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You can accomplish so much by sending email newsletters. You can keep readers updated about your products and the developments in your brand. Of course, there are also the marketing aspects. However, if you want to grow, you have to be willing to try new things instead of reaching into the same old bag of tricks. Read on for 5 easily actionable, but atypical ways to invigorate your newsletter.
Put the CTA first
Having a lot of curiosity and willingness to try something new are trademarks of a good email marketer. The common thinking is that you should make your pitch or present the product and then have a button or hyperlink text that (hopefully) the reader will click on. However, some people very quickly skim their emails and may never make it to the call-to-action (CTA).
Many marketers have reported an increase in clicks when they put the CTA first. The text or button should clearly communicate the deal or positive outcome in just a few words. When you can express an outcome, gift, or product in a short CTA, you’ve done your job.
A/B testing is when you can measure the outcome of two different approaches. When you want to implement something new, use A/B testing to see which tactic works best. Consider doing this with the CTA, but apply the same experimentation to other aspects of the newsletter. It can be surprising what can affect the engagement of your readers.
Remove some of your “subscribers”
It seems like it’s the opposite of growing your list, but you must prune a few branches if you want a tree to grow. Removing inactive or invalid subscribers can only help your list. What’s the point of sending emails to people who don’t even open them? Repeatedly emailing unengaged subscribers can derail the progress of your newsletter.
Sending emails to disinterested people is exactly what spammers do. You shouldn’t behave remotely like a spammer does because it decreases your sender reputation. The sender reputation is how internet service providers categorize who is legitimate and who is problematic. Even if you’re sending a reputable newsletter (which means sent on a timely basis to people who signed up themselves), you can be perceived as a spammer if you get bounces or spam complaints. Bounces occur when you send emails to inactive subscribers or contacts that don’t exist. Furthermore, you’ll run into trouble by sending to role-based emails or known complainers or spam traps.
How do you know what email addresses are good and which lead to negative consequences? This is where email validation makes a world of difference. You should regularly clean your list and remove the bad data immediately. An email verification API can be connected anywhere on the web where you have a sign-up form. That way, mistyped or low-quality email addresses stay off of your list from the very beginning.
Do the opposite or unexpected
There are certain email newsletters I just can’t get enough of, and my attention increases greatly when they throw a curveball. When the COVID lockdowns started, I’ll never forget one brand encouraging its subscribers to support the entire industry. They ended the newsletter saying to help offset the mutual economic hardship by making a purchase even if not with their company.
There are other things you can do to keep readers on their toes. If it’s suitable for your brand, try to use some humor. On the other hand, if your brand is more lighthearted, consider tackling something weighty.
“Include a photo of one of the staff’s kids taken during Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day,” Josh Brown, Digital Marketing Consultant of Helpjuice, suggested. “When you get an interesting idea, write it down and consider doing it. Who wouldn’t want to see a picture of the lovable dog that spent Thursday at the office?”
Test different sending schedules
If you’re sending one newsletter a month, that may not be the sweet spot. On the other hand, you may be sending too many. The only way to know for sure? It all goes back to trial. Test, test, test – that way you can measure and adjust.
Timeliness can make all the difference for an email campaign. This means not only the frequency of sending but also the day of the week, month, or time of day. “Several studies have shown that Tuesday mornings are the best time to send emails,” Dmitry Kudrenko, CEO of eSputnik commented. “The thing is, so many marketers are aware of this fact which results in crowded inboxes at that time. Therefore, it doesn’t mean Tuesday is always the best day to send.” The best way to find your ideal sending time is to test what works best for your audience.
Revamp your template
Some email marketers develop an “if it’s not broken, why fix it?” approach to the newsletters they send. Because they use a template, every email looks pretty much the same with changes only to the text and picture. Just as every house needs a fresh coat of paint now and again, your newsletter needs new visuals. So, at least once a year, consider changing your template.
Some of your readers will notice the revamp immediately and others may notice something is different, but they can’t quite put a finger on it. This doesn’t mean a complete discard of your image, but rather a rejuvenation. Think of when Starbucks dropped their name and the word coffee from their logo and cups.
What improvements can you make to the image or tone of your email newsletter? Try not to stress out about things! If people really dislike something, there’s always the option of returning to what you previously did.
When it comes to email, it’s a sin not to try
Try a lot of things. If you have a newsletter related to travel, why not partner with a shoe company? You reciprocate. Perhaps you can refer your customers to their new walking shoes and they can offer their customers a premium deal if they book a trip through you.
Consider the idea that your email newsletter is a mixture of technology and the arts. Think about how limitless expression can be and all of the opportunities to show humanity through this incredible innovation we call email.
When you get in that space, the ideas will start to flow. So, when you start to think that you can’t do something in email medium, think again. You may just be onto something.
