How to Get Double-Digit Responses to Your Email Newsletters

Since the beginning I have been publishing newsletters to promote my business. Even when I had almost no one to promote, I forced myself to write articles and post them in the web sphere (and now the blogosphere). Today, creating and sending a mass email to my subscribers (I love you!) is something I enjoy. It’s like a delicious ongoing marketing experiment that I can keep doing over and over again, each time with something new and interesting to talk about. The results have been good to say the least:

1. Increased brand strength – it’s a nice way to be personal without cold calling people (eew)

2.Increased credibility – good articles usually come from a place of knowledge and passion

3. Increased leading generation – letting interested parties know about you through a newsletter is the soft sell appreciated by many in the age of overwhelming marketing

I started with a free list management service, but eventually switched to Aweber and never looked back. Aweber isn’t cheap, but it’s a no-brainer when you consider the easy-to-use interface and tracking tools that come with their service (and it’s getting better all the time). I’m happy to say that I’ve enjoyed double-digit open rates and sometimes even double-digit click-through rates for many, many of my newsletters in the past year.

The way I’ve achieved these results is remarkably straightforward, and I think you can do it to:

one. Rules of simplicity. I stopped working on graphics and HTML pages a long time ago. Gross. I am a seller and a writer. He is not a graphic designer. Also, I started noticing that a lot of the big hitters send out plain text newsletters with a few simple links or a very simply designed HTML formatted email that is almost as simple except for a few images of the company logo. Switching to a non-graphics format with just a few links has saved me a ton of time, and in turn, has allowed me to produce valuable news on a more regular basis.

2. The hours are boring. And I don’t stick to one at all with my newsletter. No, I only email them when I have something to say that I think might be interesting or useful. The only general rule I have is not to let more than a month go by without getting in touch. I’ve also broken that rule though, hey, I’ve been pumping babies for the past few years (and the baby factory is now closed, thank you very much). Personally, I think this keeps things interesting for readers. I figure if they see the same email from the same person at the same date and time every week, they will eventually put their trigger finger on autopilot and me on DELETE automatically.

3. The matter is your friend. Let me repeat it: the subject line is your friend. So spend some time writing a unique one for each blast you send out. “Jane’s Newsletter – Issue 173 isn’t going to cut it. Remember, people’s inboxes are literally overflowing these days and most incoming mail gets passed over, moved to a folder, or thrown away.” Your subject line should trip your readers over themselves a bit To stop the robotic routine they go through every morning when they check their email and think for a second “Hmm, that sounds interesting” Maybe just take a look. Take a look and see what Jane has to say this morning.

Four. Originality will take you everywhere. Or maybe I should say personality, because YOU are 100% original. Why people are afraid to reveal themselves is a complex issue. But if you don’t start practicing this, at least in your marketing communications, you’re going to be one more entrepreneur lost in a sea of ​​mediocrity. Yes, people want to read something useful, but it’s no secret that the internet, your friends, your family, your colleagues, and the 300 other gurus your readers already subscribe to are already buzzing and doling out advice. You need to be creative with your delivery, because HOW you deliver content IS your brand. And your brand is what will make your readers want more from you and less from the other gurus who spit out generic guru stuff.

5. Keep the spam-o-meter as low as possible. If you don’t, your emails will be filtered and discarded by subscribers’ increasingly aggressive (and for good reason) spam filters. Try to keep the hyperlinks to no more than 3 or 4 within the email itself. These include a link to your website, a link to the full article if applicable, and perhaps a link to an affiliate you are promoting. Avoid repeating words and phrases like free, financial, make money, work from home, and yes, sex. Spam filters don’t like them either.

There’s a lot more I can tell you here, but these 5 guidelines alone are guaranteed to make a big difference in your email newsletter response and click-through rates. Now get to work, will you? Your fans are waiting to hear from you.