Got a hot new product on the market? A special deal for loyal customers? An event your clients won't want to miss? Well-timed email blasts -- one-time emails sent to your house list -- effectively inform your customers and clients of important news, product announcements, or special offers.
Do it the right way and you can increase customer loyalty, awareness, or ROI. But if you miss the mark, you can harm -- even destroy -- your hard-won relationships.
Follow these 5 steps to creating successful email blasts.
Step #1. Value
The only reason to send an email blast is to offer something of value to your readers. Ask yourself the question "will they care?" and answer honestly. Discounts on products or services, special events (particularly when there will be free food), or releases of new products in which your clients have already expressed interest, make strong fodder for an email blast.
Step #2. Powerful subject line
Rather than tacking the subject line on as an afterthought, consider it the most important part of the email. Give your readers an idea of what the email contains and why they should open it.
If your email follows the suggestion in Step #1., the subject heading should be easy to write. Simply convey the value: "One-day sale to loyal customers begins tomorrow;" "Invitation: Hear Stephen Covey In Person;" or "XYZ Software: significant upgrade available now to current users."
Keep in mind that it’s illegal to use deceptive subject lines.
Step #3. Punchy text
Be crystal clear in your own mind about the offer, include as much of it as you can in the subject line, then give only the most important points in the body of your email. Don't weigh your email down with too many specifics. If there's more info you're dying to include, you can link to it.
Step #4. Don't overdo it
Sending email blasts too often, about things that don't affect your clients, or that simply repeat the same message, is the best way to get them to stop opening your emails altogether. So don't inundate your house list with announcements unworthy of their time.
If your CEO wins an award from the local Chamber of Commerce, that's very nice… but your clients won't care. Save that for a quick note at the bottom of next month's newsletter.
Step #5. Follow email best practices
A. True story: I receive email blasts from a company I respect, containing useful announcements of upcoming events. Recently, they hired a new marketer -- and she includes the email address of everyone to whom she sends the email, right there in the "To" field.
That means that, depending on the content of your email (say it's a pitch to some hot leads you picked up at a conference), you may be giving away sales leads to competitors (bad). And it means that anyone who receives the email can see everyone else's address -- which brings up all sorts of privacy issues, and which will seriously alienate your readers (fatal).
B. An email blast is a marketing message and needs conspicuous notice that the message is an advertisement or solicitation. You should only send emails to people who have opted-in to receive email marketing messages. It must also contain a way for people to opt-out from future mailings, and must also contain a valid physical postal address.
C. Keep track of your lists. If you have an email newsletter that someone has opted out of, make sure the person down the hall in sales isn’t sending that person blast emails.
