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Email is an essential tool for engaging your followers and growing your audience, yet it can often feel like a daunting task to tackle. What are the best days/times to send? What type of content should you share? How much should you include?
At last week’s Blog Better Boston Learning Labs (hosted here at Shareaholic headquarters) Azure Collier, Social Media Education Developer at Constant Contact, shared her tips for creating a successful email strategy, from content to distribution.
If you’re having trouble getting started or simply want to hone your existing email strategy, check out our roundup of Azure’s presentation and start creating your first campaign today!
Write about what you know (and your readers don’t)
This might seem obvious, but your readers encounter a lot of content everyday, so in order to stand out, focus on offering them something only you can give them. Whether it’s information, expertise or access, develop a following by providing content that’s unique to you.
Focus, focus, focus!
Too many choices isn’t helpful, it’s overwhelming. Think about the goal of your email: what do you want to communicate? Better yet, what do you want your readers to do when they read the email? Use these questions to guide your content, and remember: keep it simple!
Pro tip: Also, make sure you have a clear call to action.
Balance your content
Pictures get 47% more click-through activity than content without images but, says Collier, don’t over-rely on images either. It’s all about balance! Also, be sure to use text labels for your images in case they aren’t shown in the recipient’s mail client.
Pro tip: Your photos are going to be viewed on mobile devices too! Make sure to send yourself test emails to see how they look on different mobile devices and mail clients.
When do I send my email?
There has been so much research published about the best days/times to send emails that it’s hard to find one definitive answer to guide your strategy. According to Collier, testing YOUR audience will bring you the best results. Ask yourself, “When are my readers likely to take the action I want?” To answer that question, she recommends two simple tests:
Find the best DAY to email your readers
- Divide your list into 3 groups of people
- Select three days in the week to test
- Send your email and watch for the best response
Find the best TIME to email your readers
- Take the same group of people and email them on your best day
- Select three times to test
- Send your email and watch for the best response
Want more tips for how to grow your email list? Here are 7 things you can start doing right now!
By the way, we are hiring! Help Shareaholic grow.