If you’re like one of the many businesses running a seasonal promotion in the next few months, you need to sort out your marketing NOW. One of the most efficient marketing strategies for any promotion is sending an email blast. Email blasts are very low in cost, and have a proven success rate in accelerating sales growth or brand awareness.
However, writing and designing email blasts is a very delicate task – how do you push a sale and avoid getting branded as spam?
Be attractive.
An easy-to-read layout and pleasing colours, pictures and headings should be the bones of your email blast. Use subheadings and bullet points, and include bold and italic fonts. This can prevent your email blast from looking too overwhelming to the reader. As with all your marketing, you need a strong design and/or powerful images. Photos might be another way to help break up your text, so you should be very strategic in their placement. If you’re selling a product, including images will provide further impetus to buy.
A critical issue in email design and formatting can sometimes spring from different browser compatibility. If you want your email blast to be more than just plain text and images, it’s a good idea to get help on board to make sure you convey yourself in the way you intend – otherwise, you may run the risk of looking like spam.
Exploit existing relationships.
The list of email addresses you use should be from a collection of people who voluntarily left their email address with your business. You might already be sending them interesting or exclusive updates and offers, either in the form of daily, weekly or monthly updates or newsletters. An email blast is very different from this type of email based marketing strategy. Email blasts use a different tone: they are much more succinct and sales-oriented.
The main point of an email blast is to inform. A strong subject line and a personalised salutation should be used to engage the reader in the content that follows. If your contacts already trust you as a credible source of information, your email blast will be more likely to succeed.
Tell them where to go.
Email blasting will involve a more intense sales “assault” on your potential customers. Use prominent call-to-action statements in your writing: never assume your customers will read between the lines, or know what to do next. Clearly spell out whether you want them to pick up the phone, click on your website, or walk into your store. For example, tell your readers to click a link and what to do afterwards, as in “Click here to go into the draw”. If you’ve built a relationship with your readers beforehand, they’ll be more likely to listen to you now that you’re being aggressive. The approach you take in your email blast should be very obvious and forceful, with hard sales tactics and very little social chit-chat.
Kwik Kopy are experts in all things related to Electronic Direct Marketing (EDM), including email design, e-blast delivery, browser testing, as well as reporting and response rates. At Kwik Kopy, our designers understand all the ins and outs of designing for the email environment – including the difficulties of dealing with browser compatibility, spamming, formatting and image use – and can help you deliver professional looking emails that will be delivered to your customers’ inbox.
For more handy design and printing tips, head to your nearest Kwik Kopy Centre.
