for information from us, like the “11 part Email Marketing Mistake” Series, I make sure the subject line is exactly the same for each email in the series. The only thing that changes is the number.

Example: “Email Marketing Mistake #11
Example: “Email Marketing Mistake #10

Your client’s brain will see the number and say, “I asked for this,” which means your email is far more likely to get opened.

Get your emails to the INBOX and get them opened, and your clients are one step closer to enjoying all the ways you enrich their lives. Now all you have to do is get them read. Stay tuned – we’ll be talking about that one very soon!

Callan on September 29th, 2010 in Email Marketing, Marketing

The EASIEST Way to Market Your Business

Whether you send just one e-mail a month, one a week, or one a day to your list, email marketing is one of the easiest ways to let the folks on your list know what you are up to, and how they can benefit. Here are a few of the reasons you need to become an expert on leveraging this powerful marketing tool:

Low Cost: Email marketing is one of the lowest cost marketing vehicles around, especially compared to advertising, and its proven to be far more effective.

Unlimited Reach: You can reach thousands, even millions of people through the internet as you build your database. And you can reach out and touch people any where in the world – as long as they have a computer!

High Speed: You can contact your entire data base almost instantly once you decide what message you want them to hear.

Low Effort: You can stay ‘top of mind’ for thousands of clients by writing a very simple message in a short amount of time, for very little (if any) outgoing cost.

Rejection Free: Let’s face it – when you sell and market face to face, you risk the Ego blow of someone telling you they don’t want or like your stuff. Ugh. With email, if someone decides they don’t want to do business with your, they simply unsubscribe. And unless you take a look at every single person who drops off your list – you won’t have to face the awkward feeling of saying good-bye.

I’m sure you can see how powerful email can be. But do you know how to make sure you are using it properly?

Continue to watch this blog!  I will be sharing how to fully leverage email marketing – as well as how to AVOID some of the most common email marketing mistakes.

Justin on September 22nd, 2010 in Email Marketing, Marketing

Is a Subject Line Really That Important?

The answer is a resounding YES!

The subject line of your emails has one purpose and one purpose only…

…to entice your client to open your email!

If it’s interesting enough, then everyone you mail will be exposed to your amazing message.

If you leave it flat and boring, then no one will ever know how you could have helped them.

The first step then is to ensure your subject lines are seductive and interesting!

This takes testing and practice – but I’ll shorten the learning curve for you with a few suggestions.

When it comes to subject lines, there are only a few types of subject lines Justin and I recommend…

1) Enrolling Questions

Trying asking a question in your subject line that you know your reader will respond to.

Example: “Do You Want to PACK Your Next Workshop With Ease?”
Example: “Do you make these Email Marketing mistakes?”

2) Incomplete Sentences:

Try a subject line that leaves something unfinished…

Example: “Are You Ready To…”

This subject line is mysterious and your client’s brain will want to find out how the sentence finishes – so they’ll open the email to see.

3) Curious Statement

Try making a statement that stirs curiosity.

Example: “Callan is all jacked up…”

4) Numbered Sequence Subject lines

If someone has asked for information from me, like the “11 part Email Marketing Mistake” Series, I make sure the subject line is exactly the same for each email in the series.

The only thing that changes is the number

Example: “Email Marketing Mistake #11
Example: “Email Marketing Mistake #10

Your client’s brain will say, “I asked for this,” which means your email is far more likely to get opened.

Here are a few subject line templates I’ve seen work:

“About Your ______”

Example: About Your ‘Registration’ for Magnetize Your Audience

If your client has just invested money on this valuable program then they are very likely to be very interested in the content of this email, right? Of course.

“Get Your _____ Questions Answered”

Example: Get Your ‘Email Marketing Questions’ Answered

A great time to use this template is when you’re promoting a teleclass or other type of interactive Education Based Marketing Service—like a webinar or live seminar.

“10 Tips All _______ Need to Know”

Example: 10 Tips all ‘Workshop Leaders’ Need to Know

You can change ‘10’ to any other number, and ‘workshop leaders’ to any other title.

The key is to know your clients well. Do they think of themselves as Workshop leaders, Newlyweds, Golfers, Women Over 40, Entrepreneurs, etc.? How do they refer to themselves? What ever they call themselves, is how you should refer to them in the subject line.

“How to ________”

Example: How to Attract Massive Amounts of New Clients…

To use this template effectively you need to know what Specific Problem your clients are faced with. And then use this template when you’re offering a solution to that problem. Include a few useful tips in the email and a link to a webpage where your clients can learn more.

“Do you make these _____ mistakes?”

Example: Do you make these 11 Email Marketing mistakes?

Sometimes you know your client better than they do. They might be unconsciously doing something every day which will cause them tremendous pain in the future. They might even think it’s a smart thing to do…

By providing a solution, you become more than a hero, you become a ‘Trusted Advisor’ that they will happily spend their money with for years and years and years… all because they opened that 1 email. That’s the difference your subject line can make.

FINAL IMPORTANT NOTE:

One of the BIGGEST MISTAKES I see people make in their subject lines is trying to sneak in a little company branding.

Resist this urge! Any reference in the subject line to your company name, ezine title or business branding will turn folks off immediately.

Keep your titles conversational, interesting, intriguing and enjoy soaring open rates, avalanches of new sign ups, and loads of new income for your business!

admin on September 21st, 2010 in Email Marketing, Marketing

Addition to the Golden Rule of Email Marketing

Selling your products and programs by email will become an effortless, enjoyable, and highly profitable process as you pay attention to these blogs that Justin and I have been posting. We want to make things EASY for you to succeed!

Here are a few other rules that go hand in hand with the Golden Rule:

1. MAKE SURE YOUR CLIENTS ASKED SPECIFICALLY FOR WHAT YOU ARE SENDING.

If they signed up for HEALTH TIPS and you’re sending emails that offer MLM pitch-even for a Health Company-you’re breaking their trust.

2. GIVE GENEROUSLY.

Stay away from taste tests, teasers and fluff at all costs. If you have a tidbit that can change your clients life-make her more money, give her more energy, or help her be more productive-then give it away. If it works, she will buy everything you have.

3. STAY OFF THE GRAVY TRAIN.

I hate seeing this one. Please,please, please, don’t promote every affiliate that offers you a commission. Be very choosy! You must be willing to stake your reputation and your business on the person and the product you’re promoting. Only choose to promote people who offer products and service directly related to what your clients signed up to your list for!!! If your client signed up for Business Building Tips, please don’t promote an Affiliate that has a Weight Loss Book – no matter how great the commission to you might be. (This happened to me recently. I unsubscribed immediately.)

QUICK SIDE NOTE: When you have a list, other marketers will often ask if you can promote their product. Here’s a great way to eliminate 90% of them in a few seconds.

Ask yourself: Is this marketer telling me how much money I’ll make from helping him? Or is he focusing on how my clients will benefit from his product or program? Stick with the opportunities that your clients will benefit from the most. And partner with the people who focus on that.

(In any Joint Venture opportunity, there must be 3 wins. 1) Your clients must win or benefit first and foremost. 2) Your JV partner must win 3) There must be a win in the partnership for you. Look for JV promotions that have this triple win potential.)

4. HAVE FUN.

If you don’t giggle to yourself at least once when you’re writing your emails then it’s probably boring. You’re a fun person. So write fun emails whenever you can. When people are laughing, they are learning. And if they are learning and laughing with you – they’ll keep reading your emails.

As you continue to provide value for people, they will deepen their loyalty toward you. And that is the beginning of a relationship that will profit your business, and your heart equally.

Callan on September 14th, 2010 in Email Marketing, Marketing

The Golden Rule of Email Marketing

When someone gives you their email, they are actually saying, “I trust you.”

They are offering you something personal and valuable to them – and they are trusting that you’ll give them something personal and valuable in return.

Having a client’s email address is a humbling responsibility-or at least it should be. You now have the ability to send them any bit of information… any news, gossip, factoid, anecdote or funny animal footage that strikes your fancy.

So should you?

Of course not!

(But you already knew that, right?)

So the question is…

‘What should you send? And how often should you send it?’

There are very specific rules with regards to this-please memorize them so you’ll know for sure when you’re breaking them.

The first rule is really the ‘Golden Rule’ of email marketing. This rule can be broken, but the consequences will be very unpleasant.

Email Marketing ‘Golden Rule’ = “Your clients let you email them for THEIR benefit-NOT YOURS!”

When you only send information that YOUR CLIENTS CAN BENEFIT from… and when your clients learn to trust that you’ll only send information that they will benefit from… your open rates will sky rocket -and your click through rates will keep pace!

Keep checking back here at this blog as we post more helpful email marketing tips to help your business be a BIG success!

Callan on September 13th, 2010 in Email Marketing, Marketing

Are You Making This Subtle Email Marketing Mistake?

If you’re like most people, you started using email for personal reasons. It was a cool and convenient way to keep in touch with your friends and family.

And that’s what makes e-mail such an effective marketing tool-it’s personal!

So to get your emails opened and to avoid instant deletion you need to follow this simple rule: Make your ‘from line’ FRIENDLY and RECOGNIZABLE.

1) To be FRIENDLY, put YOUR NAME in the ‘from line.’ (A pseudonym or the name of your company ‘figurehead’ will work as well.)

Why does this work? Because people want to hear from you-not from your company!

If you put anything that smacks of a cold, hard, corporate company – you’ll turn folks off. None of us want to get email from ‘Corporate America’ anymore than we want corporate telemarketers phoning us during dinner, trying to sell something!

What do we want? We want to hear from our friends.

So be friendly in your ‘from line’! Any overt “branding” (even your company name) in the ‘from line’ will send your response rate tumbling…

…and leave your customers feeling like you had your assistant draft a memo to send out while you were doing something more important.

You want your readers to feel like you personally took the time to send out some valuable information that was so important it just couldn’t wait.

2) To be RECOGNIZABLE you need to choose a name and be CONSISTENT with it. This means using the same name over and over again. You’ll notice I send our emails to you ‘From – Callan Rush”

If you decide to switch names in your ‘from line,’ don’t make the decision lightly. It will take substantial effort to make sure every one of your clients recognizes the ‘new you’. Imagine if your best friend called you from a new number that you didn’t recognize on your Call Display. You might just let it go to voice mail, right?

Remember, your ‘from line’ is sacred. It makes you a friend in your client’s in-box. And changing it will make you a stranger all over again.

Callan on September 3rd, 2010 in Email Marketing, Marketing

One of the Biggest Secrets to Effective Email Marketing

Every email you send to a potential client or current client can be considered email marketing. But the only effective email marketing actually acts to enhance your relationship with your client.

Some common email marketing examples you might be familiar with are online newsletters, ezines, promotional announcements, e-courses, and informational auto-responders

Now, if you’re anything like me, every week you sort through tons of these kinds of emails. Some of them are really important to you and get opened and read right away. Some get deleted instantly without reading. And some get marked as SPAM and end up in your junk mail folder forever.

You know how this works for you… but in your business, how can YOU be certain YOUR CLIENTS not only open and read your emails, but actually look forward to them! How can you guarantee they won’t just file your emails as SPAM and toss them in the trash?

The answer? Only send emails that GIVE VALUE!

The folks getting your emails need to immediately and consistently perceive the value in your emails. Then, and only then, will they look forward to opening and reading them over time. If your email doesn’t deliver value, no one will read it. Nor should they!!! (And sooner rather than later, you’ll find yourself with one less person on your email list!)

To be clear, giving value means solving a specific, top of mind problem for your client. It means giving them something they not only asked for when they signed up for your list, but that will instantly help them improve their life. (By the way, sending out only promotional announcements and opportunities to buy your products and services does not count as giving value!)

I invite you to do a little experiment. Take a look at the newsletters and emails you open and enjoy reading every week. Compare them to the ones you delete and unsubscribe from.

I guarantee the emails YOU open are chalk full of value in one form or another. Maybe they offer you free and relevant tips. Maybe they offer you heart-warming stories that make you smile and give you a lift. Maybe they give you great advice and links to helpful resources, informative videos or instruction on a subject you are interested in learning more about.

The bottom line is, every single email you open and read was opened and read because you believed it would improve your life in one way or another.

Do this with your clients, and strengthen the trust so when you do want to offer an opportunity to purchase something from you – they’ll be thinking, “Wow! If I got all this other great stuff for free, I wonder what I’ll get if I pay for something.”

And that’s when you know you are doing it right.

Callan on August 30th, 2010 in Email Marketing, Marketing

Getting Intimate Will Make You Rich

Many people think Marketing is really complicated and I’d like to help set the record straight. Despite popular opinion, I happened to know that marketing is actually very simple.

Marketing is just a specific form of COMMUNICATION. That is…

Marketing = Communication

It is a specific communication to your specific audience about the specific problem you solve.

Let’s take this one step further.

The best, most heartfelt, most effective communications (whether personal or professional) are INTIMATE COMMUNICATIONS.
Communications that feel like they are about you, for you, and were created specifically with you in mind!

Here’s what I mean:

Let’s say you and I were out on a date, and I wanted to communicate my appreciation of you. Which compliment would have a better chance of increasing our connection?

Compliment A: “I love animals, and warm blooded mammals are actually my favorite!”

Compliment B: “You have beautiful eyes… and the sweater you are wearing really compliments them.”

I’m guessing you chose Compliment B, right? (If you didn’t – we need to talk.) Compliment A was general, generic, and well, just plain silly. But I think it helped illustrate the point. Compliment B was intimate, tailored, and directed right at YOU!

Let’s adjust our formula with this idea in mind:

Effective Marketing = Intimate Communication

This is golden. The only effective marketing communications are INTIMATE marketing communications. Marketing that feels like it was created only for you. Marketing that speaks directly to you, and is crafted specifically for your benefit. That is what it means to get intimate.

Increasing the INTIMACY of your marketing communications will make people way more likely to choose you, your events, your programs and products! It’s really about creating relationships, and the more intimately you can communicate/connect with your potential clients through your marketing, the more likely they will want to engage in a relationship with you…. business or otherwise!

So how do you do it? This is a HOT topic that takes us an entire day to teach at our Magnetize Your Audience event… but here are a few tips you can use right away.

Tip #1: Know a lot about the person you are speaking to! This means, you need to get really, really specific with WHO you are directing your marketing at. This is the underlying WHY behind the idea of choosing a specific audience, a narrow niche, or a tight target market. When you know WHO you are talking to specifically, you can use language they respond to. You can use… intimate language!

Tip #2: Always speak in the singular in your marketing. For example, when using email marketing, don’t write, “Hello Everyone.” Why not say, “Hi Callan!” If you are on a teleclass, don’t say, “I’m glad you all showed up!” Say, “I am so glad YOU chose to be on the call with me tonight.”

Tip #3: Pretend you are writing your marketing to a dear friend. Give it that intimate, personal, friendly feel.

I love to get intimate with my clients. And it pays…

Callan on August 26th, 2010 in Email Marketing, Marketing