Ever open up your inbox and see an email from an unfamiliar sender you don't remember subscribing to? Most of us have and the first reaction is usually to delete the message and perhaps even unsubscribe. If the sender hasn't been of value to you at this point, chances are they won't be in the future.
It's important to develop a rapport with your subscribers in order to add value to your emails. Below are 5 tips to keep your recipients engaged and coming back for more.
1. Consistency is key: It's important to follow a consistent sending schedule. With too little messaging recipients may forget who you are or forget they even subscribed to receive emails and if you mail too frequently, your audience may become overwhelmed and feel spammed. To avoid either scenario, create a schedule or a baseline for your minimum and maximum number of sends (i.e., at least once a month and no more than twice weekly). Stick to a schedule and your recipients will pay attention to your content and not the number of messages in their inbox.
2. Diversify your messaging: The last thing you want is for your recipients to be bored with your messaging or to feel the sole purpose of your emails is to sell them something. Rather than send the same promotional offer or product promotion week after week, change it up by sending a newsletter with industry tips, a company update or an employee profile. Having a good mix and variety of information with relevant content rules.
3. Reward your recipients: As many of us gathered in grade school, the best way to captivate an audience is by rewarding them for their attention. Are we suggesting you deliver each of your list members Red Vines, Tootsie Rolls or Jolly Ranchers for opening your emails? Not exactly, but you can reward your recipients by holding contests or randomly selecting a list member to receive a discount on your product or a free one-month subscription to your service.
4. Know your audience: When you notice a decline in open or click rates or a spike in unsubscribes find the cause. Ask your audience for feedback, send out a survey or encourage comments to find out what they're thinking. Put yourself in your readers shoes and ask yourself what would catch your attention or what would you find interesting? Then experiment with a test. Send two emails with differing subject lines, content or send times to optimize performance rates.
5. Keep growing your list: After creating engaging emails you'll want to send them to as many individuals as possible. You'll lost approximately 30% of your subscribers each year due to attrition, so you constantly need to grow your list. The easiest way is to include an opt-in form on your website, blog and your Facebook page or other social networks.
Follow these simple tips and your subscribers will keep coming back to the inbox for more!
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