Email is still considered to offer one of the highest returns on investment for any marketing activity you can do for your business.
It is, however harder than it’s ever been to get past the spam filters, get your email opened and then acted upon.
After 11 years of sending out marketing emails for both clients and myself, here are my top hacks for making sure your emails pay!
Spam! Spam! Spam! I don’t need any Viagra!
(Getting in the “Inbox”) 
The average consumer receives 121 emails per day!
Most are spam. Or offers. Or just plain old rubbish.
So as a permission-based business email marketer, what can you do?
Firstly, remind your subscribers to add you to their “safe senders” list.
- Make sure that your “Send From” address is real, clear and matches your domain.
- Don’t use the world’s favorite spam words in your subject line…
Money, Millions, Covid.
- Don’t overuse emojis in your subject lines.
- AND DON’T OVERCAPITALISE.
All are massive spam flags for ISPs.
What are You Talking About?
(Getting the opens)
What’s the first thing a subscriber sees about your email in their inbox?
The subject line.
Crafting a subject line that delivers open rates is key to success. After all, if your subject line doesn’t elicit the desired action (an open), then your email is worthless to you and your subscriber.
So what can you do to ensure that your message gets the open it deserves?
- Firstly, be honest with your subject line.
- Create open curiosity loops. The need to see the answer will drive open rates.
- Keep it short. Most are truncated in the preview panel and if you’ve got the value at the end of a long sentence it’s not going to get seen.
- And finally, let your subscribers know the benefit of opening your message.
https://www.theemailmarketingmachine.com/101-subject-lines
I Ain’t Got All Day Bubba
(Keep it short and very sweet and give value)
How much time have you got spare for reading emails from people trying to sell you stuff? Not much I’ll wager.
(This paragraph was kept short intentionally)
I Don’t Know You. Why Are You Using My Name?
(Building the trust)
The internet has grown up. And so have subscribers.
12 years ago, when I got an email with my name on it, I knew it was important. It made me feel good. Someone was speaking directly to ME.
Now?
Erm… No… NOT AT ALL.
We know that we aren’t being singled out for a special offer. We know that you just want to sell us something.
AND…
We most definitely know that you don’t know us. Don’t pretend you do. Don’t pretend to be my mate. You’re not (yet).
I sometimes sign up for lists with the name “F(*K *FF”.
Why? Because it really amuses me to see it sent
back to me 🙂
And secondly, because when I see it in the subject line (Jeez, that’s old), I know not to bother opening it most of the time.
Don’t personalise. It’s lame.
How Many Links?
(You send your friends emails with loads of links?)
Ok… When you send an email to your mates, do you put the link in 5 times?
No, Me neither.
So why do it in business emails? It’s such a massive red flag to ISPs that it’s one of the biggest factors in getting sent to spam.
Also … I CAN READ!
I don’t need the link 5 times. It’s not likely to increase the chances of me clicking it. I’m not a dog!
One link in an email please. It’s ok to embed it. It’s ok to use a pretty link or link shortener. But we really don’t need it more than once.
AND FORGET BUTTONS.
Why on earth would you put a button in an email?
(Red flag)
Show me the money!
(Getting the buys)
So you want to sell in your email. Either your own product or a product you get an affiliate commission on.
Well, why don’t you try to send your subscribers to a review, or at least tell them something special about the product you’re pushing.
Even better? Don’t try to sell anything. Talk about the benefits, the FAQs, and the reasons for buying that product then let the subscriber decide.
Create a nurture sequence. Prime them for a sales email by sending 2 or 3 or even more beforehand explaining to them how what you’ve got or found is going to help them.
BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR SUBSCRIBERS
Send When They Show Interest
(Retargeting Baby)
Email retargeting is HUGE. And massively underutilised.
Image this…
A prospect has subscribed to your email list and is opening your emails, nurture sequence etc.
You send a sales email with an offer and they click through but don’t make a purchase. Most marketers would stop there, but what if you could send a sequence of emails that entice them back to the sales page. Maybe “sweeten the deal” a little.
It’s a powerful strategy that increases your chances of a sale and strengthens the bond between you and your subscribers.
That’s a Crock!
(The click must deliver the expectation)
And my final hot hack…
Don’t ever promise and underdeliver. Overwhelm, not underwhelm.
When you promise a result in your email, make sure that wherever the click leads to, it provides that result or benefit.
Subscribers will quickly lose interest if all you send are 1-Click makes you a fortune emails that just end up on generic sales pages promising the world and delivering yet another also Golden Goose.
Look at marketers like Kevin Fahey, Michael Cheney and especially John Thornhill. These know EXACTLY how to nurture and deliver with emails.
I’m still learning tons on my journey and my latest mentor is actually John Thornhill. His courses are amongst the strongest offerings.
If you are on your own journey to make money online, I would highly recommend John’s Trillion $ Training.
Thanks for reading, and I hope this piece has helped you smash it with your email marketing.
This is a guest blog post by Adam Baetu, if you want to be considered for a guest post please contact us.
